Brand New!

Trek the GR20 in Corsica - The South Section

Hike one of Europe's toughest and most beautiful long distance trails

What's Included?

  • Small Like-minded Groups

    Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From
excluding flights

What's it like?

Trek 80km along the southern half of Corsica's famed trail, from Vizzavona to the Needles of Bavella

Bunk down and fuel up in mountain refuges along the trail, keeping an eye out for wild swim spots nestled beneath the peaks

Combine with our Trek the GR20: The North Section trip to complete the entire length along the Grande Randonnée

This trip is brand new

We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.

Itinerary

    Day 1

    Vizzavona to Capanelle

    Trekking
    5hrs · 16km · 820m up · 230m down
    Mountain hut
    Mixed dorm
    All meals included
    Show Day 1 detail

    Meet your host at Ajaccio Airport and be whisked along the winding roads up to the mountain pass of Vizzavona. Lace up your boots and hit the trail, starting with an ascent up the Bocca Palmente pass through a large woodland area and along the Alzeta sheepfold. Seek out some shade from the Corsican sun as you hike through the Sambuccu forest to finish up the first day of the southern part of the GR20 with a warm welcome at the E Capanelle refuge.

    Day 2

    Capanelle to Verde Col

    Trekking
    6hrs · 12km · 600m up · 850m down
    Mountain hut
    Mixed dorm
    All meals included
    Show Day 2 detail

    Fuel up at the refuge before setting off along the trail, moving toward the Traggette sheepfold and through the Verde Col, an area of thick Corsican pine and beech trees. Enjoy the marvellous views over the Monte d’Oro and the Monte Ronoso as you continue your way toward the Prati refuge for tonight's bunk down.

  1. Day 3

    Verde to Usciolu

    Trekking
    8hrs · 15km · 1250m up · 800m down
    Wild camping
    Twin tent
    All meals included
    Show Day 3 detail

    A big day of elevation awaits today. Hike toward the Punta Capella and start to ascend to the summit before hiking along the stunning ridgeline with amazing views, sometimes all the way to the islands of Elba and Monte Cristo nestled in the distance. Keep going towards Bocca di Laparo, finally reaching Monte Furmicula and the refuge at the end of a tough but memorable day, ready for your first camp out beneath the stars.

  2. Day 4

    Usciolu to Coscione Plateau

    Trekking
    6hrs · 13km · 390m up · 600m down
    Wild camping
    Twin tent
    All meals included
    Show Day 4 detail

    A few days in and you'll be feeling at home on the trail as you follow the path through Matalza up to Punta di a Scaddatta, reaching the summit at 1834m for an epic vista. Descend through a forest of ancient dwarf oak trees, crossing through fern fields to reach the famous Coscione plateau, a wild expanse of green pasture, forest, streams and waterholes. End up at the Croci refuge for a sundowner and camp out.

  3. Day 5

    Croci to Asinau

    Trekking
    7hrs · 11km · 900m up · 1225m down
    Wild camping
    Twin tent
    All meals included
    Show Day 5 detail

    Tackle another scrambling ascent, this time up Monte Incudine to gaze down over verdant green forest and clear vistas of Bavella’s famous peaks. Find some shade for lunch before continuing along the rocky sections this afternoon towards Asinau. Another mountain refuge dinner and drinks to round off a tough day.

    Day 6

    Asinau to Bavella

    Trekking
    5hrs · 7km · 440m up · 910m down
    Mountain hut
    Mixed dorm
    All meals included
    Show Day 6 detail

    Arguably the pinnacle of the southern section of the GR20 awaits as you hike alongside the Asinau stream in the shadow of the iconic Col de Bavella. The trail meanders through beautiful pine and birch forest, crossing streams and grass meadows before you start to climb towards the col, reaching the base of the granite pinnacles. Tackle a fantastic ridge, navigating some rough terrain with the help of chains hammered into the rock face before reaching your final refuge of the trip at Bavella.

    Day 7

    Complete the south section

    Trekking
    2.5hrs · 4km · 150m up · 150m down
    Breakfast and lunch included
    Show Day 7 detail

    Kick off the final day of the southern section of the GR20 with breakfast at the refuge and a round-trip hike to the Bomb Hole - a beautiful rock gap in the Needles of Bavella. The final hike is a relatively easy one, with some scrambling towards the end of the trail before hiking on to reach the road where your transfer will be waiting to take you back to Ajaccio. If you're in Corsica just to tackle the south section, your host can drop you back at the airport or in Ajaccio if you are staying on longer. If you are doing the north section straight after, you can grab a well-earned shower and bed in Ajaccio before starting the north section tomorrow.

Getting There

Nearest airport
Ajaccio-Napoléon Bonaparte Airport (AJA)
Pick up
Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport
11:00
Drop off
Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport
16:00

What is and isn't included?

What's included

Local, English speaking guides

3 nights in mountain refuges, 3 nights wild camping

Munch on tasty local food throughout

To and from the airport and everything in between

Tents (as a back up if a mountain refuge is full)

All permits

Where you'll stay

GR20 mountain refuges and camping

What you'll eat

You'll be eating breakfast and dinner at the various refuges that you stay at throughout the trail. The menus differ from day to day and from refuge to refuge but expect to see various pasta dishes, sausages with lentils, charcuterie plates, Corsican…

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DEPARTURE DATES

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Optional Extras

Upgrades

As the refuges are all dormitory share and there are limited spaces available to camp outside the refuges, there isn't the option for a solo upgrade on this trip.


To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.

All extras must be paid before your trip starts.

Illustration of a group of people kayaking

GOT A GROUP OF 6 OR MORE?

Book the whole trip privately. We sort the details, you split the cost. Pure adventure, zero faff.

FAQs

Absolutely! We have staggered the dates of our two GR20 trips to allow you to do them back-to-back. You'll be trekking south on both trips, so if you want to trek the full length of the GR20 heading in the same direction, you'll need to do the North Section trip first, followed by the South Section trip.

If you do the south section first, you'll be transferred back to Ajaccio on Day 7 of that trip, spend the night in a hotel there at your own expense, and then meet back up with your host in Ajaccio for Day 1 of the north section trip and the transfer to Asco.

If you do the north section first, on Day 7 you have the choice of taking the transfer to Ajaccio for a night in a hotel there at your own expense, and then meet back up with your host for Day 1 of the south section trip and the transfer to Vizzavona. Alternatively, you can remain on the trail by spending the night of Day 7 at the refuge in Vizzavona at your expense, having some downtime there the following morning before meeting up with the next group when they arrive at Vizzavona on Sunday afternoon, which is Day 1 of the south section trip.

All the refuges on the GR20 have clean, potable water, and there are also natural fresh water springs dotted along the route. Your guide will know where these are situated to help you plan your refills accordingly. Never drink directly from the rivers - you'll only fill up from these sources if you have brought adequate water filtering - read our guide to the best water filters for adventurers. Be sure to bring 2-3 litres of carrying capacity in reusable bottles or bladders. The heat on the GR20 in July and August can be extreme, so staying rehydrated is absolutely crucial on this trek. Your guide is there to ensure everyone's safety and to plan ahead, but coming well prepared yourself will help you enjoy the trek with plenty of water to call on throughout.

Absolutely. Anything you don't need can be left with your host at their base in Ajaccio and collected when the trip is finished.

Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion. Your guide will help with advice on how much to tip. Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

  • 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
  • 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
  • 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 60kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

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