The Golgo plateau, the Supramonte, the Tortolì lagoons, the shorelines of Lotzorai and Cardedu.

Spring for the flowering maquis; winter for birdlife in the coastal lagoons.

Section

Nature

Limestone, Mediterranean maquis, ancient junipers and coastal lagoons: four environments coexisting within a few kilometres.

Centuries-old wild olive by the church of Santa Maria Navarrese, Baunei — Photo: Aggrucar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The natural interest of the east coast lies not in a single species or park but in compression. Within a few dozen kilometres you pass from lagoon environments to basalt tablelands, from limestone cliffs to holm-oak woods.

The Golgo plateau above Baunei is the clearest example: basalt, wind-shaped junipers and the Su Sterru shaft, one of the deepest in Europe.

The essential answers

Where is it?: The Golgo plateau, the Supramonte, the Tortolì lagoons, the shorelines of Lotzorai and Cardedu.
When to go?: Spring for the flowering maquis; winter for birdlife in the coastal lagoons.
Where to stay?: Nature outings mean awkward hours. A rural base such as I Mandorli, at Triei, makes them workable.