Corsica from north to south
My 10-day hiking journey
Corsica, the French mediterranean island surrounded by crystal clear water while hosting one the most beloved and challenging hiking trail in Europe: GR20. Extending over 180km, the path summits high mountains and crosses dense forests. With an altitude gain more than 11000m, GR20 invites any nature lover to enjoy traversing Corsica from north to south.
Day 1: The adventure starts
Calenzana – Refuge d’Ortu
Leaving behind Calenzana with a beautiful sunrise.
GR20 officially starts at Calenzana (255m). After spending the night at its camping site, I quickly found myself climbing steep slopes while having a gorgeous sunrise behind.
Resting point to relax the shoulders from the backpack’s weight.
Several refuges and bergeries can be found along the trail, offering basic supplies, beds and hot meals. Since I wanted to be self-sufficient, I carried my own tent and sleeping bag while eating mostly cheese and white bread.
Refuge d’Ortu (1570m) where I spent my first night at the heart of Corsican mountains.
Day 2: Change of plan
Refuge d’Ortu – Ascu Stagnu
The average time for covering GR20 is around 16 days. My initial plan was to do half of the trail in a chill 9-day hike. But, after the short first day, I woke up with a new plan: do the entire GR20 in 10 days! This meant that I had to double the stages almost everyday, and day 2 was one of them.
A white-red flag, the best friend of a GR hiker.
The northern part of the island is wild and rocky. The mountains have stripped away its vegetation coat. Silence and self-inspection. Landscape and appreciation. I simply loved it.
Navigating in a valley.
Rising up to the sky.
After more than three years of PhD, I wanted basically three things: nature, a new challenge and time for myself. So, I decided to hike GR20 completely alone. Because of no phone signal, this trail offered the ideal condition to being away from distractions.
Looking back to the astonishing valley.
Day 3: Touching the sky
Ascu Stagnu – Auberge U Vallone
Day 3 was an exciting day because I will be standing at the highest point of Corsica: Monte Cinto (2706m)! Although this day only would cover one stage, there was a technical and a very steep climb ahead.
Ascending towards Monte Cinto, which sits majestically at the background
The sun was blazing and the backpack, heavy. The path was full of loose rocks which made each step inefficient. Several people abandoned the idea of deviating from the official path to reach the summit. I dropped my backpack at the crossing point and continued to climb. The reward was totally worthy!
Me, with a gigantic smile, standing at the top of Corsica.
Day 4: Jump into a lake
Auberge U Vallone – Bergerie de Vaccaghja
Learning from previous days, I optimized my morning routine: wake up around 5 am, pack everything (less than an hour), eat a quick breakfast (usually a couple slices of white bread and a cereal bar), stock up water, put on sun cream and head out before sunrise.
What a beautiful morning!
Apart from the beautiful nature, people was undoubtedly the crown jewel of this journey. Little I imagined how easy was to establish connections with all the mountain lovers and share mutual support everyday.
From Refuge de Ciottulu di I Mori (1991m), looking at the upcoming path into the valley.
32km, 1500m of elevation gain and 1300m of descent, day 4 was the longest push of my journey. Coincidentally, on this day, I took also the longest lunch break (around 1h 20min).
Covered in sweat and with tired legs, I jumped in Lac du Ninu for a refreshing bath.
Day 5: Crazy wind
Bergerie de Vaccaghja – Refuge de Petra Piana
I was asking myself everyday “Why I am doing this?”. I was filthy and sweaty, my backpack and clothes stank, my shoulders were sore, I missed warm food and a real bed, and there were still so many kilometers to go. However, every time I was hypnotized by the landscape or shared laughs with other travelers reminded me how lucky I was.
Lac de Capitellu (1930m) is one of the hidden lakes of GR20.
Covering only one stage this day, it gave me plenty of time to rest and plan for the days ahead. I even picked the camping spot with the best view! Although I completely regretted it later on. Since my tent was completely exposed to the strong winds, I had a terrible night of sleep.
My camping site, facing tomorrow’s trail along the ridge.
Day 6: Civilization
Refuge de Petra Piana – Vizzavona
Apart from the traditional route of GR20, there are few high-level variants which usually involve more challenging terrains. If you take these alternatives, remember to follow the yellow marks instead of the classical red ones!
Breathtaking morning at the “crêtes” variant.
On this day, I reached the trail’s midpoint: Vizzavona (920m). After almost a week without contact with the external world, even walking again on roads made me feel bizarre. But, these were good news for my family and friends because they finally got an update from me.
Often enough, random animals will be your temporary companion.
Day 7 and 8: Forest and sea
Vizzavona – Refuge di Verti – Refuge d’Usciolu
The high rocky mountains were now behind. The southern Corsica is smooth and full of vegetation. After stocking up with supplies, I was excited to leave again the civilization and dive into the nature.
Green layer covering the southern mountains.
Every day, I usually start hiking nonstop for 2-3 hours. Then, I stop for a short rest, which I usually planned it to be at a refuge. This moment, without a doubt, was one of the highlights of every day. Why? I got first completely renewed by my effervescent electrolytes. Then, among other few things that I proudly carried were… fresh fruits! Note: you cannot find them at the refuges. Although they had the least energy/mass ratio, I enjoyed every bite every single time. Finally, a sugary coffee was the cherry on top of my break routine.
Contemplating the vast sea from Bocca d’Oru (1840m).
Day 9: People
Refuge d’Usciolu – Refuge d’Asinau
The people I met made this journey uniquely memorable. Among the long list, I would like to mention few of them:
- Erik, a young German who lived in Japan and the first person I met.
- Chantal, a cheerful adventurer from Boulder (Colorado). Thanks for all the laughs, fixing my backpack and introduced me to the book Born to Run, which later became one of my favorites!
- Peter, the “stubborn” Irish man and my partner of finishing the GR20.
- Uriage, an insaciable adventurer who did El Camino de Santiago from Normandie, covering 5500km in about 50 days. Thanks for sharing your personal stories!
- Sarif, Elvira and the recently married Battesi couple. Thanks for all the jokes and positivism!
- Bertrand family and the French gang. My perfect excuse to practice French every day while chilling at the refuge.
- The admiring Belgian grandpa who was doing the GR20 back and forth. Thanks for all the useful advice!
A typical post indicating the official and alternative trails.
Today would be my last night in the Corsican mountains. Although I terribly missed comforts such as a real bed, the fact that this journey was about to be over started to sink in.
Spectacular view at the camping site of Refuge d’Asinau (1530m).
Day 10: The end
Refuge d’Asinau – Conca
On the last day, I woke up much earlier, around 3:00, because I wanted to finish before noon to catch a bus to Porto Vecchio. With countless stars in the night sky, I left the refuge with my headlamp on.
The most beautiful sunrise of this journey.
Conca (250m) marks the end of GR20, although it also represents the starting point for hikers to the north. The fresh-looking people I crossed during my descent reminded me on my very first day.
Descending under the blazing sun, but with a gorgeous southern landscape.
This 10-day hiking experience was simply awesome. Not only I enjoyed the nature and the people, I learnt to value deeply simple things in life such as a warm meal, fresh fruits, clean clothes or a comfy bed. Once more, I verified that I have to embrace pain and suffer to be happy and proud. Thank you Corsica for this wonderful journey. Thank you Nature for allowing us to enjoy your beauty.