Corsican Haute Route - GR20 - Tour aventure

CORSICAN HAUTE ROUTE GR20shepherd’s cabin of Vaccaja (1621m / 5318.), afantastic spot, which is a working goat farm, producingsome of Corsica’s famous goat’s cheese. We camp atVaccaja and dinner is served at the Bergerie. 6 hourswalking. No access to main baggage. Wild camping.Day 11. Via Cirque de la Solitude to AscoToday’s walk is unquestionably the most exciting ofthe entire GR20. From Vallone, we head uphill pastthe refuge of Tighjettu and then continue steeply,across slabs of rock and some scree. We reach theentrance point into the 'Cirque de Solitude' at BoccaMinuta (2218m / 7277ft). From here, we should beable to look across the cirque to our exit point at theCol Perdu. We should be able to see walkers enteringand leaving the cirque at the same level as ourviewpoint. The chasm below is unique, the path dropsstraight down out of site into a deep void. Whereverthey are needed, there are chains and ladders, as wedescend some 200 metres (660 feet) into the depths,before climbing back up the other side. This is animpressive place, the closeness of the rocks and theoften billowing mist make this one of the most dramaticsection of Corsica’s GR20. Passing the Col Perdu, wefind ourselves in the sun again and head down for 800metres (2600 feet) to Haut Asco. We stay at therecently refurbished Hotel Le Chalet which has greattwin and double rooms with en-suite showers!! Thereis a large bar at the hotel, and a separate restaurant. 7hours walking. Access to main baggage. Hotela long downhill walk all the way with some stunningviews from the ridge across the sea. On arriving in thevillage of Calenzana, our bus will take us on the shorttransfer into the coastal town of Bastia. Overnight in ahotel. We will go out into town and find a pleasantrestaurant for a celebratory final meal. 6 hourswalking. Hotel.Day 15. Depart BastiaGroup package services end after breakfast.Important: This day-to-day schedule should be takenonly as a general guide. Although we update ouritineraries on a regular basis, to take into account suchthings as changes to trekking routes and changes inthe routing or availability of local transport, it is notpossible to guarantee that any of our trips will runexactly according to the proposed itinerary. A varietyof factors, including adverse weather conditions anddifficulties with transportation, can lead to enforcedchanges. The trip leader will make any changes thatare necessary. We recommend you download andprint a final copy of the up to date trip dossier fromour website a couple of days prior to travel in casethere have been changes that may affect your plans.Trip DetailsDay 9. Via Castel di Vergio to Ciottulu di iMoriThe GR20 continues behind Vaccaja and is wellmarked, leading uphill through beech woods, thenacross pozzines (grassy meadows) to arrive at Lac deNino where we can enjoy the lush green turf of thelakeshore. At 1743 metres (5718 feet), this glacial lakeis in a lovely, sheltered location, surrounded by aspongy peat, making it an ideal summer grazingground for ponies and cattle. From the lake, the pathheads uphill with fine views of Paglia Orba and MonteCinto, before we reach the col of Bocca a Reta. Hereagain, we are effectively walking over the watershed ofCorsica. From the Col, we descend and gain a ridge,which the trail follows, toppling over to the north sideand then descending to Col St. Pierre (1452m / 4764ft)where there is a small statue. We lose altitudegradually and join a horseshoe shaped trail to Casteldi Vergio, one of the island’s small ski stations. Fromthe ski station the trail leads through dense beechforest, then into a harsh environment of granite rockformations via Bergerie De Radule, a huddle of stonecabins well camouflaged against the mountainside,following the Golu River upwards towards its source.Midway up the valley, our route crosses the stream, awelcome opportunity to take a break on the smoothsun-baked rocks and perhaps have a swim. The trailnow leaves the floor of the valley and heads up to theridge-line. From here, it is possible to see a number ofthe coastal villages to the west and some of the manyinlets and promontories of the coastline. Our objectivetoday is the refuge known as Ciottulu di i Mori (1990m6529ft) The refuge is situated between two dauntingmountains, Tafanatu and Paglia Orba. There are bedsfor 30 people in the refuge and you can buy snackfood and drinks here. The refuge also has one of thebest and definitely the highest terrace in Corsica, agreat place to sip a beer. Food is served in the diningarea of the refuge. 