Gola di Gorropu — Attraction in Orthullè/Urzulei

This is an amazing adventure, recommended for anyone who likes hiking, mountains, rocks, nature, great views and is not afraid of getting a little tired. We are so happy we decided to go! But there are a few things we wish we had known before the trip. Despite reading other reviews or the Gorropu website - we still didn't have a clear idea of what to expect/how to prepare.

Hiking shoes, water, food - must have. Nothing more to say.

We were staying in Cagliari, so it was about a 3 hour drive (one way). There are two roads, the mountain road (SS125, which is very, very nice, the views are worth the effort and a bit higher fuel consumption, but requires a confident driver, good car and good driving skills) and the main road of the island (E25), which is ok, longer but definitely faster and much less dangerous (recommended for less confident and experienced drivers).

There is a free parking lot at the beginning of the path. We arrived around 11:30 and there was no problem parking the car.

There, easy to spot, is the beginning of the hike - 2 hours of descent. It is not too difficult, there is a fairly easy path, sometimes a bit steep. We did it in 75 minutes, we are 33-37 years old, in quite a good shape and we like hiking. It all depends on the individual fitness, heat resistance, physical condition, etc. But it is just a continuous descent, so legs and knees may have difficulties. This part is free of charge.

The next step is the source and the entrance to the canyon (next to each other, one on the left, the other on the right). Recommendation: take a swimsuit and reserve an additional 45-60 minutes for a break in this beautiful place, take off your hiking shoes and enter the lovely small pools to refresh yourself. The kids had a lot of fun there 😊 Source: literally a water source (under the Sardinian flag), so you can easily replenish your water supply, it is quite cold, safe and tasty Sardinian mountain water. Also free of charge.

After a short break in the river pools, finally the main goal of the trip - the canyon. Everything can be easily arranged at the entrance. Tickets to the canyon 6 euros adults, 4 euros children (September 2024, payable at the entrance to the canyon). Jeep pick-up 18 euros (payable at the end of the ride).

The canyon itself is fantastic! I don't want to spoil anything, so just technical information 😉 The canyon has 3 stages: a. green stage/path - approx. 500 m, quite easy, small climbs on smaller rocks (remember, the rocks are quite slippery) b. yellow path - approx. 200 m, a bit more difficult, as they say, but for us it was just great fun, not a challenge c. red path - after green and yellow, 3rd stage of the canyon, not recommended by the organizers, the rocks are really big at this stage and climbing them is not impossible, but it is simply more difficult, it would require some equipment, maybe a guide. We tried the first few but decided to finish at this point. Everyone returns the same way to the entrance. All together it can take about an hour, maybe an hour and a half with photos and a bit more careful climbing. You can spend as much time as you want in the canyon.

Return trip. There are two options. Or a hike back to the parking lot, but I would say it can take about 2.5-3 hours, all the way uphill. There were brave ones who decided to do this. Unfortunately we didn’t have time. So we opted for a pick-up by jeep. We started with a 30 (done)-45 (estimated) minute walk to the meeting point. The driver was already waiting. The Defender has 10-11 seats, not very comfortable, no handle to hold on to. The road is steep and demanding; respect to the drivers! I wouldn’t call it a tourist attraction (especially for the people sitting in the back, who can’t even see the views), I would rather consider it a faster way to get to the parking lot. And a bit of fun 😉 The Defenders take everyone to the Base Camp point where after paying for the service, only the drivers are taken to the parking lot (to pick up the car).

Choose your options and...

A great experience for ambitious walkers and wannabe hikers. And for the more experienced hikers, there's something for you as well!

Most hikers we met on the trail were fully kitted out in hiking gear, but we proved that this is not a requirement as we wore casual shorts, shirts and sandals.

We recommend you to buy/bring lunch. There's a restaurant on the other side of the road from the parking (which is free) which sells sandwiches that are delicious but a tad expensive.

For us it took 2 h, 15 min down and 1 h, 45 min back up. The way down is a trial on your knees and thighs. If you tend to wear support items for your joints we recommend you to bring them. The way up is a trial for your fitness. We found it best not to stop but for brief water breaks and snack breaks while standing up in order not to lose momuentum (read: will to walk).

