Circular Monte Cinto

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 5:30 a.m., arrival at the summit at 8:30 a.m. The climb is quite tough towards the end and the descent to the lake is technical. Magnificent view. Surprised by the mouflons. Yellow markings are clearly visible all along the way and the GPS track is perfect.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike with breathtaking views in every direction! The passage to Lake Cinto adds a second point of interest to this hike. The yellow markings seem recent and allow you to progress without having to search for the path.
Please note that this hike is reserved for experienced hikers. There are two or three fairly challenging sections in the final ascent, which sometimes resemble short climbing passages! Good footwear is essential for tackling this very rocky terrain! The scree slope down to the lake is a real treat, but is not marked due to a lack of landmarks.
Bring plenty of water (we drank 3 litres each, and there are no springs along the way, so our filter water bottles came in very handy!).
The last part, after the refuge, is endless under the sun... It's a shame that the road isn't suitable for vehicles, as it would allow for shuttles to take you there and back.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent but demanding route.
The climb to the Erco refuge is a good way to warm up in the morning, but can be tedious at the end of the day.
An interesting option would be to spend the night at the refuge the day before the ascent, which would allow you to reach the summit in about 3 hours.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, not easy to reach the summit, especially after passing the scree. The view is spectacular from start to finish. There are a few sections with chains, but they are not dangerous. However, you need to be very careful on the descent. We took 4.5 litres of water for two people and by the time we reached the top, we had used it all up. We climbed in the heat.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. Very wild. For experienced hikers.

The climb up to the Erco refuge is gentle. It's a good warm-up. A little tip: when you reach the ridge before Erco, you have to descend slightly. Don't confuse this with the path that climbs up to the ridge.

After the refuge, and on the first part, the path is clearly visible. At an altitude of 2,200 metres, there is a stone "bench" with a wooden sign saying "Monte Cintu". The view is magnificent. This is when you have to decide who is going to continue, as the hike gets tougher from here on. Personally, I strongly advise against taking children and people who are not used to the mountains. I am a seasoned 40-year-old trail runner, accustomed to steep slopes and "airy" passages. So I can give you an informed opinion.

The second part of the ascent is poorly marked and very steep. There are cairns everywhere and it is easy to get lost. If there is fog, turn back. It is impossible to progress without visibility. This second part is a succession of mini-climbs, where being tall makes things easier. The terrain is entirely rocky. You need to know where to place your feet. Your feet move, the ground shifts under your feet... So be careful. There are two or three dizzying passages, but they can be negotiated safely. You just wonder whether you should go that way! Take your time to look for the cairns. It's not dangerous, but you need to be focused and vigilant. When I was there, I didn't meet anyone else. But I recommend wearing a helmet to protect yourself from falling rocks that hikers upstream might dislodge.

The climb is spectacular. The terrain is lunar. It's a feast for the eyes (and the thighs).

Personally, I did the north face there and back. I didn't do the circular. Fog rolled in when I was at the summit. My GPS watch helped me find my way back along the same route, as it's difficult to see the cairns from above and everything looks the same.

In summary: a challenging hike accessible to athletes but not recommended for occasional hikers. Remember to take 3 litres per person as there is no shade during the entire ascent. Mobile phones work up to 2500m. After that, it's very hit and miss.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We climbed Cinto on 18 June, following the expert advice of the manager of the Arimone campsite, where we were staying for the occasion, and also the guidebook provided by Visorando.
The description is sufficient up to the Erco refuge, named after the stream that originates at Lake Cinto, at which point we were halfway from our starting point. To get there, we took a wide path where authorised vehicles can drive, as well as a few trails that cut across to avoid certain curves.
In the upper part, there is no longer a trail. We follow the cairns, but these go in all directions, sometimes leading to dead ends. It is therefore necessary to remain vigilant and try to spot the rare official white markings until we reach the GR20 variant, which leads from Bocca Crucetta to the summit of Cinto. This route is better marked with red dots. The other landmark is the GR20 hikers, who are quite numerous and are also heading towards the summit.
We found the entire ascent quite difficult and complicated, so we do not share Tiboty's opinion.
We then continued towards the lake, following the GR20 for a few hundred metres before turning onto a semblance of a path in the middle of scree. This part also seemed quite perilous to us,with stones rolling underfoot and sometimes triggering slides across the rocky surface. That is why we do not share Tiboty's opinion that it was easy to descend.
As for the return to the Erco refuge and then to the starting point, we did not encounter any difficulties, except for fatigue.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We decided to do this route over two days because of the length and elevation gain. We climbed up to the Erco refuge with a big rucksack to spend the night there (take a tent in case the 16-person refuge is full). For your information, we were the only ones spending the night there that day. It's a good unmanned refuge (the cast iron stove was disconnected from its chimney). We collected water from small springs that were present at this time of year (otherwise we used water from the stream and tablets). We made the ascent early in the morning with a small rucksack to take advantage of the cool temperatures. We did not descend via the lake because the snowfields were too dangerous to cross without crampons and ice axes. For the end of the return journey, we opted to use the well-marked nature trail from the Erco refuge (towards the Cesta sheepfold). This makes the route much more pleasant than the direct route via the Petra sheepfold, which is long and follows large tracks.
For your information, we were disappointed by the state of the sanitary facilities at the Arimone campsite in Lozzi. This only happened once during our 15 days in Corsica. This campsite accepts holiday vouchers...
Otherwise, this is a very pleasant place to visit, but be sure to check the weather forecast as the final rocky climb can be tricky.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany hike, especially long and with a few slightly difficult passages.
The descent down the scree slope towards Lake Cinto is a bit technical: be careful not to descend too early, as there are rocky outcrops. Make sure you go to the bottom of the valley.
Otherwise, the climb to Cinto is well marked with cairns and painted signs from time to time.
I can confirm that the descent from the lake to the Erco Refuge is long and the cairns are not always easy to find.
There is no water at the refuge: only water from the stream. Remember to take tablets (and candles).

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike that truly deserves its "very difficult" rating (several perilous passages, challenging progress over rocks).
Variations made: on the climb to the summit, we chose to follow the white trail markings on a very difficult section, and we descended to Lac du Cinto via the scree slope (you have to go further along the GR20 than indicated on the trail) (easy descent).
We can confirm that this type of hike should be evaluated differently from our experience of numerous hikes in the Alps. We agree with a comment on the website that "a 2,000-metre hike in Corsica is equivalent to a 3,000-metre hike in the Alps". The circular Mont Cinto gave us this impression.
The most difficult part is the descent from Lac du Cinto to the Refuge de l'Erso (600m elevation difference, nearly 3km, nearly an hour and a half): you have to constantly look for cairns and descend on very rocky terrain. You therefore need to conserve a good amount of energy.
Total duration including breaks: 10 hours (9 hours of actual walking); elevation gain 1,825 m; distance 20.2 km.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb but difficult and long hike! (It took us 11 hours, including a lunch break).
Be careful on the descent down the scree slope towards Lake Cinto.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, but with some difficult sections. For those wishing to shorten the hike a little, it is possible to take the newly resurfaced track to the sheepfolds. There was no water available at the Ercu refuge when we visited, so please plan accordingly.

Machine-translated