“Mare e Monti” on the Gulf of Orosei

On the east coast, between Orosei and Arbatax, lies one of the most impressive and wildest stretches of coastline in Sardinia. The karst Supramonte mountains, which together with the Gennargentu form Sardinia’s mountainous backbone, create a rocky barrier inland on the Gulf of Orosei, with peaks well over 1,000 m.

Along the coast, steeply rising limestone cliffs alternate with rocky gorges, valleys, and coves, at the foot of which narrow sandy or pebble beaches lead into a clear, turquoise sea. Many of these beaches can be described as “dreamlike”, but are – or rather, fortunately – only accessible by boat or on hikes along the coast or down from the inland plateaus. The inaccessible coastline means that the main road turns inland and there leads through the impressive mountain landscape via Dorgali to Baunei. For 50 km of coastline, only the small port town of Cala Gonone, surrounded by slopes with macchia and holm oak forests and overlooked by a wide expanse of high rock faces, is accessible by road.

Numerous rock faces create a tingle in the fingers and have been developed by and for climbers; with the rock needle L’Aguglia at Cala Goloritzé, one of the island’s most spectacular routes can be found, although with a rating of 6b+, it is reserved for experts. Free climbers also get their fun, for example, with ample challenges on the picturesquely overhanging walls of Cala Luna. The karst rock has also been so eroded in many places that numerous sinkholes and grottoes are found on the coast and inland. Among the best known are certainly the Grotta del Bue Marino, the caves at Cala Luna, or the stalactite cave Grotta di Ispiningoli near Dorgali.

More pictures in the ‘Sardinia’ gallery.