The Undella Waterfall at San Gavinu di Fium'Orbu

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I’d give it 8 out of 10. A lovely, shaded walk.

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Reminder...
On a river, the right bank and the left bank are defined in the direction of the current. So when you walk up the left side of the river, you are on the right bank...

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Date of your route : May 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few points: the barrier is broken and remains open (although this is of no interest )
The path begins by crossing a reservoir; when we went (on 30/04/24), the water was overflowing, so we had to walk through it (sometimes 4 to 5 cm deep), and you’re likely to get wet... so waterproof shoes are a must!!
The path is easy and very pleasant through a forest of pine and beech trees; beautiful surroundings (moss-covered rocks...)
Once past the ford, the path starts to climb (WP2) and remains beautiful and well-marked; things start to go downhill as soon as you spot the waterfall; the markings become sparse and the path is much less visible.
To reach the foot of the waterfall, AVOID THIS!!! We spent over half an hour descending through thick scrub, full of brambles and steep, all just to reach the foot of the small waterfall. To reach the large one, you have to climb two rocky ridges, which, for people without the right equipment and who aren’t used to it, is impossible.
You’re forced to retrace your steps, except that you struggle terribly to find the path again, and you’re soon in a right fix... in short, AVOID GOING THERE!! Nevertheless, at the bottom there are some beautiful waterfalls with large boulders (see photos)... a lovely sight, but still...

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well signposted for most of the route. Much less well signposted around the waterfall.
Beautiful scenery

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The map could mention the shooting range and concrete footbridge at the start, which would help to confirm the route. Then, on the left, there is a barrier that cannot be closed, nor can the one on the right.
So we climb up the right bank of the Abatesco. This route does not appear to be on the IGN map, but it is well marked on the ground.
Luckily, I had my altimeter, because when I reached 1,150 metres, I found myself at Punta di Monte Sordu... I turned back and left the marked path to the left, heading west. The terrain is rough but passable, with good shoes, however, and waterproofs are recommended. I found what looked like a waterfall, certainly at the bottom, and not wanting to take the same path back, I crossed over to the left bank. Armed with my altimeter and my nose, I eventually found a wide path that probably corresponds to the one on the IGN map, but I was still in doubt until the end, although according to the map, the only way out is via Catastaghju... and I was delighted to see the "right-hand" barrier appear.
To reach the Bianca sheepfolds, we would have had to climb back up along the waterfall, apparently 200 m... and it was getting late.
In short, it's best to do this with a GPS, a real one, because you have to put your smartphone in airplane mode in this area, except for very small areas.

I reread my comment afterwards...
I thought I had made it clear that there is confusion between the right bank and the left bank.
When you go up on the left side of the river, it's not the left bank, it's the right bank.
Right and left are understood in the direction of the current!

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Date of your route : Jan 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely hike on Sunday 29 January 2023.
A lovely walk, but disappointing as you don’t actually reach the foot of the waterfall.
Set off from the lodge then take the path on the left (yellow markings; the gate no longer seems to exist). After 300 or 400 metres, you have to cross a small river. As it was winter, the riverbed was higher than the concrete crossing. So we took off our shoes and waded through the very cold water! It was invigorating!
The path continues through a beautiful forest of pines, oaks, holly and arbutus trees, amidst rocks covered in lovely green moss.
As we climbed, we encountered snow... A little at first, then a lot, but the yellow markings were still visible. However, we must have missed a junction at some point because we found ourselves climbing the circular return loop! Perhaps the markers weren’t visible because of the snow. The waterfall, which we didn’t approach closely, was a bit disappointing compared to others like La Buja nearby or the one at Pianelu.
We wanted to return via the Viso Rando trail on the left, but there too we couldn’t find the path, no doubt because of the snow. So we retraced our steps from the way out.
A lovely walk through the woods, quite challenging because of the snow. The route matches the actual terrain, well marked in yellow, with clearly visible tracks, except for the gate at the start, which no longer seems to be in use.

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Date of your route : Jul 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The circular path that climbs up the right bank is clearly signposted in places but a bit vague in others. The end of the circular path is a bit of a let-down because the waterfall you can see as you approach isn’t accessible, not even visually, which is very frustrating after nearly two hours’ walk.
The return route is much more natural and easier to follow.

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Hello,
I’ve specified in the description that you need to turn left, not right. You must go right to the end of the road, pass a shooting range on your right and, above all, do not take the path on the left after the stopover lodge.
It’s quite clear, though. You mustn’t confuse left and right either; make sure you have a map – that goes without saying.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We made a mistake by turning right at the start after passing the gate, as there was no gate on the left, and we followed the yellow markings and the cairns...
We saw the waterfall but from a distance, and as we continued to follow the yellow route, we ended up very high up opposite the waterfall but on the wrong side, and it became difficult for women and children... so we retraced our steps in the other direction.
Make sure to turn left at the start after the concrete bridge
Nevertheless, beautiful scenery and a few hours’ walk that did us good.

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Hello,
I’ve made it clear in the description that you need to go left, not right. I don’t understand why this hiker went right? It couldn’t be a simpler walk.

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The description of the start is very poor. In fact, after crossing the concrete bridge, you need to take the path on the far left. There’s no barrier there, and the yellow markings start about 100 metres further on. We didn’t pay attention and headed off to the right, where there was a barrier and yellow markings. We therefore decided to do the walk in the opposite direction. A serious mistake, as we couldn’t find point 4. Above all, do not do this walk in the opposite direction, as we never found the waterfall despite having a paper IGN map and an IGN map on GPS.

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I can obviously read a map, but not a text. After the barrier, we turned right (so in the opposite direction to what was described!). The path winds through lovely, varied high scrubland: holm oaks, various conifers, beech trees, and so on. At one point, we reckoned we were nearing the waterfall; we looked around, crossed the stream and – oh, the disappointment – the waterfall, which we hadn’t seen from the path on the left bank, was 200 metres away and turned out to be inaccessible. Neither my wife nor my dog wanted to follow me – armed with a machete – through the jungle and brambles. So no access to the waterfall!!! A bit disappointing. So we continued on our way (in the opposite direction to the description) and after a good 25 minutes, at the path heading south-west (i.e. away from the car!), we turned back and retraced our steps. It’s true that from this side you have the waterfall in front of you for a long time, but I still wonder today where the path described might lead. It must be said that no map or guide mentions this path on the right bank!!! And you can park the car right at the top of the track, saving a few hundred metres on the tarmac! On the other hand, you can have a good swim in the stream below the lodge.

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