The infamous GR20 is often regarded as the toughest trek in Europe—are you sure you’re up to the task? This 180-kilometer trail (110 miles) meanders across the jagged spine of Corsica’s mountains, revealing spectacular scenery, million-dollar views, and your unrelenting spirit. Scrambling, exposed sections, steep drops, chain and wire-assisted climbs—the GR20 will keep testing your limits over two weeks of long and challenging days. Having a professional International Mountain Guide by your side means having an extra degree of safety, detouring to unparalleled gems that most hikers miss out on, and getting the best possible accommodation. Ready to traverse this mythical long-distance trail reserved only for the boldest ones?
Conquer steep ascents and plunging descents on this 180-km trail that follows the granite backbone of mountains that divide the island in two—many of which soar above 2,000 m above sea. Join your guide on the mighty GR20 trek from the north-west to the south-east of the island, starting your tour in the beautiful Calvi! This challenging adventure also includes luggage transfers, most meals (all breakfasts and lunches, most dinners) and a selection of the best accommodation available, providing you with all the comfort along the way.
Your trip begins in the seaside town of Calvi—you can either fly in to Calvi or Bastia Airport. If you arrive at Bastia Airport anytime prior to 3 pm on Day 1, a two-hour group minibus transfer will take you to the seaside town of Calvi. Alternatively, you can also land in Calvi Airport if possible. Use the afternoon to either explore the lovely town of Calvi or go for a dip in the sea.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Note: Feel free to fly in a day prior to your adventure—the choice of flights might be better and you can overnight in Bastia or Calvi the evening before Day 1. Your guide can gladly recommend accommodation for the night!
Take a short taxi journey to the village of Calenzana, the official starting point of the GR20. Today you have a shorter day, which is an excellent warm-up for the journey ahead, and it also provides you with fantastic views of the coast and surrounding villages. You can bathe in rock pools before tackling the final climb to Bonifatu.
Accommodation: Gîte
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 5.5 hours
Distance: 13.2 km / 8.2 miles
Elevation change: +654 m / +2,277 ft | -394 m / -1,293 ft
An early start today brings you to a climb up the Cirque de Bonifatu, sheltered from the sun by lush woods. Once you reach the Carrozzu refuge, take a breather before tackling the famous Spasimata footbridge—a 30-meter long bridge hanging above a waterfall! Then grab onto the fixed cables and chains and work your way up the Spasimata slabs to arrive at the Muvrella (Corsican for mouflon) valley. You might even spot some mouflons! After Lac de Muvrella, a steep climb takes you to the Bocca di a Muvrella (2,000 m), followed by a short, but difficult section to your second pass, the Bocca di Stagnu (2,010 m). From here you can see the western coastline along with the mountains that guard the entrance to the Cirque de la Solitude. Tackle a very steep, partly scrambly descent down to the old ski station of Haut Asco (1,422 m).
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 9 hours
Distance: 17.2 km / 10.6 miles
Elevation change: +1,548 m / +5,078 ft | -681 m / -2,234 ft
Following a huge landslide in 2015, today’s route no longer takes the Cirque de la Solitude—it’s been closed by the park authorities, and it’s unlikely to open. So there’s a new route (making what used to be a tough day into an even tougher day) towards Monte Cinto, Corsica’s highest peak. Reach the remote Lac du Cinto and then continue up to a high pass, the Bocca Crucetta at 2,450 m. From here, you have a long descent to the Tighjettu refuge and down to the Bergeries de Vallone, an old shepherd’s hut with nearby rock pools for bathing.
