Trek the Selvaggio Blu Trail in Sardinia

The Selvaggio Blu (translated as 'Wild Blue' in English) is an extreme adventure, often referred to as the most challenging trek in Italy. It's more than just trekking - it is a mountaineering and wilderness experience. The itinerary was developed in 1988 by two Italian guides, and it follows the coastline over the mountains and sea cliffs of Sardinia's Baunei area. The trail crosses thick forests, hidden caves and deep canyons, making it necessary to abseil, climb and walk along exposed paths. There are now many variations of the original trail, but on this trip you'll follow the original trekking route – including its technical sections – as it offers the best panoramas and the most rewarding experience.

Marta Marinelli, raised in Italy’s serene Prosecco Hills, dreamt of global adventures, inspired by her father's travel stories. Her passion evolved into a career, backed by a decade of studies including degrees in international tourism and destination management. She’s worked in the adventure travel sector since 2012, living in Italy, the UK, and now sunny Portugal.

Over twenty years, Marta has explored over 55 countries, visiting remote areas like Ghana, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Haiti and Nepal’s Upper Mustang region. As a Senior Adventure Expansion Manager at Much Better Adventures, she focuses on creating life-changing experiences, ranging from multi-activity adventures, challenging treks to ultimate adventures in iconic places. She loves the challenge of finding the best local adventure hosts around the world, collaborating on adventures that offer genuine immersion, pushing beyond the beaten path and working on exclusive itineraries that challenge your comfort zone.

What makes her tick? Enabling people to live adventure-rich lives while positively impacting and empowering local communities around the world, generating sustainable opportunities for both the host, guides, community, and the environment.

You don’t have to know how to abseil. Your professional mountain guide will take care of all rope manoeuvres. You just have to relax and carefully follow their instructions. You also don’t have to be a trained climber, but you should have good balancing skills and be confident climbing easy sections of rock. The only essential requirement is that you are not overly afraid of heights, as along the trek you will often have to scramble on scree and leaning rock walls. More difficult climbing passages are equipped with fixed ropes and will require you to wear a harness and via ferrata kit (which will be provided by your host).

Your local guide knows the itinerary and routes very well, having led Selvaggio Blu for years, and holds a professional mountain hiking certificate as well as First Aid certifications.

Yes, you are free to come with your own your abseiling, climbing and via ferrata kit if you prefer (helmet, harness etc). Please contact your host to let him know, or if you have any specific questions.

Climbing shoes are not required and all climbing sections on this trek can be tackled with standard trekking shoes.

You can leave any excess luggage with your host, who'll store them at the Rifugio Cooperative Goloritzé mountain hut (the official start point of the Selvaggio Blu trail) for the duration of the adventure and this will be delivered to you on the final day of the trip before you head to the airport.

Unfortunately, there are very few fresh water sources on the route, and they may be dry at any time. Therefore, the local team will be carrying drinking water containers which will be refilled each day at the wild camp spots. Please bring at least two 1.5-2L refillable bottles with you.

Yes, there is usually mobile reception on at least 70% of the route, with the exception of the camping areas on the second and third nights of the itinerary.

If it’s just a case of drizzling rain you can wear a rain jacket and walk, occasionally you may have to wait for it to stop by seeking shelter in one of the many caves along the route. When camping, the local team can help by setting up a large tarpauline above the dining table, if needed.

In the case that the weather is seriously bad, your guide may decide to abandon the trail for safety reasons. In that case you'll reach your daily destination, but instead of camping you'll be transferred back to the Rifugio Cooperative Goloritzé mountain hut at the start of the trail. You'll have dinner at the hut and sleep under a canopy or in a small bungalow. The following day you'll take transfer and, if possible, you'll start hiking from the point where the trek was interrupted.

This trip operates in areas where daytime temperatures can reach extreme highs, where limited shade and high humidity can also be a factor. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of dehydration or heat-related illness. Your guide will adjust the pace and monitor the group closely, but hydration, proper clothing, and sun protection are essential.

Before travelling, consider your ability to be active in high temperatures and consult a medical professional if you have concerns – especially if you have any cardiovascular or heat-sensitive conditions. Arriving a day or two prior to the trip may help you adjust gradually to the heat.

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.

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.

Due to safety reasons and challenging nature of the trek, the trip cannot run during the hottest summer months of July and August. From May to June and September to October the daytime temperatures in Sardinia range from 22–30°C and cool off to 13–18°C at night, making this the ideal season for hiking. Unseasonable weather is possible at any time of year, but your guide will be assessing the weather conditions daily and will plan the walking times, routes and schedules accordingly. Rain is uncommon, so you're sure to get a lot of sun.