Nothing prepares you for the first time you see the Aiguilles de Bavella. You're driving the winding road from Solenzara or Zonza, take a bend, and there they are: seven granite needles of red rock rising hundreds of metres straight out of the forest. As if someone hewed away a mountain and left only the tops standing.
The seven needles
The Aiguilles de Bavella are a massif in south-east Corsica, on the border of the southern region and the interior. The massif consists of seven main peaks ('aiguilles' = needles), south to north:
- Punta di l'Acellu (1,588 m)
- Punta di l'Ariettu (1,591 m)
- Punta di a Vacca (1,611 m) — the only one reachable to walkers without climbing gear
- Punta di u Pargulu (1,785 m)
- Punta Longa (1,836 m)
- Punta Alta (1,855 m) — the highest
- Punta Iolla (1,848 m)
The red granite is the same rock as the Calanques de Piana, but here the shapes are more vertical and sharper. Wind, ice and rain have eroded the tops into peak after peak, with valleys of wind-bent pines between them.
Tip At the Col de Bavella around 1,218 m you're five to ten degrees cooler than on the coast. In July that can be the difference between suffering in Porto-Vecchio and a long walk in shade and wind. Bring something with long sleeves, even in mid-summer.
The Col de Bavella
The Col de Bavella (1,218 m) is the pass where the D268 from Solenzara meets the D268 towards Zonza. A wooden statue of Christ has watched over the pass since the nineteenth century. It's the social hub of the massif — restaurants and mountain inns are clustered around the col, parking is spread across a few points, and all the walking routes set off from here.
In July and August the col is a busy artery. Allow time hunting for parking after 10:00. Outside high season it's usually quiet, and in the shoulder seasons (May, June, September, October) you can almost pretend you have the massif to yourself.
The walk to the Trou de la Bombe
The most famous walk from the col is to the Trou de la Bombe (officially U Cumpuleddu), a natural hole around eight metres across in a granite wall. From the hole you look right through the mountain to the peaks on the other side.
- Length: 5 km return
- Altitude: 200 m
- Time: 2 to 2.5 hours with breaks
- Difficulty: moderate — no technical passages, but rocky and with some scrambling
The path starts on the eastern side of the col, well marked with red-and-white stripes (partly the Mare a Mare Sud) and additional orange markers specific to the Trou. You walk through pine forest, climb over rocky platforms and reach the Trou after about an hour. The rock wall around it is enormous, and the scale only really lands when you see another person standing on the far side.
Tip Don't walk in the middle of the day. The granite slabs reflect sun like a mirror, and even in the mountains it's hot between 12:00 and 15:00 in summer. Leave before 09:00 or after 16:00.
Other walks
Punta di a Vacca — up from the col, around 3 hours return, with a final scramble over rocks. The summit gives you 360° views, on a clear day all the way to Sardinia.
GR20 southern endpoint — the GR20 ends (or begins, depending on direction) at Conca, not far from Bavella. The Bavella–Paliri–Conca stage is one of the prettier stretches of the whole route, and you can walk it as a day hike.
Mare a Mare Sud — the Mare a Mare Sud trail crosses Bavella and uses the col as one of its stage points. A day section from Quenza to Bavella is doable for anyone not committing to a multi-day trek.
Cascade de Purcaraccia — fans of canyoning will know this famous canyon is right here. Slides and waterfalls through granite pools — guided only.
Practical
- Getting there: about 1 hour from Porto-Vecchio via the D368 and D268. From Solenzara, about 45 minutes up via the D268. From the centre a beautiful inland drive over the D69
- Parking: free at several spots around the col, sometimes full in July/August
- Food: Auberge du Col de Bavella is an institution — simple Corsican dishes and a terrace with views of the peaks. Book in high season
- Sleeping: Auberge du Col itself, or a handful of gîtes in Zonza or Quenza, 15-20 minutes' drive
- Bring: walking shoes, water (1.5 litres p.p.), light fleece, sun protection, packed lunch
- When: May to October. In winter the col can be impassable due to snow or ice