Corsica South-North Traverse

Overview

Corsica's full south-to-north traverse is the connoisseur's alternative to the GR20 conveyor: around three weeks linking the Mare a Mare and Mare e Monti paths with sections of the high route, from Bonifacio's white cliff-top town to the maquis ridges of Cap Corse. The south opens gently — Alta Rocca's granite villages, then the needle spires of Bavella, where the exposed Alpine variant threads the towers — before the interior hardens into proper mountain days over Monte Incudine and, if you join the GR20 spine, the 2,000-metre passes above the Asco valley. The north pays it back: Castagniccia's chestnut forests and half-abandoned hamlets, balcony paths above Genoese watchtowers, and sea swims at day's end. June and September are the months; July and August bring heat, crowds and full refuges, and snow holds the high cols into early June. Refuges and village gîtes let you walk with a light pack, but the GR20 sections book out months ahead — bivouacking beside the refuges is the flexible fallback. Sail into Bonifacio via Sardinia or fly to Figari. Around £800–1,000 for three weeks of gîtes, refuge half-board and Corsican charcuterie; the island is not expensive once you are walking.

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Prefilled for 1 May 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.