Gole della Vacca

Wonderful descent through the red breath-taking peaks near the Colle di Bavella. Pure water, beatiful rocks and for the most reckless a 20 meters high dive.

Pictures by A. Balbi and S. Belotti

3, higher 15 meters

Access: coming from Porto Vecchio or Sartene take the road towards Zonza and go on for the Colle di Bavella; pass over it and continue on the same road towards Bocca di Larone. 1 km before the top of the pass park the car in an open space near a bend turning left. If coming from Bastia, follow the coastal road until turning on the road for Zonza / Bavella, just before Solenzara. Rise up till the Bocca di Larone and then go down until the first bend turning right and park the car.

Approach: an evident (unmarked) path starts from the bend and goes half-way up the hill; after about 10 minutes it starts to go down towards the Castellu d'Ornucciu. Leave an evident diversion on the right, descend for 5 minutes more and, when almost at the bottom of the Castellu, turn right in the two next diversions. The path goes down near a little dry river bed and the progression will require some easy down-climbings, until the path reaches the river of the Vacca. In spite of the lack of signals, it's quite easy find your bearings.

Coming back: at the end of the last of the three little lakes, a little rock stack on the left (do not trust in its resistance) marks the beginning of a really steep path (easy to get lost) going between the Castellu and the Castellucciu. Anyway, rise up until a less hostile surroundings. Here, even if you lost the path, you should find an old but evident mule-track which, in about 10 minutes, takes you back to the plateau on which runs the approaching path.