Trek the GR20 in Corsica - The South Section
Hike one of Europe's toughest and most beautiful long distance trails
Duration
6 nights
Annual Leave
1 week off work
Group Size
Up to 12 people
Season
Jun-Sep
Location
Corsica
Meeting Point
Ajaccio Airport
Classic Accommodation
Mountain hut · Wild camping
Customer Reviews
This trip is brand new
Difficulty
Challenging
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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
Day 1
Vizzavona to Capanelle
Trekking
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
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.
Day 3
Verde to Usciolu
Trekking
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.
Day 4
Usciolu to Coscione Plateau
Trekking
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.
Day 5
Croci to Asinau
Trekking
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
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
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.
Included
Guides
Local, English speaking guides
Accommodation
3 nights in mountain refuges, 3 nights wild camping
Meals
Munch on tasty local food throughout
Transfers
To and from the airport and everything in between
Equipment
Tents (as a back up if a mountain refuge is full)
Permits
All permits
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Tips for your guides
Some meals as described
Visas where required
Day 1 – Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3 – Day 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 6
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
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 soups, couscous salads, chickpea stew, plus various sweet cakes and cheeses for dessert. Breakfast is often a bread and cheese affair, omelettes are also popular at the refuges that offer them. Lunches will be collected from the refuge and carried with you to eat out on the trail - these are usually sandwiches, snacks and fruit. Most refuges on the GR20 also have small shops where you can buy treats and snacks for extra sustenance on top of the meals that are included. The refuges also sell drinks such as local red wine (€6-8 per bottle), cold beer (€3-6) and soft drinks (€3). Vegetarians will be fine on the GR20, however, those who are vegan or gluten-free will have a difficult time on the trail given the remoteness of the refuges and the lack of food options available.
What is the accommodation like?
GR20 mountain refuges and camping
Each night of the hike you'll spend at a park-run mountain refuge, sleeping either inside the refuges themselves, or camping outside them. Refuges are part and parcel of hiking the GR20. They offer basic, dorm-style accommodation with a classic hikers mountain hut atmosphere. Beds are provided, but you’ll need your own sleeping bag and pillow. The amenities at the refuges vary - some have hot showers, proper toilets, and electric charging points, while certain ones only have cold showers and squat compost toilets. On certain nights you'll camp outside the refuges in tents supplied by the refuge. These will be twin-share and include a sleeping pad or mattress. You'll need to bring your sleeping bag and a lightweight travel pillow for both the refuges and the camping - see kitlist for further detail.
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.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport
11:00
Ends
Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport
16:00
Transfers
Your host will meet you at Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport at 11:00 on Day 1 and whisk you off to Vizzavona - the start point for the south section of the GR20. Depending on flight times, you may need to arrive the day before the trip and stay in Ajaccio overnight. In this case, your host can meet you in Ajaccio itself rather than at the airport on Day 1. On Day 7, your host will drop you back at the airport at 16:00 in time for any flights departing after 18:30. If you are staying on to do the north section you will need to head back to Ajaccio, enjoy a night in a hotel bed before meeting back up with your host on Day 1 of the north section trip for the transfer to the start point. See FAQs for more information on doing both GR20 trips back-to-back to complete the full length of the trail.
Travel options
There are numerous flights to Ajaccio from across the UK and Europe, usually via Paris or Geneva. For travellers who are keen to avoid flying, Corsica is reachable via a combination of train and ferry via a few routes. An example route would be taking the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris and then through France on the TGV high speed rail to Marseille St Charles. From Marseille, Corsica Linea operate an overnight ferry service from to Ajaccio, departing at 7.15pm. You can book either a seat or a cabin with beds. The journey takes 11 hours and you'll arrive at Ajaccio at 6.15am.
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What do I need to bring?
BAGS
- Trekking backpack - no bigger than 60l but ideally 40-50l. You should aim to have a pack weight of 8-10kg.
- Waterproof cover for backpack
- Drybags/stuffsacks for use inside the pack in case of downpours
CLOTHES
- Waterproof jacket
- Lightweight down jacket
- Waterproof trousers
- Breathable wicking layers
- Thermals (top and bottom, merino ideal)
- Fleece or warm mid-layer
- Lightweight trousers/shorts/skirts
- T-shirts
- Underwear & socks
- Swimwear
- Sunglasses
- Sunhat
- Something to sleep in
- Waterproof hiking boots (worn-in)
EATING & DRINKING
- Plastic bowl
- Airtight tupperware
- Small pocket knife - opinel style
- Plastic cutlery or spork
- Lightweight mug
- Reusable water bottle and/or hydration bladder to carry 2-3 litres
- Energy bars and snacks - read our article on Best Hiking Snacks
SLEEPING
- Cotton or silk sleeping bag liner
- Lightweight packable sleeping bag (all season)
- Lightweight packable travel pillow
- Lightweight packable Thermarest or sleeping mat
OTHER
- Hiking poles if you like to trek with these
- Power bank or solar charger
- Passports (and visas)
- Travel Insurance documents
- Insect repellant
- Suncream
- Personal first-aid kit
- Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
- Quick-dry towel
- Headtorch or torch
- Biodegradable wet-wipes
No optional extras are available for this trip.
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.
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 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 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.
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.
This trek is no easy feat – it is considered one of the toughest long distance hikes in Europe, so you’ll need to be prepared for a challenging week (or two weeks if you are doing the South and North trips back-to-back. The GR20 trail involves a lot of scrambling, steep ascents and descents, a large amount of overall distance, hot conditions and potentially challenging weather on an exposed and remote trail. You'll need to be in good physical shape and able to hike between 6-8 hours per day (10-16km) with 1000m ascents/descents. You'll get the most out of the trip - and stand the best chance of completing it - if you have trained ahead of the trip, with plenty of hours of hiking with a loaded backpack over decent elevation gain and loss in the weeks leading up to your trek. If you're choosing whether to do the South section or the North section, the northern part of the GR20 has a reputation for being the toughest, while the southern section is gentler. We have staggered our dates so that you can do the sections in either order, but a lot of trekkers prefer to do the South first to acclimatise to the trail before tackling the North section.
Yes. You'll be carrying your pack through the trek, with all your gear including sleeping bag and mat, your water and lunch box. It's essential that you have a comfortable, proper hiking backpack which you have ideally broken in and gained some hours under your belt using the pack on warm-up hikes before the 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.
The GR20 hiking season is fairly short, with the snow melting from mid-May and the refuge staff arriving in late May to cater to hikers through to the end of September. There are a lot of micro-climates in Corsica, and the island is not immune to unpredictable mountainous weather, so you need to prepare for wide ranging weather conditions. It is not unusual to meet a range of different temperatures and conditions in the same day - cold, fog, thunderstorms, heat and sunshine. Whatever the season, bring appropriate equipment and clothing. Nights at the refuges can be cold.
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 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
We recommend checking out the country specific information here and also talking to a travel nurse.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
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 (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
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.
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.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. See here for more info about the local teams we partner with.
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