CANYONING A GORROPPU

CANYONING IDEAL FOR EXPERTS

DAILY CANYONING

TIME REQUIRED (MAX):

8 hours

INFORMATION:

 Highest rappel: 15 meters

 Technical Equipment: provided by us

 Technical Experience: experience with harness/ropes

 What you need to bring: backpack, water 2 liters, hiking shoes, appropriate season clothing, sunglasses, sun cream, packed lunch

 Requirements: Don’t suffer from vertigo (dizziness)

Gorroppu is a deep karstic canyon located in the heart of the Supramonte between the villages of Dorgali, Urzulei and Orgosolo. The gorge owes its fame to the cyclopean vertical walls that delimit it making it one of the highest in Europe. The full crossing of Gorroppu is far from being a tourist trek; it is a real adventure that starts from the Supramonte of Urzulei and leads us to discover the entire course of River Flumineddu until it flows into the valley of Oddoene in Dorgali. The integral crossing that we propose provides two itineraries that allow travelers to discover the real canyon Gorroppu through equipped climbing trail that move along the Supramonte of Orgosolo and Urzulei. The most complete and challenging route is: 'Genna Silana - Sedda Ar Baccas - Sa Giuntura - Sa Barva' while the shorter variant starts directly at 'Sedda Ar Baccas' (The Cow Valley). Let's start by describing the itinerary that leads from Genna Silana to Sedda Ar Baccas.

GENNA SILANA – SEDDA AR BACCAS

From the mountain pass of Genna Silana (1017 meters) we begin our steep ascent towards the high ridges that dominate the surrounding landscape. On a trail that is not easy we gain the peak of the mountain by touching the 1200 meters of altitude. From here the immense landscape extends throughout the 'Marine Supramonte' (Ogliastra) sighting the sea and the coasts of Dorgali. The ridges end with Punta Cucut(t)os (888 meters), the vantage point par excellence on the Gorroppu gorge.

Now begins an impervious descent that runs along the hydrographic right of Codula Orbisi: the crack that dominates below us. A little further to the west is 'Sa Codula Manna' of Flumineddu. After about 4 kilometers of walking we reach the Orbisi sheepfold, we cross the codula of the same name and we earn Sedda Ar Baccas.

Chilometers: 4

Ascent: 250 meters

Descent: 700 meters

SEDDA AR BACCAS – GIUNTURAS – SA BARVA

From Sedda Ar Baccas begins the shortest itinerary that we propose and naturally now follows the same route as the long itinerary. From the fold of Sedda Ar Baccas we move towards the long ridge that acts as a divider between the canyons of Flumineddu and Orbisi, while walking towards Giunturas we meet a wonderful 100-year-old Yew.

From the ridge we can enjoy a unique view of the vast plateau: in the western direction nuraghe Mereu and nuraghe Gorroppu emerge, in the east 'Su Cunno and' S'Ebba ': the exit of the Donini cave, in the North the Gorge of Gorroppu and Giunturas. Giunturas is precisely the 'juncture' between Rio Flumineddu (Sa Codula Manna) that meets Codula Orbisi, after heavy rains and it is possible to admire a great waterfall that flows from Orbisi into Flumineddu. We continue our trekking moving in the spectacular gorge until you reach the first natural pool that can be overtaken through a rappel. It is not advisable to use the small steel cable because it's out of maintenance.

After passing the natural pool, walking for a few minutes you reach a small 6 meter rappel to the famous Gorroppu siphon: this is the point where the canyon becomes a gorge.The siphon is one of the most evocative points of the day, the large karst can be crossed with a raft from below, in canyoning mode or with a via ferrata kit in the chain. At its end we have a nice rappel that leads us to dive more and more between the walls of Gorroppu.

The great flood of 2013 has radically changed the river bed, so we have to rappel on natural tree in order to continue our trip. We now walk between the very high walls and the cyclopic boulders that characterize Gorroppu. In some points these are so close and so high (more than 400 meters) that we lose the sense of proportion.

The crossing of this part of the gorge takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes taking us to the exit of Gorroppu. The route is extremely evocative, including the famous climbing route Hotel Supramonte (8b) which goes up the Punta Cucuttos.

Once out of the canyon we enter the great valley of Oddoene, following the path that moves north we arrive in 6.5 kilometers to the Bridge of Sa Barva (S'Abba Arva). Here the wonderful adventure of Gorroppu ends.

Technical details:

Itinerary 1: GENNA SILANA - SEDDA AR BACCAS – GIUNTURAS – SA BARVA

Kilometers: 18

Ascent: 600 meters

Descent: 1100 meters

Trail: river bed and stony ground, good trail from exit of Gorropu to Sa Barva bridge

Itinerary 2: SEDDA AR BACCAS – GIUNTURAS – SA BARVA

Kilometers: 14

Ascent: 400 meters

Descent: 700 meters

Trail: river bed and stony ground, good trail from exit of Gorropu to Sa Barva bridge

LET'S GO CANYONING!