It's harder on the way down due to the gravel readily slipping away from underneath you. We had a few tumbles that fortunately ended well. We found that when we lost our concentration on the path was when we had the highest risk of slipping. Keep attention on yourself and your companions. Remember to take breathers if you need them.

There are three big shepard's huts on the path. We recommend using these as resting points. They are surprisingly cool inside and have a good distance between them. The last hut is close to the end of the trail and a bit hidden, so we recommend skipping it. You are about 10 minutes away from reaching the start of the canyon anyway.

You can refill your water when you reach the bottom. Turn right and walk 80 meters away from the start of the canyon. There is fresh water running from a small pipe. It is marked with the Sardinian flag.

We payed 6 euro each for entrance to the canyon. It is divided into three parts: the green part, the yellow part and the red part. The green part requires a lighter ability to hike across rocks but is easy enough to follow as long as you keep an eye on the green dots that serve as markers. The yellow path is made out of huge and smooth boulders that you need to clamber across. We did not finish this part due to wanting to conserve our strength for the way back since we choose to walk instead of paying for a jeep ride back up. The red part of the path requires a guide the first time you visit it, but it sounded like it would be a lot of fun for the experienced hiker/climber.

The canyon staff had brought along a cute cat that liked relaxing around their tent and was eager for attention and food but not at all interested in accepting petting from strangers.

The majority of the hikers we met had chosen to start their day early and came back up around midday and slightly after noon. We started the hike at 12,30 and had returned from the canyon and readied ourselves to go back up by 16,30. This meant we had shadow the entire way back up.

The adventure isn't quite over just because you make it back up, however. The starting point of the hiking trail is along a route favoured by motorcyclists for its winding views and fun driving challenges, and it's stunning when you are headed up to start your hike. It's just as stunning on the way down, but beware motion sickness now that you have exhausted your bodies...

After several km driving from Dorgali, you must pay six euros for the parking as soon as you touch the river, even though the car will remain the whole day in the sunshine in a dusty location. There is supposed to be a signpost we did not see somewhere by the parking gate, which announces that the Gole price is five euros more per person. Be aware of taking money with you. The way is nice, there are some trees which provide shadow at the beginning, firstly following the river side to start little by little going up the slopes. You must walk the mountain up to the very top, if you walk slowly you will need at least three hours to reach it, or more if you go with small children. The surprise comes with the end. At the gorge entrance there is neither a single place in shadow, especially if you arrive at midday, not a place where to rest from the tiring trekking. The river is almost dry, so there is not water to refresh yourself, you can see only a few puddles. What is even worse is the fact that a rope separates you from the access. It is impossible to come in if you do not pay five Euros each one. Few young boys are in charge of the management. When they were requested to make clear in the parking that the gorge itself has a ticket apart from the paid for the parking, since we did not take money with us because we were in the country and we did not suppose to need it, they answered rudely and unpolite, betting in a very nasty and unkind manner that the signpost was clearly visible, even though we did not notice it. The youngest was especially pretentious and conceited, he, who already knew everything about dealing with customers and people, instead of apologizing for the inconvenience, phoned to his partner in the parking in order to ask him a photo of the damned signpost to show me how wrong I was, so boastfully that if he had been my son... Eventually, we were caught up in the relentless sunshine after the long trekking, but we did not want to leave without having a look, so we could pay with the phone. Eleven Euros two people to enter, including transaction taxes or expenses that of course we have to pay as well. Inside the Gole, there are big rocks covering the ravine, and after climbing less than half an hour we arrived to the wall, the best view to enjoy, the tall wall ravine you see in pictures. And that is all. After a short while the rocks are so huge that you could not continue, time to finish, coming back and leave. Three hours more to come down the mountain, the car burning after the whole day in the sun, you will feel tiring and maybe disappointed. It is no worth to waste a whole day walking up to the mountains to visit this place, even more if you have to spend almost twenty Euros for two people just to be angry and dirty after all. One thing we have learnt after Gorropu experience is that Gola Gorropu will not see us...