Here we back again in the wonderland called Supramonte. As you might recall from previous posts this magnificent rocky area of Central Sardinia has countless paths and breathtaking views everywhere. This particular 30km long trek begins near the village of Orgosolo (which is worth a visit for its unique murales) and takes 2 days to go through. What’s there to see? Uncontaminated wild nature right from the beginning, thousands of years old nuraghe, ancient giant trees (probably relatives of the ents), 240 m deep abyss twenty meters from the place you sleep at night and a glimpse on one of the highest canyons in Europe.
This is what Supramonte offers. All the rest you are going to have to bring with you. I brought some friends. They had beer.
Andrea has an unconditional love for the mountains, slopes, forests and every living thing in Supramonte. We’ve already walked together once before and time (and kilometers) have deepened his knowledge of this vast and wild area – take a look at his blog!
Paola and Tore are my mates from canyoning (oh yeah, canyoning is the new black. Soon a new post about that)!
1st day
It’s August. It’s hot. Do not underestimate the high temperatures if you decide to go for a trek in this period. However this is a special one as often you walk in the woods which eases the pain caused by the scorching sun whereas in other parts in these mountains you get almost blinded by the whiteness of the limestone.
There are people called “cuile hunters” who try to find and catalogue each and every one of these rural huts (some of them abandoned for many many years) as they are the living memory of a fascinating past. A past of these people who used to live and work in these isolated places with having only sporadic contact with the surrounding villages. Can you imagine how well they know this territory?
What really struck me during this trek is something I already knew about this island: namely, how various its landscape is. It is only a matter of a couple of kilometers and you get to see something unexpected. As if one of the version of what you imagined has suddenly manifested into reality but in a way so unique that you are still incredulous to believe what is in front of you. As when you are walking in a forest and all of a sudden you have the ruins of a thousands of years old nuraghe, can you imagine that? You don’t have to:
After about 18 km and 8 hours (with some short breaks) we were getting close to the place where we would sleep. This trek is not only particular because of its savage beauty but for the presence of forests too. This finally made possible to try something I had been waiting for for a long time. Hammock time!
Sleeping in the middle of nowhere is always a unique feeling. Sharing your dinner with your mates and open a bottle of wine makes you think that you are exactly where you are supposed to be at that very moment. But right before the night fell there was something else to see:
day 2
Once we packed our things, one last peek on the vastness of Su Disterru and we were ready to proceed, making our way into the forest again, which was great as we didn’t have to face the heat right away.
From this point on our path began rising towards the slopes but before buckling up our backpacks for the ascent another unexpected view came in our way. The unstoppable power of the mighty holm of Badde Tureddu.
This giant has probably been there for more than 500 years. It is situated in the river bed which is comletely dry in this period of the year. On the one hand it is protected by the rock (as animals cannot easily reach its branches) on the other hand it is fighting to reach the ground with its roots through this massive rock. Kind of like a marriage I guess!