Accommodation: Camping (tent provided there, you don’t have to carry it)
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 10-11 hours
Distance: 11.4 km / 7 miles
Elevation change: +1,264 m / +4,147 ft | -1,197 m / -3,930 ft
Today starts with an easy stretch of walking through the laricio pine forest before it gets a bit more scambly in order to reach the Bocca di Foggialle, not far from the refuge Ciottulu di i Mori and at the foot of the impressive Paglia Orba peak. Great views span out here, both behind the Calacuccia Lake and in front of the Golo Valley. From here, wind your way down to the river Golo, perfect for a dip in some fantastic rock pools. Keep going down, follow the river for a while before traversing the forest to reach the Castel di Vergio, an old ski station where there’s a choice of a gîte or hotel, and a small shop.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 9 hours
Distance: 17.6 km / 10.9 miles
Elevation change: +860 m / +2,820 ft | -912 m / -2,992 ft
Another long day ahead, but today is especially beautiful as the scenery is starting to change. Climb up to Col St. Pierre (1,452 m) and make your way to the spectacular Lac de Nino (1,743 m). Surrounded by pizzones (little ponds surrounded by grassy meadows), it’s an ideal grazing area for horses, cattle, and wild pigs. After Lac de Nino, stop at the working goat farm of Vaccaja (1,621 m) before diverting from the GR20 to make your way to the Refuge de Sega. Rock pools make this a great location, and by being off-the-beaten-path you avoid the crowds.
Accommodation: Refuge
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 10 hours
Distance: 23km / 14.3 miles
Elevation change: +750 m / +2,460 ft | -970 m / -3,182 ft
A shorter day allows you to take your time as you make your way down the beautiful Tavignano Gorge, with some great swimming spots, to the historic town of Corte. You should have a bit of time to explore the town and have a free evening tonight to eat out in a local restaurant.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and picnic lunch
Hiking: 5.5 hours
Distance: 13.5 km / 8.4 miles
Elevation change: +201 m / +660 ft | -959 m / -3,146 ft
You’ve now reached the southern section of the GR20! The walking becomes a bit easier as there is less scrambling and more chances to look at the views. Start with either a train journey or a private transfer to Vizzavona (up to 1 hour), where you will rejoin the GR20 and climb up to the Bocca Palmente (1,640 m) through shady beech and pine forests. There you are greeted with fantastic views to the coast and behind you to Monte d’Oro. Make your way past the Alzeta shepherds’ huts to the U Cardu ridge, from where you’ll see the Monte Renoso, tomorrow’s objective.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 6 hours
Distance: 15.1 km / 9.4 miles
Elevation change: +1,079 m / +3,540 ft | -335 m / -1,099 ft
Today you climb Monte Renoso—standing at 2,352 m, it’s the highest mountain in southern Corsica. It’s a true gem of a peak, with most people doing the GR20 missing out on it. Your guides claim the view from up there is their favorite of the whole trip: you can see both coasts, a great view of both coasts, a view of where you’ve been (Monte Cinto) and where you’re going (Incudine and Bavella). It’s a scenic climb, not too difficult (mainly walking rather than scrambling), with a steep descent down to the spectacular pozzine in the valley of I Pozzi. Make your way over to the plateau de Gialgone to rejoin the GR20, and reach Col de Verden in 2 hours. For those feeling tired today, you can skip climbing Monte Renoso and opt for an easier route.
Accommodation: Gîte
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 9 hours (or 5 without Monte Renoso)
Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles
Elevation change: +841 m / +2,760 ft | -1,164 m / -3,818 ft OR +350 m / +1,148 ft | -620 m / -2,034 ft
Start the day with a steep climb up to a high ridge enroute to the Refuge de Prati. You’ll be able to see both coasts, and on a clear day, across the Ligurian Sea as far as the island of Elba. You’ve got a scrambling part then, with some exposed sections, until the Col de Laparo. Divert from the GR20 in order to avoid staying in overcrowded and uncomfortable huts, and stop at a privately-run gîte in the typical Corsican village of Cozzano.
