Day 2 · SaturdayWith Zain · his last day

Day 2 · Sat 31 OctGola di Gorropu, then Zain drives back

The biggest hike of the trip, with Zain. Down from a mountain pass into one of Europe’s deepest canyons and back up. The trailhead is on the road south, so Zain drives to Cagliari straight from the car park at 14:00, and you go back to Cala Gonone for a big Barbagia dinner.

Leave07:30both cars
On the trail08:15Genna Silana, 1,017 m
Hike≈ 9 km+/− 650 m · 5 h 30
Gorge ticket€6cash, at the kiosk
Zain leaves14:00≈ 3 h to CAG
Sunset17:21dark by 17:50

Before you set off

  • Cash for the gorge: €6 each. It’s cash only and sold only at the kiosk at the gorge mouth (no advance booking).
  • Ankle boots. The boulders inside the gorge are polished white limestone, slippery even when dry.
  • 2 litres of water each. There’s one spring at the gorge mouth (marked by a Sardinian flag) to refill for the climb back.
  • Picnic lunch. If you want, the Hotel Gorropu at the pass (+39 329 337 6026) makes packed lunches when ordered the evening before.
  • Zain checks out and brings his bag. His car should be fuelled for 170 km.
  • Phone Su Gologone (+39 0784 287512) to book dinner, or WhatsApp the same number. Its 2026 hotel packages run to the night of 31 Oct, so it should still be serving on its last weekend, but book now. If it’s closed, book Il Colibrì in Dorgali (+39 340 721 1564 or +39 328 356 5937, dinner Mon–Sat 19:00–21:30).
  • Book the Bue Marino boat for Sunday 15:00 (see Day 3): grottabuemarino.it sells boat and cave in one ticket, online until 45 min before departure; cave office +39 338 834 1618.
  • Shop for Sunday. 1 Nov is a public holiday and many shops will be shut or open only in the morning.

Step by step

  1. 07:30Drive

    Cala Gonone → Passo di Genna Silana

    25 km · 40 min
    SP26SS125
    1. Up the hairpins out of Cala Gonone to the roundabout, then the SP26 through the Monte Bardia tunnel.
    2. At the T-junction with the SS125 (40.27562, 9.59225), turn left, signed Baunei / Tortolì.
    3. Climb for about 18 km to the pass at 1,017 m. The car park is on the left, by the old road-keeper’s house (casa cantoniera) and Bar Silana.
    Genna Silana, Bar Silana car park

    About 25 spaces, free. A second car park is 150 m south, by the Hotel Gorropu (40.15898, 9.50945). The trail information board is next to the first one.

    Cost: Free

    Navigate here ↗Pin40.15865, 9.50785

  2. 08:151Hike

    Down to the Gola di Gorropu

    One of the deepest canyons in Europe: white limestone walls up to about 500 m, closing in to a few metres wide. You walk down from the pass into the valley of the Rio Flumineddu, walk into the gorge, and climb back out.

    The trail, step by step

    Distance≈ 4.5 km each way
    Height≈ 600–650 m down, then up
    Time1 h 45 down · 2 h 15 up
    GradeE, steep in parts
    WaterSpring at the gorge mouth
    1. 08:15From the casa cantoniera take the path signed Gorropu on a wooden sign. Two paths rejoin after about 10 minutes. Waymarks are red-and-white paint and the odd green arrow. Don’t take shortcuts: it’s easy to lose the line on bare limestone.
    2. 08:45Down through holm oak, strawberry tree and juniper, past old stone sheepfolds. At about 2 km, Su Pinnettu. The views down the valley start to open up.
    3. 09:15Cross two scree fields below Costa Silana. Don’t stop on them (falling stones).
    4. 09:40A steep stretch on loose earth brings you down to the dry bed of the Rio Flumineddu. Weave between the boulders upstream for a few minutes.
    5. 10:00Ticket kiosk at the gorge mouth (40.18548, 9.50139), open daily 10:00–16:30 (a few sources say 10:30). €6, cash. Refill water at the spring.
    6. 10:00–11:15Inside the gorge. The first ≈ 500 m (marked green) is easy gravel and sand between huge boulders. The yellow section is a scramble over polished boulders, using hands, with some squeezes and fixed ropes. The hiking route ends at a big red dot on a giant boulder. Beyond it is for guided groups with ropes only.
    7. 11:15Lunch at the gorge mouth.
    8. 11:40Start back, at the latest, by the same path. The first 2 km out of the riverbed are the steepest.
    9. 13:45Back at the pass. Coffee at Bar Silana or the Hotel Gorropu.
    ≈ 9 km return+/− 650 m≈ 5 h 30 with the gorgeTicket €6, cash
    Pigiosu · CC BY 3.0
  3. 14:00Drive

