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Sardinia: Hiking through History

(2 customer reviews)

The Italian island of Sardinia is the second largest in the Mediterranean (only slightly smaller than Sicily) and has one of the most fascinating and unique histories in Europe. Marvel at massive stone fortifications that were built 3,000 years ago by a mysterious civilization, enjoy the beaches and crystalline waters of the south and west coast, wine and dine on fresh and creative cuisine, and relax at the end of the day in the beautiful gardens or poolside at your hotel. We just designed a new itinerary that highlights the rich culture — ancient and modern — of this beautiful island.

Duration: 7 nights /8 days
Dates: May 26-June 2, 2024
Trip starts/ends: Cagliari hotel/Olbia airport
Activity level: 2/3 [more info]
Group size: min. 4 -max 14 people

Highlights

* explore the island’s lively capital, Cagliari

* enjoy hiking through gorges and past dramatic limestone formations

* half-day easy river kayaking

* taste delicious wines and enjoy the cuisine of the island

* exciting daily walks to see natural and archaeological sites

* relax on a quartz sand beach on the west coast of the island

* visit a 3,000-year-old “nuraghe” stone tower complex

* stay 2 nights at a fabulous country “experience” hotel

Trip price includes

7 nights in 4-star hotels, country resorts and/or luxury guesthouses; 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners + 1 light dinner; guided visit of Cagliari; 1 winery visit; 1 distillery visit; 6 entrances to museums and/or archeological sites; kayak rental; all transfers as per itinerary; luggage transfers for each hotel change; welcome and farewell drink, 1 bilingual Italian/English tour leader for groups up to 8 people, 2 guides for groups from 9 to 14 people

Not included

6 lunches and 1 dinner; drinks other than water at meals; and anything not mentioned in the inclusions

ITINERARY

Day 1: Independent arrival in Cagliari
Meet in the hotel lobby at 4 pm for a guided visit of the city including a short stop at the fabulous archeological museum. It’s a great stop on its own but it’s also a perfect introduction to the island’s history and culture that we’re going to see throughout the week. Afterwards, enjoy a welcome drink and dinner al fresco. Overnight Cagliari.

 

Days 2-3: The Center of the island
Head inland for 2 days of history, hiking and adventures in the island’s interior, with visits to extraordinary archaeological sites, a trip to a high plateau where wild horses live, some delicious food experiences, and overnight at a beautiful country hotel with pool and spa.

 

Days 4-5: The West Coast
Head west and explore the coastal area around the Sinis Peninsula, which has been inhabited since ancient times. We’ll also bask on gold and rose quartz sand beaches and try some interesting local liquors at an innovative distillery. Stay two nights at a fabulous hotel spread over a variety of restored elegant homes and villas.

 

Days 6-7: The Eastern Side
Continue east for some gorgeous hiking, river kayaking, and relaxing downtime at a fabulous hotel set amidst a verdant garden. The landscape and traditions change with every new destination, and you’ll taste new food and wine as you go.

 

Day 8: Transfer to Olbia and Departures
We offer one final transfer to the Olbia airport after breakfast for flights or ferries.

from €3,200
[info on prices]

2 reviews for Sardinia: Hiking through History

  1. Jeff C. –

    Sardinia with Wild Sage was fantastic. Discovering the sophisticated ancient Nuragic civilization, searching for the last remaining wild horses in Europe, beaches that literally glitter, and a deep gorge filled with boulders as big as buildings are just some of the highlights. The scenery and history was only matched by delicious local specialties and local wines. From farmhouse to resort we discovered new vistas and regional history each day. Oh did I mention the Roman ruins, kayaking and craft gin tasting?

  2. Gary P. –

    This is a great trip. We visited archeological sites of the Nuragic people, a sacred well, a burial tomb, including a tour of one of their villages. The guide explained what is currently known about the ancient civilization which was fascinating and frustrating because there is still so much about them that is unknown. We visited museums which have Nuragic bronzes and stone giants. We hiked through the countryside with panoramic views of coastlines, valleys, and mountains and sightings of a range of wildlife including the last wild horse herd in Europe. Six hundred horses in family groups of 30-40. There were so many wonderful things about this trip: the city guide who spoke a few lines of the native Sardinian language for us and answered all my questions about the language, the guide at the vineyard who was enthusiastic about his job, the park guide who showed us the wild horses, the beautiful beaches where we relaxed and all the Sardinians we met. The food, wine, and hikes were amazing. A huge grazie mille to Manu and Wild Sage for putting this trip together to this wonderful island.

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Activity Levels

Some tours have a range of activity levels through the week, where some walks may be more challenging than others, but this will give you a general idea of the type of walking/hiking involved on your tour.

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, minimal climbing
2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades on a mix of terrains
4 – HIKE: Classic hiking with rough/rocky terrain, sustained hills, and longer mileage
5 – CHALLENGING: Challenging hiking with steep climbs and descents over rocky terrain and some longer mileage

See below for more detail:

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, with minimal climbing (though some cities may have steeper inclines). Archaeological sites may be unpaved but the grades and difficulty level is easy. TOURS: Sicily Coast-to-Coast and any “light active” version of a tour

2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
The terrain is easy to navigate with packed earth or gravel roads. There are some climbs but nothing too challenging. TOURS: Tuscany, Puglia, Provence
[2+ The “plus” indicates more challenging terrain though the walks are gentle].

3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades and rocky terrain
Here you find a mix of terrain with some steep stretches.
TOURS: Corsica, Sardinia, some of the Dolomites tours, and some hikes on the Greek Islands
[3+ The plus indicates rockier terrain or lots of stone steps (Amalfi, the Cinque Terre) or greater elevation gain/loss (the Dolomites)].

4 — HIKE: Classical hiking with rough terrain, sustained hills, and more mileage. These hikes are on a mix of rough terrain, sometimes involving steep stretches and difficult footing. TOURS: some of our hikes in Sardinia, some of the days in the Cinque Terre, some of the variants of our Dolomites tours.

5 – CHALLENGING: Longer days, challenging climbs, rocky terrain. We don’t do a lot of seriously challenging tours but we do have a Dolomites trip where we hike from hut to hut, so that’s probably the closest we get to a 5.

Info on prices

The price indicated is for a minimum of 6 people and our basic itinerary based on double occupancy (a “single supplement” covers hotel prices only, we apply no extra fees). Departures with fewer people or with upgraded hotels will have a higher price. We can organize private departures for any number of people but prices vary depending on number of participants. Please contact us for details!