Accommodation: Gîte
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 8-9 hours
Distance: 22.2 km / 13.7 miles
Elevation change: +987 m / +3,238 ft | -1,500 m / -4,921 ft
Climb up through chestnut forest to rejoin the GR20, where you will reach the Arête a Mondi. Follow to the Punta d’Usciolu (1,815m), the Punta di a Scaddatta (1,834m) and finally to the Bocca di L’Agnonu (1,570m). The route criss-crosses through exciting notches along the ridge, and consists of around 2 hours of scrambling, exposed at times, offering wonderful views. Start your descent past the sheepfolds of Bassetta, and continue along to the gîte at Il Croce. It’s quite a long day, but continuing to Il Croce instead of staying at Bassetta makes our day a bit easier tomorrow. In case of bad weather, travel on a lower route via the village of Zicavo
Accommodation: Gîte or camping
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 9-10 hours
Distance: 18 km / 11.2 miles
Elevation change: +1,480 m / +4,855 ft | -740 m / -2,428 ft
Another long, but truly spectacular day. Climb up to the Col Incudine, from where you have views back towards Monte Cinto and Sardinia in front of you, along with Aiguilles de Bavella where you’re heading. From the col, it’s a very steep descent across slabs to the Refuge d’Asinau. A short easy section takes you through the woods before you make a diversion to tackle the Alpine variant of the GR20, through the heart of the Aiguilles de Bavella, a fantastic journey assisted by the occasional chain. In case of bad weather, take a transfer and do a shorter walk around Bavella.
Accommodation: Gîte
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner
Hiking: 10 hours
Distance: 14.2 km / 8.8 miles
Elevation change: +1,066 m / +3,500 ft | -1,395 m / -4,575 ft
The final day is a lovely way to end the GR20, with incredible views across granite peaks before entering a beautiful pine forest. Reach the refuge de Paliri fairly early on, and from there, the scenery remains rugged all the way to the little village of Conca, the end point of the GR20. After a celebratory drink, take a short transfer to Porto Vecchio and your hotel for the night.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and picnic lunch
Hiking: 8 hours
Distance: 18 km / 11.1 miles
Elevation change: +655 m / +2,150 ft | -1,595 m / -5,232 ft
Wake up early, have breakfast, and pack up! Your guides will transfer you from Porto Vecchio to Figari Airport whichever time suits you—it’s a 25 minute journey. If you’d like to extend your stay, just ask your guides for some recommendations.
Meals: Breakfast
What an incredible experience. Our guide was fantastic, teaching our kids so many things along the way. Highly recommend!
Included:
Not included:
Your guides firmly believe the GR-20 in Corsica deserves its reputation of being the hardest trek in Europe. It’s a very tough trek with long walking days in succession, meaning that you must be very fit and already have experience with high mountain hiking over several days. It’s a tougher walk than most people expect.
There’s also a lot of scrambling and on occasion you will need to use fixed chains and ladders, so it’s not suitable for those with vertigo. You’ll come across numerous large drops, so you have to be sure that you’re not going to make a clumsy slip. Some ascents are very long, some descents very steep, so that’s something to consider if you have sore knees. Walking poles come in very handy on the GR20, as they reduce the shock on your legs.
The GR-20 is a very remote trek, making it difficult to “sit out” a day if you’re feeling tired. All days are long (some 9-10 hours of hiking) and you can’t go too slowly. If you do not arrive fully fit and geared up, you will not only be jeopardizing your own chances of completing the route, but also the enjoyment and safety of other people. Slow hikers add several hour to a day, and while this can usually be accommodated on many other trips, that’s not the case with the GR20.
If you’re thinking of joining the GR20 trek, make sure you are ready for two weeks of very long and challenging days. Your guides put together this trip in a way that they organize your breakfasts, lunches, and most dinners, and instead of rustic mountain huts, you will stay at hotels and privately-run gîtes—with your luggage delivered daily.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Here’s the optional gear:
Generally speaking, accommodation on the GR20 is notoriously bad. Usually you’d stay in overcrowded and “rustic” mountain huts, but for this trip, your guides have carefully selected an assortment of hotels and privately-run gîtes (traditional rental homes). This makes the trip and overnights extremely comfortable in comparison to other companies. Still, do not expect luxury—the accommodation is basic, simple, and clean, and your luggage will be delivered daily. This is a massive bonus of this guided trip, as you don’t have to carry with you 40-lbs backpacks.