8 hours walking. No access to mainbaggage. Park refuge camping.Day 10. Ascend Paglia Orba, trek toValloneThe optional, challenging ascent of the rocky summitof Paglia Orba (2525m / 8284ft) is made from therefuge at Ciuttolu di i Mori. This is a 4-hour excursionaway from the GR20 and includes some scrambling.An early start means that we can reach thismemorable summit before the morning haze begins toobscure the fantastic views. Once back at the refuge,we pick up our gear and head for the Col de Foggiale.From the pass, the GR20 plunges steeply down astunning descent through a chaos of granite rock andgiant old pine trees to the Bergerie de Vallone. We setup our camp nearby and dine in the cabin restaurant.There are some beautiful swimming spots near thecampsite. 7 to 8 hours walking (including optionalPaglia Orba ascent). No access to main baggage.Wild camping.Day 12. To Refuge CarrozzuToday we have a long walk across some rugged androcky terrain. We start out on a steep trail throughforest and over rocky slabs to reach the pass at Boccadi Stagnu (2010m / 6594ft). Here, on a rocky ridge,there is a great viewpoint, looking over to Monte Cinto(2706m / 8878ft), Corsica’s highest peak. We thencontinue, beneath the peak of Muvrella, to reachanother small col. There is a fantastic viewpoint ofCalvi, from a nearby summit, before we descendsteeply to reach the small Muvrella Lake. Moredescent eventually takes us by the left (western) sideof a steep valley gorge on a rocky path, with fixedchains in places, then across the river on an excitingsuspension bridge. A short climb takes us to theRefuge de Carrozzu (1270m / 4167ft). 5 hours 30. Noaccess to main baggage. Refuge campingDay 13. To Refuge Ortu di u PiobbuIn the morning, we enjoy a truly memorable alpinesection, as we continue steeply up to around 2000metres (6560 feet) again. After a very steep start tothe day we reach a col which rewards us with beautifulviews, then descends to the refuge Ortu di u Piobbu.(1520m / 4987ft), our base for the night. 6 hourswalking. No access to main baggage. Refuge campingDay 14. Trek to Calenzana and transfer toBastiaThis is our final day of the itinerary and will take us toCalenzana, the mountain village that marks the end ofthe GR20. Setting out from Orto di u Piobbu, we haveTel. +33(0)495507275www.corsica-aventure.com/gbGroup Size and Trip StatusFor each of our group adventures, there is a minimumnumber of participants required to enable the trip to goahead. The panel on the front page of this dossier gives anindication of group size, showing minimum and maximumnumbers. Once the minimum number is reached, the tripstatus will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Run'.You can check the trip status by accessing our website atwww.corsica-aventure.com/gb. Other than in exceptionalcircumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achievedthis guaranteed to run status and so you are free to proceedwith your international flight booking and other travelarrangements.Joining arrangements and transfersThe Land Only trip price includes a single group transferfrom the airport at Bastia to the group’s accommodationnear Bavella on Day 1.This transfer is timed for mid-morning at 11h30. Clientsshould meet with the group at the airport in Bastia on Day 1of the itinerary and must check the timing of this transfer withour office within 14 days prior to departure. Our guide willassist with this transfer. It is long and difficult to travel bypublic transport between Bastia and Bavella via Ajaccio butthis is practically impossible and not recommended. Thereare two trains each day to Ajaccio – one in the early morningaround 7.30 am and one in the afternoon 15.30. Thisjourney takes 5 hours. From Ajaccio there is just one bus perday to Bavella which departs at approximately 15.00 andarrives at Bavella around 18.00. Some airlines fly intoAjaccio and in this case the connections described abovemay be useful. It is also possible to reach Calvi by highspeed ferry (NGV) from Nice (2½ hours) or Toulon (3hours). All clients MUST inform us of their travel details.Services includedAn experienced professional guide, a single Bastia Airportto Bavella group transfer on Day 1, all road transfersdetailed in the itinerary, all hotel, gite and refugeaccommodation, together with all meals. During the trek, afull service, including food and all camping equipment(excluding personal equipment) is included in the trekprice. Vehicle support and baggage transfer is alsoincluded where practical.Services not includedTravel insurance, Bastia Airport transfers (other than thesingle group transfer to Bavella on Day 1), personalexpenses, drinks, souvenirs etc.Meal PlanAll meals are included in the trip price. We recommend thatyou take additional trail food or snacks with you. Somesnack items and chocolate can be purchased at the hutsand gites, but it is a good idea also to bring some of yourfavourite hill snacks from home.

