Trek the Selvaggio Blu Trail in Sardinia

I loved every second of the hike. Corado is a great guide. Even if we didn't ever understand anything the other said I had so much fun. The group we had was A+. My only criticism of the trip is I dont think its a 6. I think its much closer to a low 5.

This trek requires more advanced skills as the terrain is rocky and technical the entire time. I did it in April at it is VERY hot outside but cool at night. Be comfortable pooping in the woods. Showers are by 2 L water bottle at night. Day 2 was long and challenging hiking through boulder fields. Every day you’ll stop at a beach for at least 1 hour and will have the opportunity to swim. You will need sturdy, high top boots. On day 2 I carried 5 L of water and drank it all - don’t run out of water. Day 2 is very long. Food on day 2 (day 1 of camping) is so good. Be sure to have insurance in case something bad happens in the mountains ( speaking from experience unfortunately). Also, people in Sardinia don’t speak English so brush up on your Italian. Read all the reviews before you leave and you will be prepared. If I did this again I’d arrive here a few days in advance to get over the jet lag.

Had a great time! Our guide Ivan was very professional, helpful and super entertaining with many stories to share. :) The group was really nice and we had a great week surrounded by nature, breathtaking views, some challenging terrain, great food, wine and laughs :)

Highly recommend this trip - it is challenging and you definitely need to be somewhat fit. The climbing always felt safe and the guide was great in leading us the whole way. The pace builds up everyday and it was physically demanding - but definitely great if you want a challenge. The landscape was beautiful and the food was delicious.

Excellent trip for adventurous folks but not truly challenging for fit experienced trekkers. Mid October weather was excellent but was poor at start of October so decided to your trip date carefully. Mati, the guide was also excellent. There are showers available on days 3, 4, and 5. Highlight was swimming at noon everyday and at sunrise the last day in mostly small, isolated, almost empty coves. Hotel at start was excellent as was the food with the best being the fish dinner on the last night. Bring hiking poles, swim goggles, and climbing gloves if your hands are soft.

Had an amazing time on this trip - wonderful views, great company and a fantastic guide! Great way to experience some abseiling and via ferrata

Amazing trip - the group and our guide (Matthias) were awesome. Matthias was knowledgeable, patient, and fun as hell. Only complaint is that it ended too quickly! Here are a couple of insights from the trip:

• October is a great time to go - blessed us with warm days and cool nights for easy sleep.
• Recommend staying in Cagliari the night before the trip (train from city to airport was easy to use). I stayed the night after too.
• The rocks (and some of the vegetation) are prickly - be sure to bring some cut care in your daypack.
• Definitely bring a cup.
• At dinner do not fill up on the first thing served - there’s always more :)

This was a fantastic week of tough trekking blended with awesome scenery and secluded beaches, led by a brilliant guide. Couldn't have been better

Absolutely loved every moment of this trip! We were very lucky with the weather and had a lovely group of motivated, adventurous individuals which made it so fun. The hiking was tough at times due to the rocky terrain, but the swims every lunchtime in turquoise sea made it worth it, and loved the element of via ferrata and abseiling. Our guide Matti was amazing and made us all feel very safe. The camp spots were beautiful and the food was delicious.

Our guide, Matthias, was absolutely fantastic. He brought such energy, enthusiasm and expertise. The hike was a good challenge. Plenty of scrambling so strong knees and ankles help! October was a great time to go in terms of weather. We had no rain. Also recommend taking a pair of shoes for the pebbly beaches. The views were spectacular and the food amazing

There are LOADS of reviews on here that tell you how great the trip is and how awesome the guides are. These are all true and you should read them closely.

This review is aimed to answer some of the questions I had before being brave enough to book.

How it feels

• You’ll feel like everyone else is more hardcore than you - they’re not. You may surprise yourself with what you can do. (That is also the point of the trip)
• That said, this trip is rated tough for good reason and the group self- selects.
• I suffer from vertigo and it has taken me two years to build up the courage to do the trip to get over it. I did!
• (The guide) Matthi was just incredible - professional, friendly, incredibly fluent in English, funny, but also super serious at the right times. You trust him immediately 200%. Not a microsecond of doubt in him. Incredible human. He felt like one of us, the best of us, and made us all better.

