Southern Corsica: Bavella and the Alta Rocca

Route description

Ferries from Marseille and Toulon dock at Porto-Vecchio, Propriano and Ajaccio, and from Sardinia you land at Bonifacio, half an hour south of the Rondinara turn. Start with the beaches: Rondinara’s round lagoon-like bay and the pine-backed sands of Palombaggia, before settling into Porto-Vecchio’s citadel.

Take the D368 up through the cork oaks and the Ospedale forest to Zonza in the Alta Rocca, then on to the Col de Bavella, where red granite needles tower over the pines. Walk to a viewpoint or one of the natural pools, and watch for free-roaming pigs on the road.

Return through Zonza and Levie to Sartène, a grey granite town of steep alleys above the Rizzanese valley. The T40 descends to the port of Propriano on the Gulf of Valinco, and a short detour inland leads to Filitosa and its menhir statues.

Mountain roads are narrow and slow, so plan fewer kilometres than you think. Many campsites near the beaches close from October to April, while May, June and September offer warm seas and easier parking.