CORSICAN HAUTE ROUTE GR20Spending moneyApproximately €300 should be sufficient to cover yourpersonal expenses including snacks and drinks.Bottled water, soft drinks, beer and wine are availableat many of the refuges on the route. If you areintending to buy expensive souvenirs, you shouldbudget accordingly. You should bring this money withyou in cash (Euros) as there will be limited opportunityand time to change money once the trip starts.Group leader and support staffThe group will be led by an experienced professionalleader and our local staff will assist with logistics andprovision of meals on those nights when we arecamping.EquipmentPlease note there is no opportunity on this trip to buynew equipment. If your guide sees that you do nothave adequate mountain equipment for potentiallycold and severe weather, he will not hesitate toexclude your participation with the trek. It is a questionof security. It's dangerous to be on the GR20 withoutthe following equipment even during the hottestsummer monthsYou will not be accepted with old boots or well wornsoles, this puts you and the group in danger.Walking boots with excellent grip soles. A warm fleece,a waterproof gortex jacket, rainpants, thermal gloves,a good warm hat. Sun protection, hat suncream,sunglasses, headlamp, 45ltr backpack, 2 walkingpoles, a 2ltr camel bag to allow you to drink as youwalk, a 3 season sleeping bag and earplugs. Plasticbags are useful and ziplock plastic bags to pick upyour toilet paper as you go.Special note: For this trip you will also need to takewith you a plastic ‘Tupperware’ lunch box with asealable lid (about 0.6 litre capacity), together with afork, spoon and a penknife.Baggage allowanceDuring the trek your trek bag will remain in the supportvehicle and you will have access to this on 5 days.You will be carrying all of your personal equipmentincluding your sleeping bag that you need for severalovernight halts. There is no baggage limit other thanthat imposed by the international carrier (normally20kg) but we do ask you to restrict your main baggageto one bag. For walking, a 45 litre rucksack is theabsolute minimum.AccommodationDuring this trip the group will have 2 very good hotel nights,one in Bastia (Day 14) and one at Asco (Day 11). There willbe 1 night in a yurt. 6 nights during the trip where we campat the park refuges. Tents are held in storage. We stay 2nights in gites that have non-segregated dormitory-stylesleeping arrangements. We will also be wild camping atGrotelle, Vaccaja and at Vallone. Dinner is always made forus by our hosts. We eat in a dining area or basic restaurantand can expect good hospitality and home cooking.Sleeping arrangements have to be flexible according toavailability and the weather. There may be extra nightsspent in the refuges and less camping nights. The washingand toilet facilities are limited.Park refugesThe park refuges are old rudimentary structures, on thewhole we can opt to sleep in tents and take our meals in therefuges. In the last few years the refuges have attractedwood bugs. If you are prone to bites and have allergicreactions, please be sure to bring the necessary antihistaminecream/tablets with you in your first aid kit.FoodAll food is included in the package. Breakfasts arecontinental style and usually consist of a hot drink and breadand jam. If you are more used to a large breakfast, it may bea good idea to bring some supplements such as cereal bars.Dinner is a simple meal of home cooked food. At most of theplaces we stay this will consist of a starter of soup or coldmeats followed by a wholesome and carbohydrate-rich maincourse. In most cases this is a set meal though it is normallypossible to ask the hut guardian for more. There will alsonormally be cheeses and fruit offered after the meal. Lunchis usually a pre-cooked pasta/rice/lentil salad, with extrabread, cheese, meat and fruit. For this you will need a plasticTupperware box (about 0.6 litre), and a fork or spoon. Apenknife is a very useful piece of kit for lunches as well. Insome places your lunch box will be filled for you overnightand in others you will be given a sandwich type lunch. A trailsnack is also provided each day but you may wish tosupplement this with additional items purchased from therefuge or with your own snacks brought from home.A typical day on trekMost days will begin with breakfast at around 7.00 – 8.00am. After breakfast, we will set off, walking for between 6and 10 hours each day and stopping off at a suitable spot toeat our packed lunch. On most days we will pass mountainhuts where we can buy a hot or cold drink. It may also bepossible to buy a mid afternoon snack on those days whenwe reach our next overnight stop in good time. In theevening we will enjoy a home-cooked and filling eveningmeal of soup, bread and pasta.General InformationLanguageMost people in this area of France speak reasonableEnglish and you should have no trouble making yourselfunderstood. However we do recommend you try to learnsome simple French phrases and greetings as attempts tospeak in the local language will always be appreciated andis all part of the fun.ClimateThe temperatures