How hard is it really?

• The days gets progressively more intense: day 1 and day 2 you’ll be saying, “this is tough?” And by day 4 or 5 you’ll be saying, “this is tough!”.
• It’s the length and exposure of the abseil/rappels and scrambles/climbs that makes it tough. The walking is pretty straightforward
• Some of the abseils are short (7m!) some are pretty long (50m) but none are technically hard. Also it’s not an abseil - you are being lowered by the guide.
• Be prepared for a lot of forest walks - these can get humid
• The rocks are crazy, crazy, crazy sharp. Don’t fall on them or twist your ankle. It’s a long way out and far from roads. Make every step count. The rocks are there for a lot of the day.

How accurate is the kitlist?

• Consider bringing proper reef shoes to get into the water (even the beach rocks hurt). Crocs may be ideal.
• The guide recommended La Sportiva TX4 approach shoes: he wore these and I'm glad I bought them on his advice
• Consider padded fingerless gloves (e. g. cycling gloves) for the scrambles and rappels and as rock protection
• A pair of swimming goggles opens up the incredible marine life
• Breakfasts are very typically Italian: cake, coffee. Bring your own if you want something more substantial. I brought oats and was delighted that I did!
• Bring LOTS of snacks. Share them if you bring too many!
• Bring a flannel.
• Bring a clothes line (e. g. paracord 4m) and maybe clothes pegs
• But also - pack light! I brought too much stuff, despite the gear being shuttled between camps.
• A lot of people had North Face duffels - see photo. These worked well

Structure / timing

• There is surprisingly a lot of time for beers and wine with dinner and to still be in bed by 9pm.
• The food is way better than you’d expect and usually takes the Italian format of antipasti; pasta; meat/fish; lunches are basic sandwiches or carby salad (rice; couscous)
• Usual vibe is wake (and pack) at 7, breakfast at 8, leave at 9
• It’s quite stop-start on the abseils but Matthi is super quick (without rushing anyone at all) and it will go fast, but even so you are out on the trails from 9am-4pm most days

What are the loos like?

• Some of the campsite loos are considerably. worse than the “wild option”. I guarantee you’ll remember the wild ones more!
• Wild showers are worth it. Take and keep a disposable 2L water bottle from the first day and put a hole in the lid as a “shower”.

Final thoughts

• This may be the best multiday hike I've ever done. Certainly top 3 with Annapurna base camp and Wainwright Coast to Coast
• I can usually find loads of ways I'd want to "improve" a trip. Other than to use non-inflatable mattresses, I can't find a single thing to say. It's basically perfect.

A very enjoyable trip with a great group of people and an excellent guide (Matti).

Was an amazing trip - perfect guide, dramatic scenery and a fun group.

Such a unique experience! Walking over rocks is tough but days are very doable and it was so special to be led by a pioneer of the trail, Ivan!! Wonderful week of scrambling, abseiling, camping, swimming & via ferrata. Would recommend!

I can’t recommend this trip highly enough! Our guide, Mattias, was exceptional—his extensive knowledge of the area and passion for the outdoors made the experience truly unforgettable.

The trail itself is breathtaking, offering stunning views that leave you in awe at every turn. Each day, we enjoyed refreshing swims in the crystal-clear sea, which was the perfect way to cool off during the day

Every meal was delicious and thoughtfully prepared, showcasing local flavors that kept us energized for our daily adventures. Enjoying beer and wine after each day’s hike was simply perfect.

While the hiking was not easy, it wasn't overly challenging either; I would classify it as a medium-level trek.

I was slightly hesitant about booking this, unsure as to whether I would be up to it but I am SO glad that I did.

It was an incredible week led by a fantastic guide (Matthias). The trek is intense, with climbs up steep hills, rock scrambles and ferrata/abseil, but it was all achievable for a beginner, like me, with a decent level of fitness.

The scenery was epic, the beach swims at lunch (one each day) a welcome rest (bring swim shoes to avoid the rocks in bare feet) and the camping was pretty good - only one night were there no facilities at all. The others had toilet/sink/cold beers as a minimum!

The group I had were a brilliant bunch and we had a week that I am sure we will all fondly remember for a long time to come! Book it.

