I’ve visited Cala Gonone on the east coast of Sardinia twice now, once merely a week ago and firstly 5 years ago very near to the start of my climbing career. These trips were done in very different styles and with very different aims.
On the first visit I was looking to try sport climbing for the first time and to do so on a very strict budget. My partner for this trip was a good high school friend named Sam, an occasional climber whom we would discover had a pretty serious fear of heights. Taking a budget airline flight and the smallest car we could find we headed straight for Cala Gonone on the first night and arriving in the dark with no idea where the campsite was we slept in an abandoned car park at the top of the town. On waking though the heavens opened and our trip did not really feel like the fun it was billed to be. Fortunately though Sam had been informed of a cave on the beach where you could climb even in the rain. After a little searching we found what can only be described as an warehouse sized cave. The climbing is mostly easy and on the back wall 10m back from the lip of the roof. Furthermore we found a Swedish chap naed Martin living there and he became our guide for the remainder of our trip.
Rough camping in Sardinia is illegal but if you are quiet, subtle and sensible there shouldn’t ever be a problem. For beginners the area offers a massive amount of accessible and safe low grade climbs in some beautiful places. I perhaps you are on a super tight budget as we were there are supermarkets in town which sell the basics. You do need a car to get ot each of the crags as there are not within walking distance of the town however.
More recently I returned to Cala Gonone with Kate to meet Mason and his whole family and celebrate his mothers 50th birthday. In stark contrast to the previous outing we stayed in a nice new apartment by the beach and ate and drank very well every night, the local food and red wine were as much as a highlight as the climbing!
The aim this time was equally generally a social trip, though with the incredible limestone and Masons permanent psyche climbing filled all of the days. We spent 3 days in Cala Fuili where the grades range from easy 5s to high 8s and concentrate mostly in the 5c-7c range. This was perfect as having not really climbed in 4 months I was desperate to see how much power I’d lost and what I could drag my sorry self up. Of course with the safety net of generously bolted routes and an extremely encouraging atmosphere effort from all was at a peak and we all managed to stretch our envelope during the stay. One of the highlights of the trip was taking a boat out to the stunning Cala Luna, where a practically private beach is flanked by the deep blue Mediterranean on one side and stunning steep limestone routes on the other. This is a paradise, a perfect definition of a climbing holiday.
So to sum up this brief report Cala Gonone is a wonderful venue for all abilities and all budgets. Best in the Spring or Autumn to avoid the Italian crowds and heat of the day. Enjoy!