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OgliastRa Tour


Discover Sardinia's hidden gems with this challenging trip (an E-bike is recommended).


  • Prices From £1,202pp (excluding flights)
  • Total distance: 260km / 162 miles
  • Airport: Cagliari / Olbia
  • Duration: 7 nights Saturday - Saturday (any day departure supplement)
  • Cycling days: 6


Features

  • Rocce Rosse of Arbatax
  • Old villages of Gairo and Osini
  • Tacchi d'Ogliastra
  • Gennargentu Natural Park
  • Urzulei (murals)


Included in the price

  • Return transfers from Cagliari airport
  • E-bike rental (please note a deposit payment is required when hiring an E-bike)
  • All accommodation in 3 star hotels with breakfast
  • Safety briefing
  • Transportation of luggage between hotels
  • Supply of route notes and maps
  • Telephone assistance


Not Included in the price

  • Return flights
  • Cycle helmets
  • Admission to museums and archaeological sites etc.
  • Local taxes (approximatley €10pp)


Stage Difficulty

  • 5 Challenging
  • 1 Medium

Accommodation List

We believe that the accommodation is a very important factor of a bike tour, therefore we take the greatest care in carefully selecting small family run 3 star hotels and country lodges with excellent regional cuisine.

The following properties have been selected for this tour (please note that they are subject to availability and we reserve the right to change hotels should the need arise).


Night 1 - Tortoli

  • Hotel Sa Contonera
  • Other hotels that may be used in Tortoli: Hotel Il Vecchio Mulino


Night 2 - Cardedu

  • Hotel Cardedu


Night 3 - Osini

  • Hotel Scala di San Giorgio


Night 4 - Seui

  • La Case del Foletto



Night 5 - Villagrande Strisaili

  • Guesthouse Aira 'Ona


Night 6 & 7 - Santa Maria Navarrese

  • Hotel Nicoletta

Itinerary


Day 1: Arrival Day

Transfer to Tortoli, the gateway of Ogliastra, to meet up or a call from the Cycle Rep for a briefing on the route, handover of bicycles and information pack.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Sa Contonera, B&B


Day 2: Tortoli - Cardedu (30km / 18.5 miles OR 40km / 25 miles)

An easy warm up day heading south and exploring some of the best beaches in the area, Orri, Cea and Cardedu to name a few. These are made of sand and pebbles, reddish rocks with a crystal clear sea and low Mediterranean scrub. After Barisardo, famous for its Aragonese lookout tower, you reach your base for the night located in front of a spectacular white sandy beach.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Cardedu, B&B


Day 3: Cardedu - Osini (43km / 27 miles)

Time to venture inland! Ride up the Rio Pardu through olive groves and vineyards producing the famous Cannonau wine. As we rise to Gairo and Osini Vecchio, villages that were abandoned after violent floods in the middle of the 20th century, the first sequence of tacchi swings into view. These are imposing limetone rock formations that dominate many sections of Ogliastra. In Ulassai, visit the textile workshops and the caves of Su Marmuri.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Scala di San Giorgio, B&B


Day 4: Osini - Sadali (53km / 33 miles)

Some gorgeous views are today's highlights. Deep gorges covered in holm oak woods, shimmering outcrops of rock that have been sculptured by the passage of time and erosion and one of Sardinia's loveliest forests. Riding along a disused railway, you reach the small hamlet of Ussassai, whose origins and rural traditions date back to Neolithic times. Your next stop is Sadali, a charming medieval village located at an altitude of 800 metres on the southern slopes of the Gennargentu massif.

  • Accommodation: La Case del Folletto, B&B


Day 5: Sadali - Villagrande Strisaili (52km / 32 miles)

Riding away from Sadali, you will reach the highest point of the trip and come across the majestic and well preserved Nuraghe Ardasai, a tower shaped megalithic edifice particular to Sardinia dating back over three millennia. Looking North, you can admire Punta La Marmora, the highest peak in Sardinia (1,834m above sea level). Cycling below the breathtaking natural monument of Perda ‘e Liana, you reach the shores of the upper Flumendosa reservoir and then Villagrande Strisaili, one of the Blue zone villages with most centenarians in Sardinia. Find out why with a lovely dinner in your charming accommodation located in an oak wood forest.

  • Accommodation: Guesthouse Aira 'Ona, B&B


Day 6: Villagrande Strisaili - Santa Maria Navarrese (27km / 17 miles OR 41km / 25 miles)

Back to the sea! After the Nuraghic settlement of Sa Carcaredda, you reach the top of the climb. The spectacular view of the sea from the top is the reward for the effort made. On the way to the coast, you pass Talana, renown for its prize winning cured hams. The fishing village of Santa Maria Navarrese will be your base for the next two nights. Santa Maria is also the south entrance to the Golfo di Orosei, the longest stretch of Italian coast with no human settlement, 40km of secluded sandy beaches interspersed by soaring white cliffs that are fantastic swimming spots.

  • Accommodation: Villagrande Strisaili, B&B


Day 7: Santa Maria Navarrese loop (25km / 16 miles)

After the cycling efforts, you well deserve a boat excursion cruising along the turquoise waters of the golfo stopping at the most spectacular beaches, Cala Goloritzé, Cala Sisine and Cala Luna just to name a few. The keener riders can opt for a loop in the countryside around Santa Maria instead.

  • Accommodation: Hotel Nicoletta, B&B


Day 8: Departure day

After breakfast, transfer to the airport.


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