THE GRIFFON KINGDOM
A pleasant breeze on your face, the rustling wings of some bird of prey, the scrunching of your shoes on the ground: all the rest is silence. Sardinia is a land of immense space, full of pathways running alongside ancient stone walls and surrounded by wild vegetation. You can lose yourself amongst the flowering gorse bushes and the luxuriant green of the pastures, and the rocky cliffs that plunge into the sea. Beaches that you have only dreamt about. Magical places, ideal in spring and autumn, where man made works have known how to fit in marvellously with nature.
Tour details
Tour code: HKG1
Starting point: Alghero
Finish: San Marco di Tresnuraghes
Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
Departures: (dates refer to 1st day of tour)
Price: € 890
Single room supplement: € 120 (€ 200 in case of a person travelling alone)
Transfer rates per person (min. 2 persons):
- Alghero airport - hotel: € 25
- Tresnuraghes - Alghero airport: € 50
Services included:
- 7 nights in 3 star hotels or Agriturismo with en suite bathroom
- 7 breakfasts
- 7 dinners
- 6 picnic lunches during tour stages
- 1 transfer to shorten the mileage
- baggage transportation from hotel to hotel
- support van
- two English-speaking guides
- the assistance of local professional guides
- entry to museums and archaeological sites
- the despatch before tour start of detailed route information (maps, description of tour stages etc)
Not included:
- Drinks with evening meals
Activity level
- Walking days: 6
- 2 easy stages (mostly flat)
- 3 medium stages (undulating)
- 1 challenging stage (hilly)
Highlights
- The historical centres of Alghero and Bosa
- Monte Minerva
- The Temo Valley
- The Griffin Vulture
- The Planargia countryside
Programme
Arrival day
Meeting at the hotel in Alghero, where our guide will show you the week's program and proceed to give you equipment and all the necessary information. Before dinner a walk along the sea front fortress and along the romantic narrow streets of the ancient gothic Catalan castle.
1st day: Alghero- M.te Minerva (19km)
A transfer will take you to the turn off where today's journey will start. Along a charming track which runs 200 metres above the sea we'll reach the interesting Nuragic site of Nuraghe Appiu. Beside pastures, cork and oak forests we'll arrive at a hotel sunk in the immense green oasis of Monte Minerva.(mt 644).
2nd day: M.te Minerva-Montresta (12 km)
Today our steps will lead us slowly towards the sea. Leaving Mt Minerva (mt 644), crossing through woods and regenerating fresh water springs which alternate along the way, we'll come to the agricultural-pastoral town of Montresta. Here we'll stay for the night. Along this journey we'll get to know the Temo River, which we'll see again in the following days.
3rd day: Montresta - Bosa (14km)
In this really wild landscape where the last colony of the Griffon vulture lives, we are up against an exciting descent towards the sea. We'll use tracks that flocks of sheep use during the period of transhumance, when they move from summer to winter pastures. Having passed the sheep farm belonging to the family Porcu, which dominates all of Cape Marrargiu, we continue our way down to Cala Ittiri beach.
4th day: Bosa- Bosa(13km)
A tour of the country churches built along the banks of the Temo river. Upon leaving the hotel we'll walk up the cobbled streets of the antique medieval town of Bosa. After a visit to the Serravalle Castle , we'll make our way through the country staying close to the banks of the river, near which many very old churches can be found. S Pietro extramuros cathedral which dates back to 1062 ad, is considered to be the oldest roman church in Sardinia is one of these.
5th day: Bosa - P.te Alabe (12km)
Today our walk starts with a captivating climb to Monte Furru. From here it's possible to see the estuary of the Temo river and the beautiful surrounding coast. The itinerary continues through cultivated malvasia grape vineyards, where the local owners will guide us and allow us to taste Malvasia Bosa doc from their cellars. The day ends in the small town of Porto Alabe nestling on the sea.
6th day: P.Alabe-San Marco (14km)
The last leg of our tour starts from the beach of our hotel. We walk up along the promontory and follow a rocky mule track that leads to the ancient coastal towers of Columbargia and Foghe, and the amazing tall rocks called Corona Niedda, which jut out of the sea in the shape of a crown. Then we'll continue onto the rural sanctuary of Saint Mark, and follow the footsteps taken by the believers during the procession in honour of this saint. We'll end up the day at the agricultural farm of the Deriu family who'll welcome us on our last day of the tour.
Departure day
After breakfast, end of services.