High up above the sea

1st day: tour start day
Transfer or independent arrival to our countryside hotel located on the tranquil shores of the lake Liscia in the heart of Gallura. Today we get to know each other, during the welcome meeting our guides will explain the route and deliver bikes. Dinner and overnight.

2nd day: Sant’Antonio di Gallura – Tempio Pausania (31 km)
We start our cycling trip in Sardinia pedalling in the quiet Gallura countryside through the eldest olive grove of the island, we reach Calangianus where we visit the ancient necropolis of Sa Pascaredda. Few more kilometres and we get to Tempio Pausania, the “capital” of Gallura since Roman times. Dinner and overnight in Tempio.

3rd day: Tempio Pausania – Pattada (45 km)
As we leave Tempio we enjoy dramatic views of the imposing granite mass of Mount Limbara, cycle past the lake Coghinas and reach, through narrow country lanes the church of Nostra Signora di Castro, an outstanding example of Romanesque art dated XII Century. We shuttle from Oschiri to Ozieri, where we stop to admire the cave of San Michele, which has given the name of “Ozieri culture” to a whole era of Sardinian prehistory, which prevailed mainly in the northwest of Sardinia in the fourth and third millennia BC. We end our cycling day in Pattada, a hilltop village famous for its shepherd’s knives, known as pattadesa.

4th day: Pattada – Bitti (45 km)
Today we cross a very remote area of the island, cycling most of the day on a plateau with stunning views of the mount Albo range. Su romanzesu is a very interesting nuraghic complex extending on an area of over 7ha. Relatively unknown till few years ago, it has acquired importance thanks to recent excavation works. Dating back to the late Bronze age (XIII Century BC), the site features among others the remains of a holy spring and two temples used for religious purposes. We rest for the night in Bitti, home of the famous singing group tenores which had made quite an impact internationally in recent years. The group is formed by four members that perform unaccompanied harmony songs whose origins go back several centuries.

5th day: Bitti – Lago Cedrino (40 km)
In Bitti we visit to the Museo della civiltà contadina, an admirably comprehensive and scrupulously catalogued collection of everyday items of the local rural society. Soon after Bitti we tackle some hills and the Supramonte, the island’s biggest limestone massif swings into view. After the interesting necropolis of S’ena e Thomes, we learn a little bit more about the ancient past of the island at Serra Orrios, one of the most interesting nuraghic sites of the region, showing how a typical community was arranged. We stop for the night in a lovely agriturismo dominating the lake Cedrino.

6th day: Lago Cedrino – Cala Gonone (20 km)
Today the last effort on our bikes takes us to the Ispinigoli cave that contains a truly magnificent Nature’s works of art, a collection of stalagmites and stalactites dominated by one 38-metre column that appears to hold the whole lot up. Inside have been found traces of some distant human presence, probably dating from Phoenician times. We finally reach the coastline in Cala Gonone after a dramatically scenic descent.

7th day: Cala Gonone (rest day)
Cala Gonone is the north entrance to the Golfo di Orosei, the longest stretch of Italian coast with no human settlement, 40 km of secluded sandy beaches interspersed by soaring white cliffs that are fantastic swimming spots. After the cycling efforts, we well deserve a relaxing cruise along the turquoise waters of the golfo on our chartered boat stopping at the most spectacular beaches, cala Luna, cala Sisine and cala Goloritzé just to name a few.

8th day: end of tour
After breakfast, end of services.

Overview