The Carozzu refuge and the Spasimata footbridge from Bonifatu

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This round-trip hike follows a section ofthe GR®20from Bonifatu. It takes you to the impressive Spasimata footbridge.

Details

n°153370
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 765 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 766 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,268 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 528 m
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Photos

View of the footbridge
Natural pool under the Spasimata footbridge
shooting during the journey
gateway

Description of the walk

Start from the car park located after the Bonifatu forest house.

(S/E) Head south to pick up the path connecting to theGR®20(red and white markings). The path turns east, following a stream.

(1) Leave the ford and the path heading north on your left and continue straight ahead towards the Caruso Refuge (sign). Follow the Lamitu stream from above.

(2) Cross the Méta di Pilu stream and continue east, following the Lamitu.

(3) Take a footbridge over the Lamitu stream. Follow a few switchbacks and walk along the Spasimata stream to the south-east. The trail becomes steeper and, after a final steep climb, you will reach the Carrozzu refuge on the left.

(4) Head south-west to reach the Spasimata footbridge.

(5) Return via the same route.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 529 m - Bonifatu - Car park
  2. 1 : km 1.39 - alt. 631 m - Fording - Figarella (fleuve)
  3. 2 : km 2.63 - alt. 793 m - Méta di Pilu stream
  4. 3 : km 3.62 - alt. 903 m - Footbridge over the Lamitu stream
  5. 4 : km 5.3 - alt. 1,250 m - Refuge Carruzzo
  6. 5 : km 5.53 - alt. 1,244 m - Spasimata footbridge
  7. S/E : km 10.97 - alt. 529 m - Bonifatu - Car park

Notes

The hike starts from the car park of the Bonifatu forest house located at the end of the Calvi airport road, 15 km after the airport.
The path is well signposted; follow the signs for the Caruzzu refuge orGR®20.
During the season, the refuge offers drinks and sandwiches.
Wear good hiking boots and bring walking sticks.
This hike is best done in dry weather, as many sections can be particularly slippery when wet. Check the weather forecast before setting off on this hike...

Worth a visit

The vertiginous Spasimata footbridge was used in the film Les randonneurs.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 31 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Gilboi
Gilboi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very fine walk, a little difficult but open to all good walkers.

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VISORANDO2B
VISORANDO2B

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Done in November. The scenery is nice on the way up. The negative point of this hike is that it's all uphill for 2 hours 15 minutes on a very stony path, so you spend your time looking at where you're going. On the other hand, it's great training for the GR20.

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RV33
RV33
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The long outward and return journey is a little tiring but is rewarded with a magnificent gorge landscape, the famous footbridge and if you are brave enough to continue on the GR 20 beyond the footbridge for 15 to 20 minutes, you will have a view of a high mountain cirque of great beauty.

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Linda50
Linda50

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

It's a lovely walk starting in the Bonifato forest, with plenty of shade, which will take you quietly to the 2nd GR20 gîte, where you can have a picnic or buy something to eat or a cold drink, and refill your water bottles.
Take a short diversions to the famous footbridge to capture the moment.

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P@trick
P@trick

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The main attraction of the hike is the arrival at the refuge, with its superb views and the footbridge. On the other hand, the climb up through the undergrowth, with no view, seemed a little long.

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Albig53
Albig53

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed at the end of September in good weather conditions
Final bouquet with the crossing of the footbridge 👍

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Méné Hoguéné
Méné Hoguéné

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk in the shade, with a sometimes steep gradient.
The footbridge was the reward.

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lauzerte1851
lauzerte1851

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk under the trees. I didn't go to the big footbridge due to lack of time, as some friends were waiting for me at the start having done another hike.

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kiki94
kiki94

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk, the last few metres before the footbridge are a bit tricky,
I don't regret having done this hike and I recommend it.

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Fredcorse
Fredcorse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very pleasant climb up to the refuge at this time of year. 14 degrees at the bottom . 1°C at the top! the fleece layers were welcome.
on arrival at the footbridge, the slabs were well equipped with chains, but the ground was frozen and wet ... it was slippery! zenitude

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libeccio20
libeccio20

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

nice walk starting from the maison forestiere... be careful at the start, marked in mauve and blue... 1st km easy on a dirt track along the Figarella.
At the junction to go up to Carrozzu, yellow signposting, it climbs well on a stony path, sometimes with pebbles and slippery stones... the forest is magnificent. very nice passage at the 1st footbridge... It continues to climb moderately. About 200 m from the hut it gets steeper... dizzying view of a huge slab at least 100 m long that plunges into the forest... nice round stone table just below the hut where a steel helipad is suspended in the air! nice hut... to get to the Spasimata footbridge it's really the GR20 with tricky sections where you need to use your hands, secure chain crossings, and an unforgettable 30 m section on the suspension bridge ... it took us (68 and 58 years old) 2 hours 50 minutes to climb up with short breaks
only one person we met... it was a Wednesday in November... that explains it...

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griveau eric
griveau eric

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We found that all the paths were very busy this year for September.
Make sure you check with the Corsican prefecture the day before or the morning of your trip to make sure that the domain is open.
In our case, it was closed for two days due to strong winds.

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Seb_le_randonneur
Seb_le_randonneur

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk, steady climb, the last few metres before the footbridge are a bit trickier, but it doesn't last long. We had a great time, thank you for suggesting this walk!

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Corso-Rando
Corso-Rando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk; we're in the mountains and the sea is so close... in short, it's Corsica! The description is accurate. I don't think you should set off without taking precautions, as the path is quite hard for someone who is not trained. Personally, I took it to "get my feet wet"... and it was quite brutal (it's true that I'm in my seventies). Anyway, I went as far as the refuge to get something to eat before going to the footbridge and crossing it. Despite the heat on the coast, it was nice to hike because the path is shaded, and the higher you go, the lower the temperature. I have no regrets about this hike and would recommend it.

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sst
sst

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

As beautiful a hike as ever. Be well shod, poles recommended. We did it two years ago, but there seem to be more stones on the trail. Most of the route is in the shade, but take something to drink anyway (for us, 1.5 litres each in 22°C sunshine). To get to the footbridge after the refuge fork, there are a few tricky sections. Nothing insurmountable, but help yourself. As for the rest, there are three streams that are a little tricky to cross. It's a nice walk with few visitors in early June.

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