The best hiking routes in Parco nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu

The Parco nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu presents two starkly different walking environments. In the interior Gennargentu range, you walk on rounded, weathered schist and granite domes, where the trails are often stony, exposed, and lack shade. This is a high-altitude landscape of low scrub and scree, where navigation relies on stone cairns rather than clear dirt paths. There are no jagged alpine peaks here, but rather massive, undulating shoulders that require steady footing on loose rock.

In contrast, the Supramonte and the coastal Gulf of Orosei section consist of white limestone plateaus, deep canyons like Gorropu, and steep cliffs. Underfoot, the limestone is sharp, uneven, and highly eroded, demanding stiff-soled boots to cope with the jagged karst surfaces. You will walk through dense holm oak woods where the path is often a bed of dry leaves and loose limestone rubble, occasionally opening up to coastal drop-offs.

Water is scarce on the limestone plateaus, where rain disappears immediately into underground cave systems, leaving the surface dry. In May, the interior highlands still show green patches of mountain herbs before the summer heat dries the low vegetation. Walkers should expect rugged, slow-going terrain where progress is measured by careful steps over rock rather than fast strides on flat soil.