Altagène walks

Only one climb and one descent, but what a beautiful view awaits you. View of the villages of Alta Rocca: Zonza, Quenza and Serra di Scopamène, as well as the Bavella Needles.

Starting from Poggio di Tallano, this circular route without any particular difficulties allows you to admire the Chapel of San Giovanni (St John the Baptist, a beautiful Romanesque church) and visit the pretty villages of Altagène, Sant'Andréa and Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano. There are many old buildings, fortified houses and an old oil mill along the way. Most of the route follows sunken paths, but this does not prevent you from enjoying magnificent views of the surrounding mountains.

A beautiful historical and cultural walk on a variant of the Mare à Mare Sud. A well-maintained and signposted trail for an easy family hike, mostly shaded, to a ruined mill and a beautiful footbridge. Return via the same route.

A beautiful hike on the Sardinian plateau via the village of Aullène. Some of these trails connected villages in the days before roads existed. They are ideal for exploring the heights of Alta Rocca. This walk alternates between open and closed landscapes, holm oak forests and chestnut groves. A typical atmosphere of the Alta Rocca region.

This is an attractive hike due to the panoramic views from the summit (view of the Rizzanese valley, the Aiguilles de Bavella, the Gulf of Valinco, etc.) and from a historical point of view. Indeed, numerous educational panels, starting from the point (3), retrace the history of the lord of Rinucciu Della Rocca and his castle. The descent to the village winds its way through impressive granite boulders, once inhabited, in a forest of holm oaks that is as beautiful as it is mysterious.

A round-trip mountain hike, mainly along the ridge, offering beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and villages. This route allows you to complete only part of the proposed route by turning back from any point, depending on the wishes of the walkers and the conditions.

At the gateway to Alta Rocca, this moderately difficult hike allows you to enjoy the exquisite scents of the maquis in spring. The route stretches along the ridge, offering views of both the Taravo and Rizzanèze valleys. After San Petru, there is a magnificent viewpoint from an orientation table. You can continue on to the memorial stone commemorating the 1981 plane crash. The return and descent are opposite the Aiguilles de Bavella and Incudine.

At the gateway to Alta Rocca, this moderately difficult hike allows you to enjoy the exquisite scents of the maquis in spring. The route begins with a pleasant woodland trail before reaching the ridge, which offers views of the Taravo valley and the Rizzanèze valley. From San Petru, there is a magnificent panoramic view of the Gulf of Valinco (Propriano) as far as the Gulf of Ajaccio. On the way back, the descent is opposite the Aiguilles de Bavella.

The Three Villages Trail offers a beautiful day's hike. Passing mainly through the Mare à Mare, this route allows you to discover authentic villages in the Alta Rocca region (Quenza, Serra di Scopamena and Sorbollano). You will follow connecting paths once used by locals to travel from village to village.

A beautiful walk in the Alta Rocca, following shaded paths cooled by the proximity of numerous streams. You also pass through the village of Quenza, where you can stop for a bite to eat. Best done in mid-season or even in summer when it is very hot. I have been informed (September 2024) that the walk now starts from the restaurant La Ferme A Stadda, just below Zonza, 200 metres below point no. 1.

In French, cascade du pin, this is one of the seven wonders of the Alta Rocca. It's a truly beautiful 70-metre waterfall.

The 360° views from the summit over the bay of Porto-Vecchio, the Ospedale dam and the Alta Rocca are well worth the final climb, which is short but quite tough. The loop starts near the Cartalavonu lodge, Le Refuge.

A short hike through undergrowth, meadows and scrubland leads to the remains of Castellu di Baricci (beautiful ruins), whose original construction dates back to the 13th century. From the summit (519m) of this rocky outcrop, hikers can enjoy an exceptional panoramic view of the Ortolu valley as far as Roccapina.

Circular starting from the top of the village of Petreto, with a route leading through the undergrowth on the ridge overlooking the Taravo valley to the north and the Rocca valley to the south. From this ridge, there are beautiful views of the valleys, the Gulf of Propriano and Ajaccio in the distance. The route passes by the memorial to the plane crash of December 1981 before descending to the Col de Vélica and then back to the starting point through a pretty deciduous wood.