You will spend…
In your guides’ experience, gîtes and refuges all have hot showers—in many years of doing trips, they’ve only had 1 or 2 cold showers. But the great thing of these two places that are most likely culprits of not having hot water is that they’re next to fantastic rock pools, so most people prefer to swim in the pools at the end of the day.
Overall, your guides have really chosen the best of the best for this route. One of the main reasons that your guides avoid huts is that they’re renowned for bed bugs—they will never stay at any establishment where they have been reported (unlike other operators). Still, your guides do recommend washing all your clothing at high temperature at the end of the trip—you can never be too safe!
The breakfasts on this trip are continental-style and usually consist of a hot drink along with bread and jam.
Picnic lunches are usually fantastic and plentiful, varying from sandwiches to local meats & cheeses to pasta or lentil salad and a piece of fruit.
Dinners are also usually excellent—hearty, but basic—3-course meals, perfect after a hard day in the mountains.
If you’re a vegetarian—a love of omelettes will help see you through this trip. Corsican mountain gîtes have not yet fully grasped the concept of vegetarian food, and you will almost always be served an omelette, with varying accompaniments. Sometimes you will be offered fish, so please remember to tell us if that’s okay for you upon booking. Your guides will do their best to ask for different dishes, but there are no promises. It might be a good idea to bring along some nuts and extra snacks.
This trip is not suitable for vegans or those with other more specific dietary requirements.
Luggage is delivered on all nights apart from two, as those locations are not accessible by vehicle. This means that you have to carry your overnight kit (including sleeping bag) for four days.
Please bring just one bag for transportation, and a backpack (35-40L). If you need two bags (it’s not possible to leave a bag in Calvi or Bastia, unless you’re planning on returning there at the end of the trip), then just let us know—there’s usually a supplement of $125.
You will need money for lunch in Calvi, and dinners in Calvi, Corte, and Porte Vecchio (30-40 euros per dinner is sufficient). For other drinks and snacks, you’ll need around 10-15 euros per day. Bring your spending money in cash in euros, as cards are not accepted in the refuges, and there will be no exchange facilities throughout the trip.
Bottled water, wine, beer, and soft drinks are available at almost all of the refuges, and you might find that hot weather makes you consume more cans of soft drinks than normally.
Tipping your guide is optional, and it’s the accepted way of saying thank you for good service. Please remember that it is voluntary and should only be done if you were pleased with the service. The amount is entirely up to you. The guides are all paid fairly.
In general, you can expect it to be pretty hot and normally clear. The snow should have melted by late June, and July is the hottest month with the least amount of rainfall, though June, August, and September are also relatively dry as well.
The temperature can range from around 5°C to around 30°C (although in July it can reach 36°C). It’s generally hot and dry, but due to the mountainous nature of the terrain, it’s not uncommon to have sudden thunder storms, harsh winds, heavy rain, hail, and sometimes even snow, so it’s important to be prepared for every eventuality.
Group sizes and prices:
Trekking the GR20 in Corsica can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
To get to your GR20 adventure in Corsica, fly into Bastia-Poretta Airport (BIA). Make sure to arrive before 3 pm, as that’s when the group transfer departs from Bastia to the seaside town of Calvi. It’s also worth checking out flights going directly to Calvi Airport (CLY).
If you won’t make the group transfer from Bastia Airport, contact your guides in time so they can make arrangements.
Travel and medical/rescue insurance is mandatory on this tour. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Deposits
You can secure one of the set dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Secure your early bird spot with a 10% deposit! This tour gets sold out very quickly, but with early-bird booking, you will be the first one to know about any new upcoming dates. Pick your preferred dates without the risk of your bucket list adventure selling out!
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Cloud 9 planned everything for our group: Food, lodging, baggage transportation and excellent hiking plans. The food and service in the hotels was great and staffs were friendly and helpful! I would highly recommend Cloud 9 for anyone planning a trip.