Corsica is a fantastic island and a culturally rich destination which needs to be discovered. There are many things to do : mountain trekking, siestas on idyllic beaches, walks in picturesque villages, museums and sampling the local gastronomy. This site “Holidays in Corsica” is a virtual guide to Corsica in which we shall be presenting all of the treks we have undertaken with the photos that go with them. You will find underneath our travel notes.

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First week in Porto-Vecchio

Palombaggia beach : beautiful beach with golden sand, one of the most well known in the south...but not that extraordinary...For me, there are other more beautiful beaches like Saleccia for example (in the north). This beach is to be avoided if you don’t like lots of people and also the car park isn’t free (3 euros per day).

Chiappa Point : superb panorama of the Porto-Vecchio gulf (to be seen when coming back from the Palombaggia beach).

the Bavella needles : 9kms north of Zonza, a stop at the top of Bavella (don’t miss the statue of Notre Dame des Neiges) will allow you to admire the famous needles. It’s well worth it, the panorama will take your breath away.

Walk of the “home of the bomb” (trou de la bombe) : a quiet walk well indicated but nothing special. It will allow you to discover the 8 meters wide hole at the summit of the rock. For the return, it’s possible to make a circle by following the Alturaghja direction : good view of the Bavella needles.

The Piscia di Gallo waterfall : this walk is really excellent ! Unfortunately, the path is not clearly indicated right up to the foot of the falls and goes down steeply at the arrival...be very careful….It isn’t really interesting unless you go down to the very bottom to better see the height of the falls ! For those who are a little apprehensive of the return journey and the steep climb, there are several places where you can have a swim along the route.

Bonifacio : not to be missed ! Everything is beautiful in this old town. The trip by boat to see the cliffs, the creeks and the marine grottos is really worth it !!! But the best is the Cap Pertusato, more precisely the beach which is just under the lighthouse…a few meters from the “submarine” rock. Luckily someone from Bonifacio advised us to go down, otherwise we would have followed the tourist route and missed the real spectacle. The weather wasn’t so good as you can see from the photos...shame... Even in september, there are lots of people and it’s difficult to park the car (none of the car parks are free), but it’s worth it.

l'Ermitage de la Trinité : lovely site with a clear view of Bonifacio.

Rondinara beach : coming back from Bonifacio, we decide to go for a dip, but again the car park is not free…So we’re off to the camp site swimming pool ;-)

The "castellu d'Arraggio" : a short but very steep trek with the sun beating down...In less than 30 minutes, we arrive at a very well conserved prehistoric site at 245m above the gulf of Porto-Vecchio. Lovely panoramic view of the north side of Porto-Vecchio.

The natural swimming pool of Zoza : just after leaving the village, a pathway goes down to the river. On one side, there is a waterfall and on the other is the natural swimming pool of Zoza. It makes a nice change from the beach...

The natural springs of Caldana : 3€50 for a 20 minutes bath in sulfur water at 37°. We went at the end of the afternoon, after swimming at Zoza : it’s very relaxing with a warm welcome as well !

the Bruzzi trek (between Bonifacio and Roccapina) : this trek is one of my favorites...the scenery resembles the Lavezzi but it’s more wild and less known. There are roughly 4 kms of walking in the brush in the hot sun but I really appreciated this particular trek !

The genoese tower of Campomoro : nice small walk from the beach car park up to the Genoese tower of Campomoro. We get there after à 30 minutes trek on a pathway punctuated by several signposts. The tower is in perfect condition and is one of the most imposing in Corsica (it seems !). From the top of the tower, there is a fantastic view of the Valinco gulf and the wild coast. It’s possible to swim on the beautiful Campomoro beach of golden sand or in the wild creeks.

the Lavezzi : it’s paradise but well frequented…Lovers of beautiful beaches and scuba diving will love it. For the mountain walkers, it’s probably a good moment to relax by spending the day on a beautiful beach. The excursion stops at the Lavezzi, goes through the marine at Cavallo and visits the grottos in Bonifacio. It’s expensive (25€) but it’s a must !!!