In Alta Rocca, in the Ospédale forest, a beautiful hike leads first along a shaded path to the Luviu sheepfolds in a beautiful clearing. From Monte Calva, after a short climb, there is a magnificent view of both sides of the island, to the south and the bay of Porto-Vecchio. At the Col d'Illarata (start and finish), to the west, the beautiful summit of the Pointe du Diamant (1,227 m) is clearly visible.

An easy walk to this beautiful waterfall with a shaded route. You can paddle at the foot of the waterfall

A marked discovery route on the southern side of the Coscione plateau from the Bucchinera Refuge, known as the Shepherds’ Trail, offering magnificent views of the plateau, the pozzines (wet meadows), Monte Incudine, the Aiguilles de Bavella and, in the distance, Monte Rotondo. The route follows the ‘Sentier des Bergers’, which is signposted and authorised by the plateau wardens to protect the pozzines. It is the longest circular route among the various circular routes on offer. Please note that many of the paths shown on the IGN TOPO25 map are unauthorised, and access to them is discouraged by information boards.

This is a hike off the beaten track where you are unlikely to meet many other walkers. The name Fumicosa in the Corsican language evokes a smoky place, a metaphor here for a place where fog is quite common.

This is a lovely hike that leads to the rocking rock, then on to the Coscione plateau through the pozzines where pigs and horses roam freely. We then follow the Giavingiolu stream, which we will have to ford several times. The descent then follows and overlooks the beautiful Chiuvone gorge.

Fabulous landscapes, all manner of wildlife and wet pozzines. Add to that an enchanting silence and a magical light. That is what you will experience as you explore these Corsican mountains.

Since 2022, new routes have been established. Their aim is to divert footpaths crossing the pozzines (peat bogs) as much as possible. The Violu di l'acqua hike offers beautiful views of the pozzines. It is ideal for families. Depending on the season and time of day, you may encounter horses, cows, pigs and flocks of sheep.

Since 2022, new routes have been established. Their aim is to divert footpaths crossing the pozzines as much as possible. The Violu di i Pastori hike goes around Castellu d'Ornucciu via the sheepfolds of Chiralbella. You can see numerous pozzines (peat bogs), including Pian d'Ornucciu. Depending on the season, you may encounter horses, cows, pigs and flocks of sheep.

This is a round-trip hike that leads to a summit at an altitude of 1,217 metres. At the end of the climb, rising up from a jumble of black granite, stands the Uomo di Cagna, a balancing rock formation. The summit plateau offers a beautiful view of the southern coastline.

This loop allows you to visit the various remarkable points of the southern Bavella massif (Velacu massif), including Punta Velacu, the Promontory, the Campanile de Sainte-Lucie, the tafonu di u Cumpuleddu (incorrectly called "trou de la bombe" or "bomb hole"), the belvedere and the chapel, through the forest and rocky peaks. Magnificent views of the ravines of Punta Velacu and Calanca Murata, all with less than 500 m of elevation gain.

This hike will take you to "U Cumpuleddu", more commonly known as "Trou de la Bombe" (Bomb Hole), a geological formation caused by erosion. The route also offers beautiful views of the Aiguilles de Bavella mountain range. Much of the hike takes place under the cover of Laricio pine trees.

A sublime hike around the Aiguilles de Bavella. A long and demanding hike (see practical information).

Short circular walk through the Corsican scrubland leading to the old sheepfold of Paccialu di a Sarra, then to Punta di Pitone (577m) where there is a beautiful view of the village of Giuncheto, the Ortolu valley and the Cagna mountain.

This fairly challenging but well-shaded walk offers magnificent views of the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio and the Sotta Valley. The sheepfolds at Bitalza are well worth a visit.

A beautiful circular route on a very shaded route, without any great difficulty. The trail leads us to the pretty little village of Cardo-Torgia, then to the hamlet of Vicu (Santa Maria Siché), where we can stroll among beautiful residences, including the castle of Vicu d'Ornano, before continuing on our way through oak undergrowth to the Col d'Urbichini and then descending to Zigliara.

Our thirteenth and final stage on theGR®20. The landscapes are magnificent and very different from what we have seen so far. The mountains are red and the vegetation much drier.