that we can expect to encounter duringthe day will be reasonably warm, ranging from 15°C/59°F to30°C/86°F. You should be ready for very hot and very coldweather. Mountainous areas do generate their own weathersystems. There can be violent storms and rain even in thesummer.Visa requirementsA valid passport is required. Nationals of the EU, USA,Canada, New Zealand, and Australia do not require visas tovisit Corsica as tourists for up to 3 months.VaccinationsYou should visit your own doctor and dentist for a check-up.No special vaccinations are required for this trip.UK residents should obtain a European Health InsuranceCard (EHIC) before travelling. The EHIC is normally valid forthree to five years and covers any medical treatment (exceptin Switzerland) that becomes necessary during your trip,because of either illness or an accident. The card givesaccess to state-provided medical treatment only, and you'llbe treated on the same basis as an 'insured' person living inthe country you're visiting. Remember, this might not coverall the things you'd expect to get free of charge from theNHS in the UK. You may have to make a contribution to thecost of your care. You can obtain an EHIC from theDepartment of Health by phone, online, or at the post office.First AidA medical kit will accompany the trek. We recommend thatyou bring your own personal first aid kit consisting of thefollowing: antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoeatreatment (Immodium) painkillers, plasters, anti-histaminecream/tablets and blister treatment, Insect repellent (DEET),and re-hydration salts (Dioralite). Glucose tablets or KendalMint cake, and multi-vitamin tablets are also a good idea.AltitudeThe altitudes involved on this trip are relatively modest andyou should not encounter any difficulties. It is very importantto maintain adequate fluid levels and you should drinkregularly during the day’s walk.Preparing for your tripIt makes a lot of sense to spend some time before comingon an active holiday getting some additional exercise. Thefitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find theexperience. We would suggest that you adopt a weeklyexercise regime leading up to your trip. Hiking is the bestexercise especially for building stamina, while jogging,squash and swimming are all good for developing bettercardiovascular fitness.Know Before You GoAs a reputable tour operator, we support the British Foreign& Commonwealth Office’s “Know before you go!” campaignto enable British citizens to prepare for their journeysoverseas, and we recommend that all travellers take a lookat the FCO Travel Advice for their chosen destination on theofficial FCO website fco.gov.uk. North Americans can alsocheck out the U.S. Department of State website,travel.state.gov for essential travel advice and tips.We treat the safety and security of all clients as the mostimportant aspect of any trip we organise. We would not runany trip that we did not consider reasonably safe.Reference Books and MapsBooksGR 20 Corsica. Paddy Dillon (Cicerone Press).Corsica Walking Guide. Bergverlag Rother GMBH.Corsica. Insight Guide.Corsica. Lonely Planet.The Rough Guide to Corsica.Maps GR20 – 2 map set– 1:60,000 Libris2 large-scale maps showing theentire GR20, a useful guideDerived from IGN’s with contourinterval of 50m. and relief shadingand spot heights. GR and othertrails are shown. Though not atthe detailed scale of the IGN,these are probably the betteroption for following the route without having to bring lots ofmaps.CLICK HERE TO ORDERBOOKS AND MAPSON AMAZONTel. +33(0)495507275www.corsica-aventure.com/gb

WHY CORSICA WITH CORSICA AVENTURE and KE TRAVEL?EXPERIENCECORSICAN HAUTE ROUTE GR20We have run the GR20 for several years now in conjunction with KE travel and it has proven to be an enjoyable collaboration. We attract keen walkers, like-minded outdoorpeople, of wide ranging ages. We have many years experience of adventure travel. All of our trips are accompanied by an experienced leader, most of whom have workedwith us for many years. Many are professional guides and instructors with an unrivalled knowledge of the areas in which they work. In addition to having the technical skills toensure your safety, Corsica Aventure expect their leaders to be active members of the group. A leader should be fun to travel with and ready to share with you theirenthusiasm for adventure travel and their knowledge of the area. Alongside the group leader, there will be a local support crew, which could be just a driver, or a completeteam of guides, drivers, porters, mule-herders and cooks. The hard work of our support crews, along with the fascinating insight they can offer into their local culture, isintegral to providing you with the very best adventure travel experience.The team of Corsica Aventure office staff is amongst the most experienced in Corsica, with the proven ability to set up and operate a programme of adventures. Everyone hasmountain travel at heart. When you contact us, by phone or e-mail, or visit our office, you will find the help and advice you need, from someone who has actually done the tripand can give you the