Departures 2025
Your holidays in Corsica get closer and closer everyday, and you're starting to think about all the things you've seen in your guide book about the isle of beauty: the Calanques, the beautiful beaches and the mountains of course... Or maybe you don't know Corsica yet, and you need some ideas for your next holidays ?
Here is the top 5 MUST-SEE places in Corsica:
Here is the top 5 MUST-SEE places in Corsica:
1) Calanques de Piana
On Corsica's west coast, the road from Ajaccio to Calvi can be quite impressive, but it offers you one of the most breathtaking view of the famous Calanques de Piana (also written Calanches in Corsican language). Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Gulf of Porto, the Calanques are a magic place where the rocks shaped like animals give you the impression of entering a whole new world. There are stops along the road so you can rest and take some pictures; and if you don't have enough, there are more than one walking route in the area to enjoy the view.
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How can I go there ?
- Mare e Monti: the Calanques are the first step to our Mare Monti tour. What better way to discover the Calanques than a hike in the middle of it ?
- From the mountains to the sea: the village of Porto being the ending point of our tour, you will drive through the Calanques on your way back to Ajaccio.
2) The Nature Reserve of Scandola
Situated on a remote peninsula, and as the Calanques de Piana, this reserve is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is a preserved and protected area, where the wildlife is often present: it is not rare to see colonies of seals and dolphins during a cruise in the reserve.
The best moment to visit is when the sun is going down, and the rocks are starting to color in red.
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How can I go there ?
- From the mountains to the sea : the boat tour of the nature reserve of Scandola is included in our self-guided version of the tour "From the mountains to the sea". You will enjoy a 3-hour tour from Porto, with a stop at the fishing village of Girolata, only accessible by boat or by foot.
- Mare e Monti: you have the possibility to visit the reserve in the self-guided version of our "Mare Monti" tour, departing from the village of Girolata.
3) Les Aiguilles de Bavella
In the southern-central part of Corsica stand the famous Aiguilles de Bavella (the "needles" of Bavella), which you can already see and appreciate from the road. These seven rocky spikes of red granite dominate the hill of the same name, the highest one standing at 1855m. The Aiguilles are part of the Corsican landscapes and thousands of visitors are coming to see them every year.
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How can I go there ?
- GR20 South : From the Bavella pass, you can reach Mount Incudine (the highest summit of Southern Corsica) via the GR20 footpath, which passes by the foot of the Aiguilles. However, the "alpine variant" of the GR20 is much more interested and impressive, as it allows you to reach the towers of Bavella via the Bocca di u Pargulu at 1662m. From there, the view of the towers is pretty unique.
- Mare a Mare South: our self-guided tour on the Mare a Mare Sud footpath allows you to discover the Aiguilles of Bavella on your first day of hiking, before continuing to the village of Quenza (contact us for more information about this tour).
4) Gorges de la Restonica
There is a legend saying that a few thousand years ago, Corsica experienced its worst drought. Every river of the island has been drained, except for one: la unica (the unique one in Corsican language), whose name has become La Restonica.
There are several hikes along the river, which are totally enjoyable even in mid-summer because of the shade provided by the walls and woodland of the ravine, and the possibility to bath if the sun becomes too hot.
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How can I go there ?
- From the mountains to the sea: on the self-guided version of this tour, you will arrive in Corte in the morning and have the possibility to explore the Restonica Gorges as you wish (different hikes available, from 1 to 6 hours).
5) The GR20
Last but not least, how can we even begin to talk about the must-see places in Corsica, without mentioning its famous footpath, known as the toughest trek in Europe ?
The GR20 is a 180km-long footpath crossing the entire island of Corsica diagonally, starting in Calenzana in the North and ending in Conca in the South. The length of the stages, the daily ascent, the steep and extremely rocky ground and the lack of comfort in the accommodations along the route have to be taken into account before jumping in the adventure !
But if you put these (huge) details aside, all you are going to remember are the breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable moments you will have during your trek.
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The GR20 is a 180km-long footpath crossing the entire island of Corsica diagonally, starting in Calenzana in the North and ending in Conca in the South. The length of the stages, the daily ascent, the steep and extremely rocky ground and the lack of comfort in the accommodations along the route have to be taken into account before jumping in the adventure !
But if you put these (huge) details aside, all you are going to remember are the breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable moments you will have during your trek.
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How can I go there ?
- GR20 South : the southern part of the GR20 is the "less difficult" one. It offers fantastic sceneries and a taste of the authentic and traditional life in the mountains. We have departures every Sunday from mid-May to end of September.
- GR20 North : the northern part of the GR20 is the most alpine part of the footpath: big height differences, rocky terrain and very steep passages... But with its valleys, hills, ridges, peaks and lakes, you will no longer know where to look.
- The entire GR20 : by this point, I think you understood that the GR20 is a very long and difficult footpath, both physically and mentally. But if you are still up to it, and you feel like you are able to complete it entirely, you can join one of our groups for a 13 or 16-day adventure in the mountains, depending on the version you will choose.
