Sardinia – Selvaggio Blu trekking

Day 1: Arrival in Santa Maria
We meet in Santa Maria Navarrese at Franco's accommodation. In the evening, over dinner together in town, I will present the tour and give you all the important information. The next morning, Franco brings us a wonderful breakfast with local produce and homemade treats.

Day 2: Warming up on the Selvaggio
After breakfast together, we are driven to Baunei and on up into the mountains. This is our starting point for the Selvaggio Blu. Exciting route-finding, plunging views down to the sea and varied landscapes already shape the first stage. After a few hours we reach a first cove and a possible bivouac spot. Here we can cool off and set up camp. Depending on conditions and available spots, we may continue a short way to the next cove. Towards evening a supply boat brings us food and drinks as well as our tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats and personal gear; we cook together and round off the day by the campfire.
Total time: 5 h | ↑ 200 m | ↓ 950 m | Difficulty: UIAA II

Day 3: Dream beaches and cliffs
On the third day we leave our cove after sunrise and continue along the Selvaggio Blu on the cliffs high above the sea. Technically, this stage is the easiest and best waymarked of the entire route. It follows relatively well-trodden paths through the Sardinian maquis. Even so, there are spots here that require concentration and where a fixed rope to hold on to can come in handy. Again and again, magnificent views open up, especially from Punta Salinas down to the rock pinnacle of Aguglia di Goloritzè. In the late afternoon we reach the end of the stage at one of the most beautiful beaches. There we round off the day with a swim in the sea before the boat takes us the remaining kilometres to our next bivouac spot.
Walking time: 6 h | ↑ 550 m | ↓ 550 m

Day 4: Route-finding and abseiling
We leave this beautiful spot, climb a little and set off along a scenically outstanding and technically more demanding variant of the Selvaggio Blu. The terrain now becomes more intricate, and gradually we reach the heart of the route. Soon the first abseil awaits us – and it is one of the most spectacular right away. The onward route is hardly less impressive. On narrow rock ledges above the sea, past grottos and through narrow gaps, Sardinia's east coast shows a whole new side once again. Despite the demanding terrain, this is the shortest stage, and in the afternoon there is still time to relax on the beach and recharge for the next day.
Total time: 5 h | ↑ 700 m | ↓ 700 m | Difficulty: UIAA II+

Day 5: The heart of the route
After the sunrise, which we get to admire straight from our sleeping bags almost every day, and a hearty breakfast, we set off on the longest stage. Through woods and past dream coves, it is quite possible that by today at the latest we will meet the odd feral pig. First we pass through the Urele forest, a section where it is easy to get lost. Then come more cliffs, sea views and several exciting passages. As one of the highlights, we abseil right down to the entrance of one of the most beautiful and important grottos in Sardinia. After a snack by the sea, an airy traverse takes us back to the original route of the Selvaggio Blu. Waymarks are sparse in this section and the paths keep disappearing into the bushes – this is exactly where instinct and route-finding experience are called for. Short, easy climbing passages later lead us back up into the mountains and finally, on well-made paths, back down to the sea, where the next dream beach awaits us. In the evening, the day ends once again by the campfire.
Total time: 7 h | ↑ 700 m | ↓ 700 m | Difficulty: UIAA III

Day 6: Final stage to Cala Sisine
It is hard to believe that this is already our last day on the Selvaggio Blu. The stage first takes us back up into the mountains along the familiar paths of the previous day. It is one of the more pleasant stages, as the paths are relatively good and there is not quite as much ascent. Even so, this day is packed with highlights too. Several abseils still await us, including some longer ones. Later we reach the debris of a huge rockfall from 2015. This is followed by a via ferrata along fixed ropes, with great photo opportunities again and again with the sea in the background. Beneath a striking rock nose we enjoy a last lunch surrounded by Sardinian nature. Then we head through shady woods to the last abseil, from which we can already see our destination: Cala Sisine. It is a special feeling to step out of the woods onto the beach and celebrate the last metres of the Selvaggio Blu. After five days of adventure, campfires and nights under the open sky, the dinghy takes us back to Santa Maria Navarrese. But the day is not over yet: a final highlight is dinner with Silvio at his ovile in the mountains above Baunei, where we are treated to Sardinian specialities.
Total time: 6 h | ↑ 650 m | ↓ 750 m | Difficulty: UIAA III

Day 7: Breakfast and departure
After a final breakfast together at our accommodation in Santa Maria Navarrese, it is time to say goodbye. Together we look back on the week, pack our things and officially bring the Selvaggio Blu to a close. If you like, you can add a few days on your own and enjoy a little more Sardinian sunshine.

Info: On the daily stages we travel with light packs. We only carry what we need during the day ourselves. Everything else is brought to the bivouac spots in the evening. Even so, personal belongings still have to be carried up a short way, especially at the Biriola and Mariolu beaches. So please pack only what you really need for the nights and a few spare clothes in these bags. On top of this come shared bags with cooking equipment, food and water. We are guests in this area and walk on the old paths of the shepherds. We therefore treat the landscape, the grottos and the bivouac spots with due respect. It goes without saying that we leave no rubbish behind. That way, many others after us will also have the chance to experience the Selvaggio Blu as an intact natural wonder.