The Big Loop of Sardinia Self-Guided

We’ll welcome you at airport and have a 10 minutes shuttle to town. After checking in, we’ll have an urban walk through the capital of Sardinia, called in Sardinian language “Casteddu” (the Castle), because of its fortified district overlooking the sea. We’ll make time for an introductory aperitif featuring a refreshing Vermentino, the most famous of Sardinian white wines. Cagliari is a lively city, a true Mediterranean jewel thanks of its long history: Nuragic Sardinians, Phoenicians, Punics, Romans, Byzantines, Barbarians, Genoans, Spanish, and eventually Italians!
Dining in its old “Marina” district, a melting pot place, it’s an experience that will let us discover an unique cooking style that has its roots more into the Spanish culture than Italian. Cagliari cooking is quintessential Mediterranean, with lots of fresh fish, seafood, sea urchins, handmade pastas, local olive oil, and many local grapes (both the elegant red Monica and the yellow-white Nuragus). Our unforgettable dinner is the entrée to our culinary journey of Sardinia.

The morning it’s a fun ride with continuous up and down in an impressive succession of cliffs and white sandy beaches, granite hills and ancient Spanish towers. It will be very difficult to avoid the temptation to take a dip in one of the many beaches with crystal clear water… Villasimius and its the Marine Protected Area of Capo of Carbonara (www.ampcapocarbonara.it) give way to the charm of the coast and to the dream beaches which line the most generous citrus groves of Sardinia.

We leave Muravera through citrus orchards and olive groves, then we start climbing to the heart of the mountains of Gerrei, going up the river Flumendosa from the mouth to the lake. The plateau anticipates the arrival to Orroli, village symbol of longevity in Sardinia. Its countryside host the impressive megalithic complex of Nuraghe Arrubiu, definitely one of nicest among the about 7000 nuraghe spread around the Island.

That’s the King of the Mountain day! We leave going down to the Flumendosa valley, which we follow the course up to the gates of Ogliastra. Here you will be surprised by the wild beauty of nature, where the action of erosion of the river and its tributaries have carved valleys, creating bizarre shapes of the rocks, such as the characteristic "Tacchi", which are of limestone plateaus with high white cliffs, which make unique landscapes of this beautiful corner of Sardinia.

Leaving Bari Sardo, you will continue the pedaling along the Ogliastra beaches and returning to the old 125 you will begin your climb. The Gulf of Orosei is a limestone cliff overlooking the sea. You will pedal over it, climbing up to the "Ghenna e Silana" pass, from where the Gorropu canyon begins, one of the largest in Europe. From there, you will first descend gently and then more and more quickly towards Cala Gonone.

We start uphill today, and with some bend, we reach again the SS125, and the inland toward Lula, where you’ll face the real highlight of the day, the marvelous rocky ramparts of Monte Albo, a long dolomitic doline that you will follow on a beautiful road surrounded by greenery, which runs just down of the peaks, before dropping along an exciting 15km downhill till Siniscola.

The day starts along the coast, where you must stop to get the whole beauty of Tavolara island, a towering limestone island rising from the sea in front of Capo Coda Cavallo and San Teodoro. Then you enter the Gallura with its oddly shaped granite profiles, vineyards, red cork oaks, and beautiful countryside. Your ride ends along the emerald water and stunning beaches of the glamour Costa Smeralda.

Heading to Limbara Mountain range and its pretty villages, the ride explores the countryside decorated with neat vineyards. Just after Aggius, another picturesque village of Gallura, we go down into the Valle della Luna (moon valley), a real evocative spot of Sardinia, a large flat area with sparse vegetation, which seems to emerge from massive granite boulders blocks. The valley connects the Gallura with the pastures of Anglona. A long gradual descent through the silent countryside leads down to the village of Santa Maria Coghinas, then reaches the sea in Valledoria at the mouth of the river Coghinas. From here is a short climb before reaching Castelsardo: a beautiful postcard overlooking the ancient fortress of Doria on the cliff.

We'll leave Castelsardo following the coastal road towards the west, passing the long beach of Platamona and reaching the old town of Porto Torres, one of the most important ports on the island. Here we will head towards the Nurra plains, where, riding countryside back roads, we'll reach Alghero, a Catalan heritage town. Alghero has a typical network of narrow streets and old ramparts overlooking the sea, perfect for a charming oceanfront dinner.

We head south with a great ride along a coastline that reminds the Californian Big Sur and its dramatic beauty. The 45 Km stretch separating Alghero from Bosa is definitely one of the most scenic itineraries of the whole Sardinia. The road looks almost like a terrace suspended over the ocean, backed by majestic volcanic mountains. Then we'll ride inland, through the Montiferru area and its pristine countryside, where silence is broken just from flock bells and the landscape looks like a painting. Our stage ends in Cabras, a village built among lagoons, with incredible shining light.

Another spectacular ride, passing on the Marceddì lagoon, a place that seems frozen in time. Then the majestic Costa Verde (the Green Coast) is quite a movie location thanks to the old mining villages and sandy dunes, this is considered one of the wildest areas of the island. The Mediterranean bush covers like a thick carpet the hills, arriving at the desert sands of majestic dunes. The ocean itself looks wilder here, always moving thanks to the mistral wind. We’ll stop in Portixeddu, just a few km before our last effort to get Buggerru, an ancient mining village nestled in a cove on the coast. Here we'll have our dinner in a very local trattoria.

The stage starts climbing from the sheltered cove of Buggerru to the top of the hill in Acquaresi where you take a long downhill into the blue sea of Nebida, admiring the magnificent Pan di Zucchero (sugar loaf), a white limestone rock that arises from the sea. Then you’ll ride along Funtanamare beach and along the coast until to Portoscuso. Here you get the first ferry of the day to Carloforte, a Mediterranean gem where Ligurian, African and Sardinian culture are blend harmoniously. The second ferry of your day brings you to Calasetta on Sant’Antioco island.

We’ve told you, this tour has plenty of beauty. So what’s more marvelous than the southern Sardinia coast? After a few km, we’ll be enchanted by the neat Romanesque-Pisan architecture of the Cathedral of Tratalias in the phantom village of Tratalias Vecchia. We’ll cross the Sulcis countryside through artichokes fields and Carignano vineyards, a wine you can find just in this area. After a stop for a wine tasting and a picnic by the impressive "Is Zuddas" caves, the ride follows along the succession of secret coves and ancient Spanish watching towers, overlooking a sea with all shades of blue and green. The up and down ends in Chia, one of the most gorgeous beaches on the whole island, then we have just 15 km of peaceful countryside until the legendary Nora, the Phoenician town conquered by the Romans, one of the most important settlements of ancient Mediterranean.

It’s time to say goodbye, but we know our Island touched your heart and you want to be back in Sardinia with us!
After breakfast we'll help you with bikes and luggage and shuttle to Cagliari airport, at just 30 minutes from Pula.
Ciao Amici, ci vedremo ancora!