Sardinia beta

Anyone traveled to and/or climbed in Sardinia? I am looking for info regarding climbing areas, rental cars, accommodations, best season, pretty much everything! Most likely travel time will be mid/late October to mid/late November.

Cheers,
Kyle

Hi, I was there about a decade ago, but I'm sure the basics haven't changed that much. First of all it is a great locale, with a lot of climbing in most parts of the island and lots else to do as well---though perhaps not quite as full of 'must see' tourist attractions as much of the rest of southern Europe. Also it is a very big island--about the size of New Hampshire and with not the greatest road network, with the principal climbing areas a bit scattered, so, especially if you are going for a week or less it is best to base yourself in a single area.

Cala Gonone is the best known climbing center. It is located on the east coast (a bit far (2-3 hours) from the international airports) about half way along the coast. It is a pleasant and scenic tourist town with plenty of accommodations, etc (though your time period is after peak tourist season so I expect that a fair number of places will be closed. There is loads of climbing all around the town. Basically all of the climbing is limestone sport, but within that context there is a great variety of style and difficulty. Inland from there is the Supramonte mountain area with many impressive gorges containing numerous crags--some of quite substantial size and difficulty. In this area the ruins of the ancient city of Tiscali are a 'must see'. A bit further south along the coast the Brunei area also has a lot of climbing, though not as concentrated as Gonone.

The other major area of climbing is in the southwest part of the island near Inglesias---featuring numerous crags scattered over a substantial area including impressive sea cliffs and inland mountains. Unfortunately this is an economically depressed area, so the tourist infrastructure is not nearly as well established as on the east coast making accommodation harder to find. Still loads of good climbing--again limestone sport. In the inland area between those two 'centers' are a number of the best climbing areas on the island--notably Isili and Jerzu. For less popular granite and trad, there is plenty in the northeast quadrant of the island.

The weather is almost uniformly good, so that isn't likely to be a problem (though, of course, storm fronts are always possible). There are also some very good guidebooks, specifically for some of the main areas and also for the island as a whole. Great place. Enjoy your visit.

I would highly recommend Cala Gonone, great variety of crags, gorgeous beaches, and it shouldn't be expensive at all then. Right in town you have La Poltrona for multipitch sport and a ton of other crags are very close. Rockfax makes (maybe discontinued) a mini-guide to the area and that's what I used there. Otherwise pick up Pietra di Luna by Maurizio Oviglia.

Fly into Cagliari for the cheapest flights and rental cars, you should be able to get there and back from Roma for relatively cheap. I recommend flying from Fiumicino depending on what you're doing before and after Sardegna.

Thanks for the beta! My girlfriend and I are going to spend three to four weeks in Croatia and then three to four weeks in Sardinia. Appreciate all the info!