Our motorcycle itinerary in north-eastern Sardinia winds along the famous SS125 through some of the most beautiful villages and beaches on the island.
Starting from Golfo Aranci heading south we went to discover the traditions and naturalistic beauties of the itinerary such as Posada, Orgosolo, the Gorropu Canyon and then move on to the most beautiful beaches and the most suggestive diving places: here is all the information.
Content index
- The most beautiful villages
- Lanaitto Valley and Gorropu Canyon
- The beaches and diving
- Itinerary and other information
Our starting point for this tour in Sardegna is Golfo Aranci where we arrived by ship from Livorno with Corsica Ferries and which, together with Olbia, is the easiest point to reach from the continent, even for those leaving from Genoa or Civitavecchia.
The most beautiful villages on the North East coast
First stop of our tour, Posada, an ancient village overlooking the sea. The town has about three thousand inhabitants and is awarded the Touring Club orange flag and inserted between villages most beautiful in Italy. It is one of the most evocative places on the island for history, culture and landscapes. We are in park of Tepilora, one of the largest and most beautiful green areas on the island with paths that wind through forests, springs, lagoons and sand dunes, ideal for trekking, biking and horseback riding. To dominate the village, from the thirteenth century, the Fava Castle, which can be visited with a short walk suitable for everyone.
After Posada we diverted towards Galtellì, a small village that lies on a spectacular plateau at the foot of the All view, on top of which stands the majestic bronze statue of Christ, a pilgrimage destination. It is easy to visit through the cobbled streets and stone houses of a small extraordinarily devoted community with as many as five churches within a square kilometer. From culture to nature: the Tuttavista, a trekking destination, separates the town from the sea and has walls equipped for climbing. From the summit you can admire the scenery of the Gulf of Orosei and the Preta Iprinted, a rock with a huge hole overlooking the valley.
After the naturalistic break we have come to orgosolo, a village famous all over the world for its suggestive murals that adorn narrow streets and squares, houses in the historic center and facades of new buildings. They tell of politics and culture, intimate dissent and popular struggles, malaise and social justice, daily life and pastoral traditions. Around the spectacular and impervious landscape of Supramonte of Orgosolo: wild and uncontaminated nature in the heart of the Barbagia di Ollolai.
Before climbing to 1000 meters of altitude we stopped at Mamoiada. The village is a welcoming center of two thousand and 500 inhabitants in the heart of barbagia di Ollolai, on the border between Gennargentu and Supramonte. The visors, works of the 'masters of wood', are exhibited in the museum of Mediterranean masks, where you will discover traditions related to disguises, typical of agro-pastoral communities and similar to various ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean.
Lanaitto Valley and Gorropu Canyon
Between Galtellì and Orgosolo, the famous village of murals, we diverted to the Lanaitto Valley, an uncontaminated place which can be reached with a short stretch of offroad easy. The Lanaitto valley is set in an enchanting scenery in the territories of Oliena and Dorgali, between imposing limestone ridges that have generated sinkholes, canyons, spiers and caves. Starting from Oliena, after the bridge over the Cedrino lake, the source on Gologone is the first spectacular stop on the excursion to Lanaitto. A tree-lined path leads to the entrances of the sa Oche and su Bentu caves, connected to each other and among the longest in Europe, havens for speleologists. Leaving the cave, along a continuous ups and downs to the bottom of the valley, you will arrive at the Tardonuragico village sa Sedda 'e sos Carros, formerly a staging area for wagons transporting timber.
Another unmissable stop is the Gorropu Canyon, the deepest in Europe, but to return to the SS125 del Silana Pass, Near the Tomb of the Giants, we took a small road towards Talana e Urzulei: do not miss it, for me it was one of the most beautiful roads ever traveled. After Urzulei, we recommend that you stop for lunch or dinner at theGorropu hotels, where you can also sleep to visit the canyon early in the morning. To the Base Camp of the Gorropu Canyon dozens of excursions leave every day, on foot or by jeep to visit the majesty of the gorge.
The beaches and diving
And now let's go back to the sea, or rather under the sea, because the beaches of the east coast are all beautiful, but a Cala Gonone, for those who practice diving, you can dive on the wreck KT12, a German merchant ship sunk by the British during World War II. To dive we turned to the diving experts of Argonauta diving center, who accompanied us to over 30 meters deep to discover the fauna and relics that are still visible on the bottom.
Going up the coast along the SS125, before arriving at the beach of Berchida, one of the most famous of the island, we visited theOasis of Biderosa, another magical place. It is a coastal forest of over one thousand hectares, the flagship of Siniscola for the variety of flora and fauna kept, which overlooks five coves, one more beautiful than the other, including the enchanting beach of Biderosa, with a pond behind it where pink flamingos and herons live.
From the oasis we then stopped at the lighthouse of Head of Comino, in San Teodoro at the beach of Cinta and then to Head of Coda Cavallo, famous for the homonymous beach and for that of Brandinchi. Here we left the again motorcycle to immerse ourselves in the marine reserve of Tavolara e Molara. A real aquarium where Fabio, owner of the Blu Infinto diving center, showed us everything from the largest groupers, to seahorses, to stingrays. A true spectacle of nature.
All information on the most evocative places in Sardinia can be found on the official website of the Region: sardegnaturismo.it
Map and equipment used
For our tour in Sardinia we used the soft bags of GIVIand Easy-T line, both side and saddle and tank, clothing Summer Hevik, flip-up helmet Kappa Moto and footwear Stylmartin.
For scuba diving we have chosen Scubapro also for the ease of transport by motorcycle: BCD Hydros Pro, first stage MK19, second stage G260, computers Aladdin A2, Definition wetsuit, Go Sport fins and for shooting the smartphone case Sportdiver by Sealife.
Thanks Event, Wemoto.it e Riders Revolution for the materials provided and the preparation of the bike before departure.
