Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 40.26362°N / 9.43061°E
Additional Information Elevation: 3710 ft / 1131 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

Punta Ortu Camminu photo_id=94376

Punta Ortu Camminu on Sardinia / Sardegna, like its twin Punta Carabidda to the south, is a mid sized limestone summit towering roughly 1000m above the town of Oliena. To the west and north it shows imposing faces, to the east Punta Ortu Camminu descends smoothly to the Supramonte high plateau. But don't be fooled - though technically not demanding, the hike on the karst plateau is very tiring. You have to hop from rock to rock and a day of doing this will let you long for a place to lay your tired legs.

The normal route onto Punta Ortu Camminu is a trail that follows the forest road to Scala 'e Pradu, a saddle between Punta Carabidda and Supramonte's highest summit, Monte Corrasi. From there on you have to follow the ridge towards Punta Carabidda, crossing its summit. The whole route is rather easy but can be very exposed depending on the distance you allow yourself from the vertical drop towards Oliena.

Below Punta Ortu Camminu and Punta Carabidda there is the climbing area of Monte Maccione. It is very popular since it offers a multitude of short but very difficult routes. The length ranges from 15m through 50m, the difficulties from UIAA VI through X. The area is of particular interest during the summer months since you can do your climbing in the shade of the north and west faces of Carabidda and Ortu Camminu. For a list and an overview follow the following links:

Gola su GorropuMonte CorrasiPunta CarabiddaPunta Ortu CamminuPunta sos NidosPunta CusidoreBruncu Nieddu

Interactive overview Map of Supramonte. The summits (and gorges) which have been submitted to SP are marked in red.

Getting There

Sardinia can be reached either by plane or by ferry. The main ports are Porto Torres and Olbia in the north and Arbatax and Cagliari in the south. Airports are at Alghero and Olbia in the north as well as (again) Arbatax and Cagliari in the south. For exploring the north eastern part of the island where most of the mountains are the best entry point is Olbia, which is where most flights go anyway.

Approaching the mountain from Olbia airport
Get on motorway SS 131 south in the direction of Siniscola / Nuoro. At the exit Lula / Dorgali get off and turn on SP38 south (again direction Dorgali). Shortly before you reach the town turn right on SP46, direction Oliena. In Oliena follow the signs to Monte Maccione, which - if I understand correctly - is the larger mountain of which Punta Carabidda is a part of. The road leads to a restaurant at which you can park your car.

Capo d'OrsaPunta CugnanaMonte LimbaraPunta MaggioreCala LunaPunta GiradiliMonte AlboSupramonteGennargentuCodula della LunaBaccu Maore

Interactive map of Sardinia and its mountain regions. Click on the regions, red triangles (mountains) or stars (gorges).

Red Tape

Punta Ortu Camminu photo_id=90097

Punta Ortu Camminu - like all other Supramonte summits - is part of the natural park Gennargentu / Golfo di Orisei. The usual restrictions concerning wildlife apply here and camping is strictly forbidden. For a small fee the proprietor of the Monte Maccione Restaurant will let you camp in the restaurant garden however. You'll probably meet a lot of climbers there since Supramonte and Monte Maccione are among the most popular climbing destinations of the island.

Punta Ortu Camminu  photo_id=89866Punta Ortu Camminu  photo_id=89864Punta Ortu Camminu  photo_id=89873Punta Ortu Camminu  photo_id=89874

When To Climb

No restrictions here. In summer go for the north faces, otherwise it'll be too hot. Hikers should start out early in summer to get to Scala 'e Pradu before the sun comes up over the mountain. Once upon the high plain you'll find no shelter from the sun anyway.

Best seasons are spring and autumn.

Accommodation

Accommodation...
...is rather easy to find. Since all the interesting mountainous regions are on the north and east coast - which is where the largest beaches are - you can book hotel rooms and apartments from any tourist office. The region around the towns of Siniscola, Dorgali and Orisei should be the best staying places since they are rather central to most of the interesting locations. If you prefer climbing on the coast, head for Cala Golone.

Camping...
... is also easy to find in the vicinity of the beaches. Look for locations, using www.sardegna.com. Free camping in the natural park is not allowed. At the base of Monte Maccione above Oliena there is the restaurant "Monte Maccione" in the garden of which you can place your tents after asking the proprietor.

Weather Conditions

Go for the following link, which is in Italian but with ALL the information you might want to have on weather on the island:

www.sar.sardegna.it.

Head for the "meteo" button and then on the "Bollettino dettagliato" link in the left frame.

Maps 'n' Books

As for Maps I used only a road map scale 1:200000 since the guidebook I used has maps and is really quite good. Don't be fooled by the durations they state, you'll be much faster but the "getting there's" and "route description's" are very good.

The book is:


Sardinia (Sardegna / Sardinien)
M. Omidvar
Rother Verlag
ISBN: 3-7633-4800-X (English)
ISBN: 3-7633-4143-9 (Italian)
ISBN: 3-7633-4023-8 (German)



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SupramonteMountains & Rocks