    Genna Silana → Cagliari airport

    170 km · 3 h–3 h 15
    SS125SS125varSS125 (new)SS554
    1. South on the SS125 via Baunei and Lotzorai to Tortolì. Fuel at the Api-IP in Baunei if needed.
    2. At Tortolì follow Cagliari onto the SS125var, then the new SS125 dual carriageway and the SS554, following Aeroporto at the end.
    3. He arrives about 17:15, around sunset (17:21); it’s fully dark by 17:50. Overnight in Elmas or Cagliari (see the stays on the overview).
    4. Option B: north via Dorgali, Nuoro and the SS131 (231 km, ≈ 3 h 30). More motorway-style, but longer. OpenStreetMap routing also suggests a shortcut via Urzulei and Talana; it’s a slow mountain road, so skip it.
    Zain

    Drop the car at CAG on Sunday morning before the 08:00 flight. Check the rental’s return-desk hours, or whether there’s a key box for an early drop.

  4. 14:00Drive

    Genna Silana → Cala Gonone

    25 km · 40 min
    SS125SP26
    1. North on the SS125 down towards Dorgali, then right on the SP26 to Cala Gonone. You’ll finally see the road you drove in the dark last night.
  5. 15:002Shop

    Shop for Sunday, rest

    Despar, Viale Bue Marino 16 (daily 07:00–20:30), or Europa Crai (daily 08:00–20:30). In Dorgali, Eurospin is open Sat 08:30–20:00. Hours come from OpenStreetMap and seasonal shops may already be shut. Buy picnic food for Sunday’s hike and Monday’s breakfast.

    Despar Cala Gonone

    Customer car park in front.

    Cost: Free

    Navigate here ↗Pin40.28149, 9.63142

  6. 16:453Walk

    Sunset walk on the seafront

    Walk the Lungomare Palmasera south from the port to the little Palmasera beach. Sunset is at 17:21, behind the mountains, so the light goes pink on the cliffs across the gulf.

  7. 19:15Drive

    Cala Gonone → Su Gologone, Oliena

    26 km · 40 min
    SP26SS125SP38SP46
    1. SP26 back through the tunnel and up to the SS125. Go through Dorgali, then turn left on the SP38, signed Oliena / Nuoro, for 4.5 km.
    2. Turn left onto the SP46 towards Oliena for 7.6 km. At 40.28954, 9.46516 take the sharp left signed Su Gologone. The hotel is on the right after about 2 km.
    3. Whoever drives back stays off the Cannonau.
    Hotel Su Gologone

    The hotel’s own car park.

    Cost: Free for guests

    Navigate here ↗Pin40.28977, 9.48929

  8. 20:004Dinner

    Dinner at Su Gologone

    Classic Barbagia cooking by an open fire: roast suckling pig (porceddu), culurgiones, pane carasau and Cannonau. Its last weekend of the season. Fallback: Il Colibrì, Via Gramsci / Via Floris in Dorgali (Sardinian, booking required, 20 min from Cala Gonone).

    Last weekend of the season: book now

If things change

Getting Zain home

Plan A (above): leave the pass at 14:00 and drive in daylight, then an easy morning before the 08:00 flight. Plan B: Zain stays for dinner and leaves Cala Gonone at about 03:45 on Sunday via Nuoro and the SS131 (≈ 3 h 15), returning the car by about 07:00. Possible, but brutal after this hike.

Running late

If you’re not at the gorge mouth by 10:30, go only as far as the end of the green section. Zain should be climbing out by 11:45 at the latest. The kiosk closes at 16:30 and everyone has to be out by 17:00.

Easier version

Swap with Sunday: walk Cala Fuili → Cala Luna today (less climbing) and Zain leaves from Cala Gonone at 14:30 via Nuoro. Or Tiscali from the Valle di Lanaittu (2–3 h), a village hidden inside a collapsed sinkhole.

If it rains

After heavy rain the Gorropu riverbed is dangerous: ask at the bar on the pass. Instead, the Grotta di Ispinigoli near Dorgali (a 38 m stalagmite; November tours at 11:00 and 12:00, +39 348 478 0104; the SS125 north of Dorgali towards Orosei is closed until March 2027, so phone to check the cave road) and a Cannonau tasting at Cantina Dorgali. Zain heads off after lunch.

Numbers and links

Gorropu

  • gorropu.infoDaily 10:00–16:30 · €6 adults, cash · info@gorropu.info
  • Gorropu guides (Chìntula)+39 389 420 8595 · +39 347 438 1009
  • Hotel Gorropu, at the pass+39 329 337 6026 · packed lunches to order

Dinner and shops

  • Su Gologone+39 0784 287512 · WhatsApp too · last weekend of the season
  • Il Colibrì, Dorgali+39 340 721 1564 · +39 328 356 5937 · Mon–Sat 19:00–21:30
  • Despar Cala GononeDaily 07:00–20:30 (OSM)
  • Emergency112