What a brilliant trail - loved everything about it. The right combination of technical challenge and beautiful surroundings and great camaraderie. Matthias, our guide, was patient, helpful, fun and funny - which made it easier for the group to make the most of this experience. For anyone looking for a physical challenge and a taste of the wild side of Sardinia, this is the trip for you :)

Very well rounded trip. Challenging, beautiful, epic, extreme. Everyday something surprises you. And you are always rewarded with the best swims in the world.

An amazing holiday from start to finish! Great group of people and Matthias our guide was just great! The Selvaggio Blu has so much to offer! Stunning scenery every day, great lunch spots on secluded beaches, sleeping out under the stars magnificent. Via Ferrata was exhilarating ( would have liked more)! All in all a great holiday and made even better with the boat ride back in 50 minutes seeing from the sea where we had walked the past five days! Would definitely recommend!!

If you’re thinking of booking this trip, hesitate no more and just do it!

An amazing experience from start to finish, enhanced by our guide, Matthias.

Yeah it’s hot and sweaty at times but you usually get a chance to shower at the end of the day (although sometimes from bottled water which is interesting).

You do need to be quite fit as the days are long but this is what makes it rewarding.

The abseiling/scrambling/via Ferrata is also very cool.

I couldn’t recommend it more.

An amazing route, full of challenge and variety, with stunning views and gorgeous swims - but not to be under-estimated! It's hard! Excellent guide, great group of people and fantastic logistics team working behind the scenes. The stuff of bucket lists.

Not for the faint hearted! Long tough days hiking in the heat but with the reward of a swim in that amazingly blue sea every day. Our lovely supportive group were in safe hands with the Matty, our skilful guide who looked after everyone whilst ensuring we were all having fun.

Our trip on the Selvaggio Blu far exceeded expectations. Ivan, our guide, was knowledgeable—sharing stories about Sardinia's history and culture—and always made safety a priority, even when we were abseiling down dramatic 40m cliffs.

The landscape was absolutely breathtaking: rugged limestone trails, deep canyons, and panoramic views of the glittering coastline. The hiking was hot and physically demanding, but each challenge was rewarded with unforgettable moments—like cooling off with lunch by the turquoise sea.

A quick tip: bring a snorkel or open-water swim goggles. The marine life is spectacular, and you'll definitely want to explore it during swim breaks.

The group dynamic really made the experience even more special. Everyone was impressively fit but also supportive and encouraging, creating a great team spirit throughout.

The best beautiful corner of Europe I've ever visited! Crazy beautiful trek and lots of time to swim in the sea too. Tough - mainly due to the heat and the path itself (down all morning, up again in the afternoon - a psychological minefield; scrambling most of the way). Our guide Matty was AMAZING - sweet, trustworthy, funny. A real mensch.

A brilliant and very well-organised trip that showed us rugged mountain trails, beautiful beaches, excellent Sardinian food and some cracking campsites. Our guide Mandie was fantastic, and made the trip safe, great fun and always well-paced for everyone. A really great experience - would highly recommend.

The process of payment, information needed and advice before the trip was good and really helpful. Most the group had to arrive the day before due to flights so opportunity to meet them in advance was a good start. Transfer of equipment and provision of water and food was well thought out with some excellent food throughout.

Great week along the coast of Sardinia, with a fun group of interesting people. The via ferratas are more like fixed rope rock climbing ie no metal posts/ ladders. Great trip for a challenge.

Just returned from the Selvaggio Blu trip.

The whole experience was incredible, at times intense, and a privilege to explore. Would recommend it as a trip for the brave!

Absolutely brilliant. Pushed me to the limit of what I could do and perhaps a little bit beyond. Ivan got me through my anxious moments and it is one of the special achievements of my life.

If you like adventures, and are fit enough for some steep, rocky climbs, then you’ll love this trip! Varied walking with stunning views, swimming, scrambling and abseiling were highlights, and lots of good food and wine. Ivan’s love for Sardinia and the mountains is infectious. Some of the camp spots were a bit busy with other groups, but logistics were impeccable. I’ve not eaten or laughed so much in a long time. Top tips: bring a pocket knife for lunch, some cash in case of a beer/soda stop, and if you’re with a super-fit group, don’t be afraid to walk at the front to slow the pace a little!