benefit of their first-hand experience.The Corsica Aventure and KE Mountain CodeoooooProtect the environment – its flora, fauna and landscapesRespect local cultures – traditions, religions and built heritageBenefit local communities – both economically and sociallyConserve natural resources – from office to destinationMinimise pollution – through noise, waste disposal and congestionRESERVING YOUR PLACEHaving read this dossier, if you require further information, please don't hesitate to contact Sarah ( sarah@tour-aventure.com ). The next step is to check the availability ofplaces on your trip either by checking the trip status on our website, or by e-mailing or telephoning us. We can usually hold you a place for 7 days while you make a finaldecision.Trip StatusFor each of our group holidays, there is a minimum number of participants required to enable the trip to go ahead. The panel on the first page of this dossier gives anindication of group size, showing both minimum and maximum numbers. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed toRun' – you can check the trip status on our website. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved guaranteed to run status and soyou are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements. If you are unsure about the trip status, please call our office.To Book Your TripThe easiest way to make your booking and our preferred method, is online through the Corsica Aventure website. For further information or to book your trip CLICK HERE.It is also possible to reserve your place over the telephone, by mail, or by fax. (Note that you will also need to complete a booking form and forward this to us with yourdeposit of 30%). We cannot confirm any booking until we receive your fully completed booking form. Any unreasonable delay in submitting your booking form may jeopardiseyour place on your chosen trip.YOUR COMPLETE FINANCIAL PROTECTIONCorsica Aventure is a fully licensed Travel Agency. You can book your holiday with us in complete confidence that all monies you pay for a trip are fullyprotected.Tel. +33(0)495507275www.corsica-aventure.com/gb

CORSICAN HAUTE ROUTE GR20TREK MAPTel. +33(0)495507275www.corsica-aventure.com/gb

CORSICAN HAUTE ROUTE GR20DATES, FLIGHTS & INSURANCETrip Dates and FlightsLand Only DatesJoining in BastiaCOR.1COR.2COR.3COR.415 Days201224 Jun - 8 Jul8 Jul - 22 Jul19 Aug - 2 Sep9 Sep - 23 SepPlease note that we may add further dates to theabove, depending on demand. Our website is updatedregularly and will have the most current information.FlightsSEE DATES AND PRICESON OUR WEBSITEWWW.CORSICA-AVENTURE/GBThe price of our trips does not include international air travel.You will need to book flights which enable you to meet the group at Bastia Airport in the morning ofDay 1 of the trip itinerary or at the group’s accommodation at Vizzavona on the evening of Day 1(please see Joining arrangements and transfers section above). Inbound flights can be booked todepart no sooner than the morning of the final day of the trip itinerary.MAKE SURE YOUR TRIP IS GUARANTEED TO RUN BEFORE YOU PURCHASE TICKETS.Finding your trip status is easy. Trip status is on the website. You should still check with us firstbefore buying your air tickets to ensure that the trip will run or that it’s not fully booked.If you are purchasing your own air ticket, you should be aware that most of the cheaper airline ticketsavailable for sale on the internet or from low cost carriers are non-refundable in the case of cancellation.For this reason we strongly advise you check the rules of the ticket when you make a flight booking, andcheck the limitations of any cancellation insurance policy you have. We cannot be held liable, in theunlikely eventuality that we should be forced to cancel your trip, for losses incurred relating toany flight booking you have made yourself. Please forward your full flight schedule including theairline, flight numbers, departure and arrival times as soon as your flights are confirmed.Direct flight to Bastia are being sold in 2012 by Easy Jet. An alternative is to take a flight to Nice orMarseille with Easy Jet then get a connecting flight with Air Corsica.Adventure Travel Insurance....It is a condition of joining any of our trips that you are insured against medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs, air ambulance and helicopterrescue services). We also strongly recommend that you take out cancellation insurance, as all deposits paid are non-refundable. We recognise the complexity andvariety of choice in the insurance market and know that many of you either have your own preferred insurer or have annual multi trip cover in place already. If this is thecase, please ensure that your insurer is aware of your Adventure itinerary and can agree to cover the activities being undertaken.We hope that this dossier has answered most of your questions, however, please feel free to calland speak to one of usOFFICE ADDRESS Route du Vazzio, Face au stade François Coty, 20090 Ajaccio, Corse, France.Website: www.corsica-aventure.com/gb/ Email: info@tour-aventure.comTel. +33(0)495507275www.corsica-aventure.com/gb