Day 1: Arrive Sardinia — Dorgali
Arrive Olbia Airport, transfer to Dorgali (1.5 hours), a mountain town in the Supramonte massif. Check into Il Querceto — a family-run hotel powered by biomass, surrounded by olive groves and limestone peaks. Welcome dinner with regional wine. Overnight Dorgali.
Day 2: Gorropu Gorge — Europe’s Deepest Canyon
Full-day hike to Gorropu Gorge. The trail descends from the Genna Silana pass (1,017m) through juniper and holm oak forest into the canyon. Gorropu is the deepest gorge in Europe — vertical limestone walls rise 500 meters on either side, narrowing to just 4 meters at the “Saxon’s Narrows.” Boulders the size of houses litter the canyon floor (rock-climbing paradise). You’ll walk through the narrowest section where the sky is barely a sliver of blue overhead. Picnic lunch in the canyon. Return to Dorgali. Overnight Il Querceto.
Day 3: Kayaking the Gulf of Orosei — Bue Marino Caves
Drive to Cala Gonone (20 min). Launch sea kayaks for a 12km round-trip paddle along the Gulf of Orosei’s dramatic limestone coastline — the same cliffs that plunge 500m into the sea here, creating one of the Mediterranean’s most spectacular coastal landscapes (similar to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast but far less visited). Paddle into the Bue Marino Grotto — a vast sea cave system once inhabited by the Mediterranean monk seal (now critically endangered). The cave’s chambers stretch 900 meters inland, with stalactites, underground lakes, and ancient petroglyphs on the walls. Stop for swimming at a pebble cove accessible only by sea. Lunch in Cala Gonone. Free afternoon to explore the beach town. Overnight Il Querceto.
Day 4: Cycling to Osalla Beach BBQ
Morning cycle: 30km from Dorgali to Osalla di Orosei on quiet roads through pine forests and past vineyards. Mostly gentle descent with a few rolling hills. The reward: Osalla’s wild sandy beach — backed by dunes and umbrella pines, with views of the Orosei cliffs. Beach barbecue of Sardinian sausage, pecorino cheese, pane carasau, and local wine. Afternoon: transfer back to Dorgali. Overnight Il Querceto.
Day 5: Trenino Verde & Tiscali Village
Morning: ride the Trenino Verde (Little Green Train), Sardinia’s historic narrow-gauge railway, on one of the world’s most scenic rail journeys — 45km through the Supramonte mountains, across viaducts and through tunnels carved into limestone. The train has been running since 1888 and travels at a leisurely 30km/h — plenty of time to photograph the dramatic scenery. Afternoon: hike to Tiscali (optional, challenging) — a Nuragic village hidden inside a collapsed limestone cave (dolinas), where a Bronze Age community lived completely concealed from the outside world until the 20th century. Overnight Il Querceto.
Day 6: Cala Luna & Coastal Exploration
Morning boat trip from Cala Gonone to Cala Luna — one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful beaches: 700m of fine sand between sheer limestone cliffs, with sea caves (Grotta del Fico) and turquoise shallows. The beach was featured in the classic Italian film Swept Away. Afternoon: free time for optional activities — scuba diving, rock climbing on the sea cliffs, or simply swimming and sunbathing. Farewell dinner featuring culurgiones (Sardinian potato-and-mint ravioli) and cannonau wine. Overnight Il Querceto.
Day 7: Departure
Morning: visit a Neolithic domus de janas (fairy house) rock-cut tomb near Dorgali — 5,000 years old. Transfer to Olbia Airport.
