Hike to the Top of Corsica: Monte Cinto
During our road trip Corsica we wanted to make a hike in the mountains. We chose to hike to the highest peak of Corsica: Monte Cinto. In this article you will find a complete description of our hike to the Monte Cinto!
Preparation Hike Monte Cinto
We stayed at the campsite U Monte Cinto which is at the start of the hike to the Monte Cinto. The owners of the campsite could give us a lot of information about the hikingroute already. They said it would be heavy and that it would take us about ten hours in total. We decided to set our alarm early and started before sunrise. See also our other tips to climb the Monte Cinto in Corsica.
Part 1: Start of the Hiking Trail
The route starts directly at the campsite. The trail is easy to find and runs smoothly. It will go up immediately. You can, as it were, choose two paths: a wide path that winds upwards or a narrow path that always ends up on the wide path. However, this narrow path runs in a straight line upwards and we alternated the wide path with the narrow path. You will notice that the wide path becomes narrower and that there are more and more boulders on it. The first part of the route is well marked with yellow stripes and so-called cairns. The ascent really begins at the bottom of the refugee.
Please note: from the refugee to the top, you walk completely in the sun. Dress in long clothes and wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
Part 2: Easy Part of Ascent Monte Cinto
The easy part of the climb is again well marked. The path consists of loose boulders. High walking shoes come in handy. Every now and then some stones rolled down or we slipped a bit. We took regular drinking breaks in between. The climb gradually becomes steeper and it will be more difficult to maintain because you are walking in full sun. We noticed that we increasingly have to hold on to the rocks and that in some parts we even have to pull ourselves up.
Part 3: Difficult Part Ascent Monte Cinto
While we sometimes had to hold on for the second part of the walk, this has now become the standard. It really is literally climbing up the rocks, the third part of the hike is so steep! It is therefore a matter of finding the best way to move up. Here we started to wonder how we were going to get back down.
Almost at the top we could no longer find the route properly. It seemed dangerous to continue. At that moment we met two Dutch people who were walking with GPS, which put us back on track. It was very poorly signposted from here. Eventually we came to a point where it no longer felt safe enough for us to continue walking. We decided to turn around and go back down.
Part 4: Downhill
Downhill you take the same route as uphill. Please note that it can be an ordeal due to the steep rocks and loose stones. In the end we found it easier than we thought. You will have to let yourself slide down a bit every now and then. The loose stones at the end of the steep section made the return journey difficult for us. We arrived at the campsite at the end of the afternoon, tired but satisfied.
We still regret not having reached the top. Perhaps we will give it another try in the future!
