Gorropu Canyon Map: the Three Ways In

There are three ways into Gorropu Canyon. You can walk down from the Genna Silana pass on the SS125 (4.3 km on foot, about an hour down and two hours back up). You can walk up the river from the Sa Barva bridge on the Dorgali side (5.6 km on foot, about two hours each way). Or you can take a guided off-road day from Dorgali or Cala Gonone that drives you to the start of the trail. Genna Silana is the shortest walk with the hardest finish. Sa Barva is longer and follows the river, but the last stretch of the drive is on a track. The guided day takes away the track, the route-finding and the question of when to turn back.

From the Genna Silana pass (SS125)

Genna Silana is a pass on the SS125, the Orientale Sarda road, on the Urzulei side of the gorge. The Campo Base stands at SS125 km 190.5, at 830 m, five minutes from the pass. From Dorgali it is 20.3 km by road along the SS125.

From the pass, a signposted trail drops 4.3 km to the gorge, measured along the trail. Allow about one hour down and about two hours back up. The descent is steep, and the climb back is the hardest part of the day, so keep something in reserve for it. The Gorropu Canyon difficulty guide explains what the climb asks of you.

The concessionaire that runs the gorge also offers a shorter way in from this side. Its off-road transfer drives from Campo Base down to the Su Monte Orrubiu sheepfold, and from there an easy path runs along the rio Flumineddu to the gorge in about 45 minutes. It also sells a return transfer to the parking, bookable during opening hours. Our sources give no prices for these transfers, so ask at Campo Base or the ticket office.

From the Sa Barva bridge (Dorgali side)

The Sa Barva bridge (Ponte Sa Barva; the regional tourism site spells it s’Abba Arva) is in the territory of Dorgali. From Dorgali, drive through the Oddoene valley to the bridge: 13.9 km measured along the road, with the last stretch on a track. From Cala Gonone, add the 6.9 km by road to Dorgali first.

From the bridge, the route follows the Flumineddu to the gorge mouth: 5.6 km measured along the trail, about two hours on foot each way. The guided hikes on this side start by crossing the Flumineddu on foot, and Orosei AdvenTours’ trek begins with some wading, so expect wet feet when there is water in the river. It is a longer walk than from Genna Silana, and it spares you the climb back up to the pass.

On a guided off-road day

Five guided hikes on GetYourGuide drive you in by off-road vehicle and walk into the gorge with a guide:

On a phone, swipe the table sideways for the prices.

Prices from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026.

All five start on the Dorgali side, so none of them ends with the climb back up to Genna Silana. On 26 October 2026, the Beranu Experience and Escursì Dorgali treks showed open dates on 28 October 2026, and the Cala Gonone hike on 5 November 2026. The Orosei AdvenTours trek showed its first open date on 3 April 2027, and the Jebel Sardinia hike on 22 May 2027. The guided hikes compared page goes through each in detail.

Which way in suits you

Pick the start that fits your day:

Prices, ratings and review counts from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026. Operators price by season, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Parking at the trailheads

You leave the car at one of two places. On the Urzulei side, it is the Genna Silana pass and Campo Base area on the SS125, at km 190.5. On the Dorgali side, it is the Sa Barva bridge area, at the end of the road and track through the Oddoene valley. Neither the concessionaire nor the regional tourism site publishes a parking fee or a number of spaces for either, so we do not quote one. The concessionaire’s return transfer to the parking, bookable during opening hours, is the fallback if you walk down from Genna Silana and do not want the climb back.

Timing the walk against the ticket office

The ticket office is at the gorge entrance, not at either trailhead, and it sells tickets only for cash: €6 for adults and €4 for ages 6 to 17. Entry starts at 10:00, and last entry is mid-afternoon (15:30 or 16:30 depending on the posted season). From the Sa Barva bridge that means leaving about two hours before last entry, and from Genna Silana about an hour. The gorge is visitable from mid-March to mid-November. The Gorropu Canyon tickets guide has the hours in full and explains why the concessionaire’s two pages differ.

Where to base yourself

Dorgali is the town to drive from for both trailheads: 13.9 km by road to the Sa Barva bridge and 20.3 km to the Genna Silana pass. It is also where most of the guided days start. Cala Gonone, 6.9 km from Dorgali on the coast, is the base for the boat trips along the Gulf of Orosei and for Escursì’s Gorropu hike. Our guide to where to stay in Cala Gonone compares the two. If you have a second inland day, the Tiscali hike starts in the Lanaittu valley, also in the territory of Dorgali.

Check dates and book

How these facts were checked

The trailheads, Campo Base at SS125 km 190.5, the Su Monte Orrubiu transfer, the ticket office at the gorge entrance, the prices and the season come from the concessionaire’s site, gorropu.info, read on 26 October 2026. The walking times from Genna Silana and the Sa Barva bridge, and the s’Abba Arva spelling, come from Sardinia’s regional tourism site, sardegnaturismo.it. Every distance (4.3 km, 5.6 km, 13.9 km, 20.3 km and 6.9 km) was measured along the trail or the road on our own maps. Guided-hike starts, prices, ratings and first open dates come from the GetYourGuide listings, read on 26 October 2026. Prices and departures change by season.