Sardinia Road Trip - Supramonte Mountains - Day 9

09/27/23

The alarm goes off at 7. We want to leave early because we're going on a long hike today. Jan drives us for an hour along narrow, winding roads to the highest point of the mountains to the starting point of the trail to the Gola di Gorropu gorge.

One route should be approx. 4.5 km and 700 meters in altitude. The path down takes us through pine forests, occasionally along stony rock faces and steadily downhill with a phenomenal view. Herbs grow endlessly along the path and we see many natural caves in the steep walls. It takes us a good two hours to make it down because my knees aren't quite up to it.

Once we reach the bottom, we lie down in the shade and cool our feet in small pools of water. Afterwards we pay €5 per head to be allowed into the gorge. It feels a bit like being in an adventure park: pay, stand in line, get instructions and then start off on the green path in a group. Luckily, the group quickly splits up, because in different places you have to do some exercise to get over one or two rocks.

So we hike and climb over the yellow part of the gorge to the red point - from here we only continue with climbing equipment. I keep stopping to look up at the top; you feel incredibly small and insignificant in the face of so much rock.

Hoping to avoid the intense afternoon heat, we don't stay long and head back. The 700 meters up again are really tiring for us. We're melting down and definitely need a break or two, but we make it back up relatively unscathed. The view every now and then almost makes up for the knee pain.

On the way back we all dream of the cool water - and while Jan, Philipp & Steffi plunge into the waves at the beach campsite, I decide on the shower and the cool water at the bar.

In the evening we walk slowly to the nearest pizzeria, given the pain. Luckily today it was a hit, the pizza is really good and incredibly satisfying.