Included:

• • An experienced, International Mountain Leader with extensive knowledge of the area
  • 14-day GR-20 Corsica trekking tour
  • All accommodation (details in the itinerary)
  • All breakfasts and packed lunches
  • Most dinners (except on Day 1, 7,  and 13)
  • All transportation during the tour
  • Fixed-time airport transfer from Bastia Airport to Calvi on Day 1 & from Porto Vecchio to Figari on Day 14
  • Luggage transfers on all but 2 nights

Not included:

• • Transportation to Corsica
  • Dinners on Day 1, 7, and 13
  • Sleeping bag
  • Personal drinks and snacks
  • Travel and medical/rescue insurance — mandatory
  • Guide gratuities — optional

Should you need to make any changes to your booking after confirmation, please be aware that a 100 GBP administrative fee applies to each modification.

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:

• • Backpack large enough to carry things you’ll need throughout the day — 35-45L, anything bigger will be too heavy (also make sure that you can fit everything you need for an overnight stay including your sleeping bag)
  • Kit bag — for main luggage which is transported, please try to keep the weight to 15 kg or below
  • Dry bags / plastic bags — to keep kit dry
  • Waterproof jacket and trousers — as light as possible
  • Hiking poles — optional, but recommended
  • Hiking boots or shoes — make sure they’re in good condition before embarking, as there are no gear show along the way
  • Week’s worth hiking clothing
    • Trekking trousers (bring something lightweight)
    • Shorts
    • T-shirts (wicking t-shirts are better than cotton)
    • Mid-layer (fleece jacket is good)
    • Spare clothes for layering
  • Socks, underwear
  • Warm hat and gloves
  • Swimsuit
  • Travel towel (not provided in gites)
  • Flip flops / crocs
  • Sleeping bag
  • Sleeping bag liner — comfort rating of around 3-5°C , a lightweight one weighs around 1kg or less
  • Tupperware box
  • Fork, spoon, or spork
  • Wash kit
  • Water bottle and camelbak — camelbak is recommended and can come in really handy on this trip, but it’s best to take both (make sure you have the capacity to carry at least 4 litres of water)
  • Sunhat and sunglasses
  • Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
  • Headlamp or flashlight — a lightweight one
  • Insurance documents
  • Basic first aid kit — the guide will carry a large first aid kit, but for emergencies only, make sure you bring painkillers, blister treatment and plasters, rehydration salts (dioralite), diarrhea treatment (immodium), antiseptic cream, antihistamine cream or tablets + any personal medication you normally take

Here’s the optional gear:

• • Earplugs — indispensable in dorms
  • Penknife
  • Snacks — dried fruit, nuts, energy bars…
  • Walking trainers — there are a few days where you might prefer to wear walking trainers in order to give your feet a break from boots
  • Travel pillow
  • Pillow case
  • Thermarest — only needed for the one night you camp, so it’s not really necessary
  • Water purifying tablets
  • Antibacterial handwash
  • Buff
  • Camera
  • Book
  • Mobile phone
  • Travel kettle and tea bags
  • Multi-plug adapter
  • Power pack

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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…

• • 5 nights in good hotels with ensuite facilities (twin or double rooms, very occasionally a triple)
  • 6 nights in privately-run gîtes in mixed-dormitory accommodation (with showers and toilets)
  • 1 night in a spectacularly-located mountain refuge with 6-8 people per room (with showers and toilets)
  • 1 night at a shepherds hut where you camp (simple toilet facilities and 1 shower)

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:

• • For this trek, the maximum client-to-guide ratio is 10:1.
  • It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate.
  • The cost does not decrease as the group grows.

Trekking the GR20 in Corsica can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.

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.

Covering all your bases with insurance is mandatory. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors 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.