Cala Goloritzè

About this place

Cala Goloritzè is a small cove and beach in Baunei, in the southern part of the Gulf of Orosei in Ogliastra, on the east coast of Sardinia, about 9 km northeast of Baunei and 92 km south of Olbia in a straight line. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia. The beach was formed by a landslide in 1962 and is famous for a tall pointed rock pinnacle rising 143 metres above the cove, and for a natural arch opening on its right side. The beach is made of small white pebbles and sand. It was declared a Natural Monument of Sardinia in 1993 and an Italian National Monument in 1995, and it is a stop on the Selvaggio Blu trekking route. Towering white and grey limestone cliffs dotted with green scrub surround the cove, and the water shades from clear pale green near the shore to deep blue. The pointed pinnacle stands like a finger above the beach, and the natural arch frames the sea beyond. Visitors arrive on foot by a trail from the plateau that drops about 470 metres in about an hour and a half, or by rental boat from the ports of Arbatax and Santa Maria Navarrese. Daily numbers are capped at about 300 people, online registration at least a day ahead is required, and motorboats may not approach the beach.