Cala Gonone in brief – tourist’s information and more

The coastal town Cala Gonone with approximately 8,600 inhabitants is located on the east coast of Sardinia, in the Orosei Gulf. You can reach Cala Gonone from Dorgali on a panoramic road that descends through a typical Mediterranean scrub.

Thanks to its long sandy beach and its proximity to some of the most beautiful bays in Sardinia, in recent decades the place has developed from a peaceful fishing village to a particularly popular holiday resort in Sardinia.

What are the top attractions to see in Cala Gonone

Especially in summer, Cala Gonone offers several shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars, as well as many night activities for tourists.

Boat trips leave every day from the Cala Gonone marina towards the beautiful bays Cala Luna, Cala Goritzé, Cala Sinise and Cala Mariolu, partly only accessible from the sea or through arduous trekking paths.

We recommend also to visit the Grotto Bue Marino cave, one of the main sights of this region and only accessible by boat and with guided tours. The cave takes its name from the monks’ seals, which are said to have been around this area in the past.

In Cala Gonone there is also an aquarium, the Acquario di Cala Gonone, certainly a nice pastime not only for children. The journey through the various exhibition tanks presents for example sharks, snappers, cuttlefish, barracudas, piranhas and turtles, a tropical section with colorful species, and a touch pool which hosts stingray, sea starfish, cat sharks, and sea urchins. An important concern of the acquarium is to make visitors aware of the danger of the growing enviromental pollution for the marine ecosystem. It is possible to have also English speaking guided tours.

Near Cala Gonone are the remains of the prehistoric settlement of the Nuraghe Arvu. Other important archaeological sites are the Nuraghe of Serra Orrios and the Giant’s grave Tomba dei Giganti S’Ena ‘e Thomes, both close to Dorgali.

Not far from Dorgali is situated the Grotta di Ispinigoli. In this cave you can admire, among other things, a 38 m high column that goes up to the vault. The temperature is constantly 15 centigrades, so we recommend wearing suitable clothes and preferably trekking shoes or at least sneakers.

The highway S.S. 125 is a winding road, particularly appreciated by motorcyclists in Sardinia, which crosses the slopes of the Gennargentu massif from Dorgali via Baunei to Santa Maria Navarrese, providing amazing views durig the trip.

The beaches of Cala Gonone

First of all there is a long sand beach directly in Cala Gonone.  About 2 km in the south there is the bay of Cala Fuili, framed by imposing steer walls and cliffs, and appreciated also by free-climbers.

The beautiful bays Cala Luna, Cala Goritzé, Cala Sinise and Cala Mariolu can be reached by boat and are surely worth a visit.

Outdoor activities around Cala Gonone

If you want to practise activity holidays in Sardinia, there are some nice trekking paths, for example down to the Cala Goloritzé and through a lush Mediterranean vegetation, preferably to be done in off-season.

The region is also for numerous natural and archeological sites and the mountains with interesting caves like the one of Tiscali. Who wants to explore the hinterland has a very wide choice: there are the mountains of the Supramonte, and especially for trekking fans the amazing Gorrupu Gorge, the highest one in Europe!