HIGH UP ABOVE THE SEA
You start off at the sea and end up back by the sea. In between, you will find the mountains, ready to offer unforgettable experiences. Look down from the heights to the sea, ride up towards the sky, sink into the bowels of the earth, dip into the water.
Tour details
Tour code: LCG2
Starting point: Sant'Antonio di Gallura
Finish: Cala Gonone
Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
Departures: 15th Mar, 19st April, 3th May, 30th August, 18th October (dates refer to 1st day of tour)
Price: € 925
Single room supplement: € 150
Bike rental: € 80 (€ 10 per each additional day)
Transfer rates per person (min. 2 persons):
Olbia - Sant'Antonio di Gallura: € 30
Cala Gonone - Olbia: € 45
Services included:
Highlights
Programme
Arrival day
Transfer or independent arrival to our countryside hotel located on the tranquil shores of the lake Liscia in the heart of Gallura. Today we get to know each other, during the welcome meeting our guides will explain the route and deliver bikes. Dinner and overnight.
1st day: Sant'Antonio di Gallura - Tempio Pausania (31 km approx)
Pedalling in the quiet Gallura countryside through the eldest olive grove of the island, we reach Calangianus where we visit the ancient necropolis of Sa Pascaredda.
Few more kilometres and we get to Tempio Pausania, the "capital" of Gallura since Roman times. Dinner and overnight in Tempio.
2nd day: Tempio Pausania - Pattada (45 km approx)
As we leave Tempio we enjoy dramatic views of the imposing granite mass of Mount Limbara, cycle past the lake Coghinas and reach, through narrow country lanes the church of Nostra Signora di Castro, an outstanding example of Romanesque art dated XII Century. We shuttle from Oschiri to Ozieri, where we stop to admire the cave of San Michele, which has given the name of "Ozieri culture" to a whole era of Sardinian prehistory, which prevailed mainly in the northwest of Sardinia in the fourth and third millennia BC. We end our cycling day in Pattada, a hilltop village famous for its shepherd's knives, known as pattadesa.
3rd day: Pattada - Bitti (45 km approx)
Today we cross a very remote area of the island, riding most of the day on a plateau with stunning views of the mount Albo range. Su romanzesu is a very interesting nuraghic complex extending on an area of over 7ha. Relatively unknown till few years ago, it has acquired importance thanks to recent excavation works. Dating back to the late Bronze age (XIII Century BC), the site features among others the remains of a holy spring and two temples used for religious purposes. We rest for the night in Bitti, home of the famous singing group tenores which had made quite an impact internationally in recent years. The group is formed by four members that perform unaccompanied harmony songs whose origins go back several centuries.
4th day: Bitti - Lago Cedrino (40 km approx)
In Bitti we visit to the Museo della civiltŕ contadina, an admirably comprehensive and scrupulously catalogued collection of everyday items of the local rural society. Soon after Bitti we tackle some hills and the Supramonte, the island's biggest limestone massif swings into view. After the interesting necropolis of S'ena e Thomes, we learn a little bit more about the ancient past of the island at Serra Orrios, one of the most interesting nuraghic sites of the region, showing how a typical community was arranged. We stop for the night in a lovely agriturismo dominating the lake Cedrino.
5th day: Lago Cedrino - Cala Gonone (20 km approx)
Today the last effort on our bikes takes us to the Ispinigoli cave that contains a truly magnificent Nature's works of art, a collection of stalagmites and stalactites dominated by one 38-metre column that appears to hold the whole lot up. Inside have been found traces of some distant human presence, probably dating from Phoenician times. We finally reach the coastline in Cala Gonone after a dramatically scenic descent.
6th day: Cala Gonone (rest day)
Cala Gonone is the north entrance to the Golfo di Orosei, the longest stretch of Italian coast with no human settlement, 40 km of secluded sandy beaches interspersed by soaring white cliffs that are fantastic swimming spots. After the cycling efforts, we well deserve a relaxing cruise along the turquoise waters of the golfo on our chartered boat stopping at the most spectacular beaches, cala Luna, cala Sisine and cala Goloritzé just to name a few.
Departure day
After breakfast, end of services.