Ogliastra · Gennargentu · Sardinia, Italy
Limestone cliffs, remote pistas, and unnamed coves where the Defender finds its natural element.
Sardinia is far more than postcard beaches. The east coast hides a network of unpaved pistas threading through the Supramonte of Baunei — a limestone massif with cliffs plunging more than 500 metres to the Gulf of Orosei — then descending to coves reachable only on foot or by boat. The Gennargentu, the island's rooftop at 1,834 metres, adds another layer: technical mountain tracks that demand something from the vehicle and reward with total solitude.
The island's cooking is as distinctive as its landscape. Porceddu — suckling pig slow-roasted over myrtle wood — is the celebration meat; culurgiones, ravioli stuffed with potato, pecorino and mint, are Sunday pasta. On the coast, fregola con arselle brings toasted semolina pearls together with clams in a broth that tastes of the sea. Budget a dinner for each coast — they don't taste the same.
What you'll find
- Cala Sisine — remote 200 m cove on the Gulf of Orosei
- Supramonte di Baunei — 500 m limestone cliffs above the sea
- Technical mountain pistas in the Gennargentu (1,834 m)
- SS125 — the most spectacular stretch between Dorgali and Santa Maria Navarrese
- Bosa — pastel-coloured houses above the Temo river
- Seadas, porceddu and fregola con arselle — authentic Sardinian gastronomy
- Overnight ferry from Genoa or Livorno — the experience begins on the water
- Minimum 7 nights recommended
On the road
- Duration
- 7 days
- Distance
- 700 km
- Terrain
- Mixed
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Best season
- Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October). November brings storms and some tracks close.
Gallery
Suggested itinerary
Day 1
Olbia — Ferry Arrival
Day 1 · 08:00Main ferry port from Genoa, Livorno, and Civitavecchia. Good resupply stop before heading south on the SS125. Sardinia begins on the water: the overnight ferry delivers you to Olbia with the bonnet pointing south and the island's most spectacular stretch ahead.
Day 2
Baunei — Supramonte Village
Day 2 · 12:00Village at 480 m above sea level. Gateway to the Supramonte pistas and the trail to Cala Sisine via the Golgo plateau. Baunei clings to a limestone ridge with the Supramonte walls dropping sheer behind it. From here, gravel pistas probe a landscape of remote plateaus, gorges, and tracks that once served as mule routes for hauling charcoal down from the mountains.
Day 3
Cala Sisine — Gulf of Orosei
Day 3 · 10:00Access via 4x4 pista from the Golgo plateau (1h from Baunei) plus 45 min on foot through the canyon. 200 m beach with no facilities — only accessible on foot or by boat. The Supramonte drops more than 500 metres to the Gulf of Orosei here. Cala Sisine only makes sense when you see it: until then, the journey to reach it is half the experience.
Day 4
Gennargentu — Interior Pistas
Day 4 · 09:00Technical mountain pista zone. Route between Dorgali and Aritzo through the Gulf of Orosei and Gennargentu National Park. No signal on remote sections — carry an offline map. Pushing inland from the coast is pushing off the tourist map. The Gennargentu pistas climb into genuine alpine ecosystems: holm oak and oak forests, tight valleys, rivers surfacing from the limestone. Some sections are genuinely remote — dips in the track you need to read before committing. This is the terrain that justifies the Defender.
Day 6
Bosa — West Coast
Day 6 · 14:00Medieval town with pastel-coloured houses above the Temo river. The perfect contrast after the interior pistas — 30 min from Alghero. The west coast is a different island. Bosa, with its pastel-painted houses above the Temo, is the starkest contrast to the grey limestone of the east. Alghero preserves a medieval old town with strong Catalan influence — almost Spanish in architecture and dialect — with aperitivo by the water and aged cheeses and cured meats that make it hard to leave.