Cala Goloritze

Elevation: 500m / Lenght: 7,5km / Time: 4h
Visit rate: 4/5 / Rating: 4/5

This beach is often described as the most beautiful in Sardinia. It is a pebble beach with a difficult access - the first way is through a mountains and quite challenging path, where you can get a nice tan in sunny weather and sweat a lot on the way back. The second option is to hire a small boat from marinas such as Cala Gonone or Santa Maria Navarrese Marina. We chose the more economical option.

At the end of an unpaved road we were ''attacked'' by donkeys in a parking lot. "Wild" animals are everywhere on the plateau above the town of Baunei. While hiking here you can come across tame goats, cattle, donkeys or horses, but also wild boars or mouflons. Some of the animals are friendly, some less so, but you'll definitely feel like you're on safari after a few days here. We were really just waiting for a cheetah or lion to jump out of the bush at us.

Another advantage of visiting the island in the low season is that in many cases the locals do not charge entrance or parking fees. This was a bit of a surprise when we arrived at the locked, fenced parking lot. So we left the car by the road and walked to the beach without paying (about 7 euros/person). However, in high season, be careful and drive to the beach early in the morning. This is because access to the beach is limited to 250 people per day and the locals guard the capacity. The drive to the beach takes around 1.5h there and 2h back. Unsurprisingly, you have to walk down about 500m of elevation to the beach and then do the same again on the way back. There are a few places on the trail where there are sharp rocks and you have to be careful where you step. We did see hikers in flip flops though, so I guess it's okay.

The path itself offers some interesting views of remarkable rock formations. Occasionally, a harmless lizard will run under your feet, or the local animals mentioned above may run around you. In our case, it was just some sparrow that almost sat on my finger and nibbled my müsli bar along with me. Then he sang to us and flew away, that was cool.

And then, after a difficult descent, you are finally on the beach. You may not appreciate its beauty at first, as it is best seen from the sea. However, it is a very unusual and difficult to access beach under the mountain cliffs, which offer plenty of shady spots if you are not so keen on sunbathing. The pebbles may not suit everyone, but it's primarily the clear azure water that Sardinia is famous for in this area.

Later in the afternoon we stopped at the chapel of San Pietro, located near the beach. We encountered local animals again and then after a long and tiring day we returned to our accommodation in Baunei. It was a very nice day trip.

Week in Sardinia for 2 (6 nights)                                                                                                Flights (Wizz Air, easyJet): 240,-                                                                                                          Car rental (Felirent): 240,-                                                                                            Accommodation (Booking): 400,-                                                                                                Spending: 400,-                                                                                                                        Total: 1 280,- EUR