Zonza walks

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Walk and swim in the beautiful pools of Cavu.

A hike towards the Brèche du Carciara, and a little further, amidst a landscape of rocky chaos and numerous magnificent waterfalls and crystal-clear pools! The final section requires climbing metal rungs, scaling a rope ladder and ascending with the aid of a cable (but without additional equipment), which may put some people off. Furthermore, many sections involve walking over rocks and can therefore be very tricky.

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.

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.

This hike starts in the same way as the one described under no. 4375623, from which I have taken the opening paragraphs, but returns via a different route, including a section of water hiking, and ends at the three pools, which avoids the need to go back and forth as on the original route we had chosen.

A hike through scrubland and undergrowth on a properly marked trail, steep in places. Same starting point as the "La Vallée du Cavu" hike suggested on Visorando, but avoids the entire second part on the track.

The Cavu Valley is characterised by natural pools and large slabs of bleached granite with rounded shapes along its course. The hike follows the river before climbing through the scrubland along a discreet path leading to a first viewpoint (401m) and then a second (509m), offering panoramic views over the Cavu and the mountainous cirque at the bottom of the valley dominated by Punta de Quercitello (1461m). To the east, Pinarello Bay beckons.