Italy, Sardinia: the wonderful wild beaches of the Orosei Gulf

Colourful sea and secluded beaches through the Orosei Gulf

Sardinia is known throughout Europe for its white beaches with fine sand and the crystal-clear sea with its many shades of blue. One of our favourite part of this beautiful island is the Gulf of Orosei, a real paradise for the nature lovers that offers some of the most beautiful and unspoiled corners of the island: beaches tucked away under the mountain cliffs, secluded bays, hundreds of coastal caves and a colourful clear sea that will leave you speechless.

Let’s go to discover the must-see beaches of the Gulf of Orosei

1. Cala Fuili

The small, pristine and panoramic Cala Fuili is not far from the village of Cala Gonone, and it will amaze you for its clear waters and sea with shades ranging from green to turquoise. The beach is made up of sand having white mixed with pebbles and surrounded by a dense forest of shrubs of Mediterranean maquis. The beach is not far from the village of Cala Gonone, and it’s reachable by sea or with a short hike from the car park along the road SP26bis (about 10 min).

2. Cala Luna

Cala Luna is considered one of the most beautiful beaches of the eastern coast of Sardinia. Its beach, mainly characterised by white sand and limestone gravel, and the colour of its waters with beautiful blue reflections that intertwine with the green of the wild vegetation, make this place unmissable. The beach is about  800 meters long, and its north end is characterised by 5 caves that extend into the high rocky cliffs.

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3. Bue Marino cave

Located between Cala Luna and Cala Fuili, the Bue Marino Cave was the last refuge of the monk seal in Sardinia that used the ravines of the cave for the weaning of its pups. The cave owes its name from the appellative by which the shepherds called the monk seal “Marine Ox” (Bue Marino in the Italian language) for its clumsy silhouette and its mild behaviour.
The exciting visit to the karstic cave along a smooth path takes around one hour and costs 9 euros.

4. Cala Sisine

This 200-meter long beach is located at the mouth of a small winter stream that descends from the nearby mountains of the Golgo plateau between two high cliffs of rock covered by a rich and dense forest of oak trees. The peculiarity of this beach is the unusually clear and transparent colour of the water that stands out thanks to the layer of white pebbles left by the river that dries during the summer season.

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5. Cala Biriola

The fascinating Cala Biriola, set between high cliffs dominated by a forest of holm oaks and junipers, features a stretch of fine and white limestone sand, characterised by a small natural rock arch on the water surface. Cala Biriola also boasts fantastic crystal clear waters with a great diversity of the sea bottom that makes this beach particularly interesting for divers.

6. Piscine di Venere (Venus Pools)

Right in front of the high cliffs of the coast between Cala Biriola and Fico caves, a mirror of water lies with bright colours that fade from turquoise to emerald green and from blue to deep blue. Here, the sea, with its incredible beauty, will leave you speechless.

7. Fico cave

Located a few minutes by boat from Cala Biriola and perched on the cliff 10 meters above sea level, it’s one of the most beautiful caves in Sardinia. The cave owes its name to a fig tree growing in front of its entrance. The visit follows a path over walkways that allow you to walk in the fossil bed of an ancient underground river. Entrance fee 8 euro.

8. Cala Mudaloru

It’s a tiny inlet with an emerald sea colour and a cave where is worth stopping by to swim.

9. Cala Mariolu

Cala Mariolu is a fantastic inlet surrounded by a cliff that reaches 500 meters in height. Its beach is composed of tiny smooth white pebbles that bring out the infinite shades of blue, emerald green and light blue of the sea. Some limestone rocks emerge from the water, forming small islands that enjoy colourful sea bottoms ideal for scuba diving. On the beach, there is a small stand for “divers beginner”. Cala Mariolu owes its name to the Monk seal who stole the fish from the Ponza fishermen who kept it in the beach cave. Because of that, the monk seal was nicknamed “Mariolo” that in Ponza dialect means thief. From a recent Trip Advisor survey, Cala Mariolu was named one of the twenty most beautiful beaches in the world and fourth in Europe.

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10. Cala Gabbiani

The 250 meters long beach is composed of small white pebbles with a deep and rocky sea bottom. The inlet is surrounded by high cliffs overlooking the clear sea with its numerous shades of blue, green and blue. Cala Gabbiani (“inlet of the seagulls”) owes its name to the many seagulls that find their ideal refuge in the deserted cove at night.

11. Cala delle Sorgenti di Goloritzè

It is a small beach immediately after Cala Goloritzè, characterised by small white pebbles and sand. It owes its name to submarine springs of freshwater that flows from the subsoil into the sea provide continuous and stunning tonal changes.

12. Cala Goloritzè

It’s one of the most suggestive destinations of the whole Mediterranean sea, declared “Natural Monument” of the Sardinian Region in 1993, and later appointed “Italian National Monument” in 1995. The small beach is characterised by white pebbles and sand, a breathtaking crystal-clear sea with shades from an intense blue to an incredible turquoise and mountains covered with dense vegetation that frame this enchanted place. Cala Goloritze is also famous for its limestone spire 147 meters high, called Punta Caroddi. The beach is also reachable with a tiring but beautiful hike (around 1 hr and a half). To preserve this corner of paradise, it is forbidden to moor less than 300 meters from the shore. You will find the delimiting buoys at the entrance; therefore, you have to swim or get close to oars.

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Need to know about Orosei gulf