Capo Testa 9.3 km
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 5.78 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,444 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 1,444 ft
- Max elevation
- 194 ft
- TrailRank
-
80
4
- Min elevation
- -11 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 4 hours one minute
- Coordinates
- 2012
- Uploaded
- May 28, 2016
- Recorded
- May 2016
near Capo Testa, Sardegna (Italia)
Viewed 14984 times, downloaded 508 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The hike starts on a parking directly after having passed the dam from the mainland. You cross the road, have a look at the Rena di Ponente beach, and then enter an unpaved road west (there is a pedestrian entrance next to the gate). You walk towards a park with holiday homes, which you have to cross (see waypoint gate) to get to a coastal path taking you along the south coast. Soon, the path is interspersed with rocks and you find your way using the cairns and short stretches of recognizable paths for orientation along the south coast towards Li Graniti. Here the trail takes you inland up to a pass at about 50 m. From here you have to scramble down across rocks and large boulders to the beach at Cala Grande without a clear path. Near the beach, getting close to the Valle della Luna you will see some human shelters in the rocks as well as (makeshift) tents. In this area, hippies took up residence in the sixties, and some of their successors and cave-dwellers still live here in caves and tents. At the end of the Valle della Luna, there was a totem pole, sitting in front of the Cala dell’Indiano (or Cala di l'Ea). From here you go north along the coast towards the old and new lighthouse. In the valley before you ascend towards the old lighthouse is another cove, Cala Francese. On the ridge near the lighthouse you can see a viewpoint on granite rocks a bit further north. You go up this viewpoint and then continue further towards the northern point of the peninsula. You then walk along Cala Spinosa towards the asphalt road, but you turn right shortly before the parking lot to have a view of both the lighthouses. Coming back to the parking lot you walk along the asphalt until you get to the entrance of a sea-side restaurant. Here you can go down to the beach by taking an opening in the fence to the right and take a small trail through the bushes ending up at a beach. Here you can go further, with a small risk of getting your feet wet and you end up at a gate to another holiday residence with a sign ‘forbidden entry’. Here (see waypoint “Ingresso Vietato”) you can turn back to the road or scramble your way around the residence. Back on the road you follow it for 500 m, turn left on a minor asphalt road between holiday homes, choose a small trail down at the end until you get to another trail along the coast. Here, you will find some other coves and rocks until Punta Acuta. Past Punta Acuta you will get to a larger beach and a small harbour. You follow this beach (Spiaggia Zia Culumba), and then the rocky coast back to the parking lot..
You can find something to eat and drink at the waypoint ‘Small Path to Coast’ and on the beach Spiaggia Zia Culumba (the latter not open when I was there). This hike is largely the same as hike 6 in the Dutch book "Sardinië. De mooiste kust- en bergwandelingen" by W. Iwersen and E v.d. Wetering (Rother Wandelgidsen).
Waypoints
Beach
0 ft
Cala dell'Indiano
This is where the cala dell'Indiano beach is at the end of the Valle della Luna. Also called Cala di l'Ea.
Information point
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Descent between boulders to Cala Grande
This is where the descent between boulders to Cala Grande starts.
Information point
0 ft
Eastern Coastal Path
Here starts another trail along the coast on the eastern side of the peninsula.
Information point
0 ft
Gate
There is a gate here to a holiday village. The walking guide indicated to go through here, but the gate was closed. I tried to find another path around the village, but did not see one. Next to the gate you can step across a low wall which gives access to the road through the village and gives access to the coastal path beyond the village. I suspect the gate is open in summer.
Information point
0 ft
Ingresso Vietato
Here there is a gate to a park with holiday houses with forbidden entrance signs. Possibly open in summer. You can either scramble around the holiday park or go back to the road near the restaurant. There are other tracks on wikiloc which seem to pass by the holiday park (http://nl.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=9495392), but I did not see a path when I was there. Possibly you can scramble your way around it.
Information point
0 ft
North Point of Capo Testa
You approach the north side of Capo Testa with waves beating the granite rocks.
Information point
0 ft
Small Path to Coast
There is a boardwalk to a seaside restaurant with wooden fences around it. Directly at the entrance there is a gap in the fence which you can go through and accces a small path down to Cala Spinosa. The path goes across rocks to a small beach. You can go further stepping across stones on the edge of the water to another path which takes you to a gate (private property). There you have to go back or scramble your way around the private property.
Beach
0 ft
Spiaggia Zia Culumba
Beach on the east side of the peninsula facing the Baia di San Reparata
Information point
0 ft
Valle dell Luna
Here is the Valle dell Luna between ridges with peculiar rock formations. In the valley you will find cavedwellers and tents of people living in the valley as well as a totem pole
Panorama
0 ft
Viewpoint
Excellent viewpoint with views of Corsica, the lighthouses and the surrounding rock formations. There are stairs hewed in the rocks to the viewpoint. The viewpoint is surrounded by a wall of stones in concrete.
Comments (6)
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Easy to follow
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Paysages grandioses mais des passages limites de l'acrobatique .
La beauté se mérite
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Easy to follow
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Moderate
Beautiful and adventourous hike. It is sometimes difficult to find the trail, but that totally adds to the excitement!
Thanks for your review, Mdashorst. Glad you liked it! It indeed requires some scrambling...
Loved this route. Sometimes impossible to find the path so had to trust GPS breadcrumbs my orientation skills. Bit dangerous some places but totally worth it
Thanks for sharing
I have followed this trail verified View more
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Easy to follow
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First time commenting I messed it ^^`, read my opinion above
Thanks for your comments, Neptui! It is a bit of a scramble, indeed. Glad you liked it!