A single timed transfer is provided from Bastia Airport to the group hotel in Calvi where your holiday starts.

We make a very early start today with a transfer to the village of Calenzana, heading out as soon as there is enough light. Due to the remote nature of our overnight stips, there will be several nights during the holiday where we will not have access to our kitbags. Tonight will be one of those nights and so we will be required to carry our minimum overnight gear, including our sleeping bag, during today's walk. From the signpost that marks the start of the trail we take a sandy path that heads up hill passing through chestnut trees up into the Mediterranean maquis shrublands. The trail loops up to a high airy col, from where the views of the coastline and Calvi are stunning. There is a lot of ascent today. We continue through the pine woods to our first refuge, Ortu di u Pobbio. Tonight we will stay in the refuge, or camp outside. No access to main baggage.

We will cover some really interesting and challenging terrain today as we make the rocky ascent into the cirque of Bonifatu. On reaching the top of the cirque, we stay high and contour around to the other side, enjoying spectacular views as we go. When we finish the traverse, we can enjoy a good downhill section to the national park refuge of Carrozzu. Surrounding the refuge are high pinnacles of granite forming tall spires. One of them is home to a rare family of Lammergeyer vultures. From the terrace of Carrozzu we can enjoy watching the sun setting into the sea at the end of the day. Overnight Carrozzu Refuge or camping. No access to main baggage.

We begin today by crossing the river on an exciting suspension bridge and then ascend the gorge on a rocky path, there are fixed chains to help at times, to the Lac de Muvrella and then we continue up to the ridge above. From here, we have views of the western coastline, as well as the peaks that mark the entrance to the Cirque de Solitude. We enjoy this high traverse to a second col where the rocky descent starts to Haut Asco. We stay at the Hotel Le Chalet in this old ski station, which has been wonderfully refurbished. The hot showers and comfortable beds are well appreciated after the previous 2 nights in refuges! There is a bar and restaurant at the hotel. Tonight we have access to our main baggage.

From Haute Asco we take the marked trail that heads towards Corsica's highest peak, Monte Cinto (2706m) and we cross a ridge at around 2600m to descend to Lac du Cinto. This lies in a beautiful remote valley surrounded by rugged high peaks. From Lac du Cinto we ascend westwards to another high pass, the Bocca Crucetta 2450m, and from here descend to the Refuge Tighiettu and on to our overnight stop at the Bergerie de Vallone. We set up our camp nearby and dine in the cabin restaurant. There are some beautiful natural swimming pools near to the campsite. No access to main baggage.

From Vallone we have a leisurely start to the day as the path contours round through the pine woods. The gradient soon changes as the path pulls steeply up to the col above. It will take us around two hours of steady ascent to get to the refuge, Ciottolu di Mori. Situated at 2000m this is the highest refuge on the trek. After a break to fill up with water and enjoy views from the terrace, we continue along a fantastic ridge that heads south before dropping into the Golu valley. We carry on down the valley all the way to our stop for the night at Castel di Vergio, one of the island's small ski stations. Castel di Vergio hotel has been refurbished in the last few years and is very comfortable, with a little shop that stocks a multitude of useful items and food snacks! Access to main baggage.

We start the day with easy walking on a horseshoe-shaped trail. After a level start the path climbs uphill through the woods to the Col St Pierre (1452m) where there is a small statue. We walk through beech woods then enjoy an airy ridge walk to the famous pozzine (grassy meadows) area that surround the Lac de Nino where we can enjoy the lush green turf of the lakeshore. At 1743m, this glacial lake is in a lovely, sheltered location, surrounded by a spongy peat, making it an ideal summer grazing ground for horses and cattle. From the lake, the path heads to the shepherd’s cabin of Vaccaja (1621m), a fantastic spot, which is a working goat farm, producing some of Corsica’s famous goat’s cheese. The GR20 continues on for another 20mins across a spongy plateau called the Camputile to arrive at Manganu refuge where we will stay the night in the refuge, or camping nearby. No access to main luggage.

We set off for another magnificent mountain day. A rocky ascent leads from the refuge up to the high breche of Capitellu (2225m). We have splendid views from here of the lakes below and the imposing summits surrounding us. The glacial lake of Capitellu (1930m) is the deepest on the island (40m) with sheer sheets of granite plunging into its depths. Further below is the large apple shaped lake of Melo surrounded by spongy grass. We make a rocky traverse around and above the lakes and continue on to the Col de la Haute Route passing above yet another lake, the Rinoso. Reaching Petra Piana (1840), a small refuge that nestles on the lower flanks of the Monte Renoso, we can stop off for a break and re-fill water bottles before continuing down the Manganello valley passing by some magnificent rock pools on the way to Tolla bridge (942m) . We cross the river and walk the last couple of kilometres up through the forest to L'Onda shepherd's cabin (1385m), where we will set up camp for the night. L'Onda is a privately owned working goat and sheep farm, with a small shop. Hot showers are usually available for an additional charge. No access to main baggage. Depending on availability of the huts, we may instead stop and over night at Petra Piana. If this is possible, this will even out the distances a little that are walked today and tomorrow. This will still be camping and no access to main baggage.

Today will be a welcome shorter day, allowing us some valuable rest time in the afternoon. From the L'Onda bergerie, we pull up onto the ridge, where there are some truly fantastic panoramic views, we follow the ridge to the Muratello pass where we cross over and access the neighboring valley. The Monte d'Oro massif dominates, as we make our way down its flanks into the l'Agnone glacier valley below. We continue on to Vizzavona, where there is a vast forest and small railway station that marks the midway point of the GR20. Small dormitory rooms tonight with a cosy dining room in the Monte d'Oro Gite. Access to main baggage.

An early start this morning as we begin our big day of 28km of beautiful trails! Today's walk is long, but the route is relatively straightforward. We walk up to the Bocca Palmente, a pass which offers great views on a clear day to the flat coastal plains and sea lagoons. We drop down the other side and start a long easy section past shepherd's cabins and on to pass near to Capanelle (1640m), which is a small ski station in winter. We are essentially traversing the flanks of the dominating mountain massif, Monte Renoso. We traverse open slopes with wonderful views, cross numerous chutes and runnels of water before our last approach in and out of the forest, to our overnight stop at the Col de Verde (1289m). Col de Verde is a private gite and restaurant in a forest setting. We overnight in either the gite dormitory on in one of the smaller cabins. Access to main baggage.

From Col de Verde a forest trail ascends up through the woods and onto the high ridge above. We continue along the ridge in a southerly direction to reach the Refuge de Prati. We skirt around the Punta Del la Cappella and two further summits along the ridge before crossing the Col de Rapari. At the second col, Bocca di Laparo (1538m) there is a welcome drinking water spring nearby. The GR20 continues following a ridge passing close to the summit of Monte Formicula to reach the Refuge d'Uscioulu (1750m), which we will camp beside. No access to main baggage.

From the Usciolu refuge we follow a superb rocky ridge known as the Arete a Monda which involves some sections of straightforward scrambling. After the rocky ridge the trail goes down through dwarf beech tree woods to a flat picnic area and spring stop. Once at the Bocca de l'Agnone (1570m), there are several trails that lead to the different accommodations dotted around this unique plateau area. It is the highest and biggest plateau on the island, the vegetation and lovely clear waters make it a haven of wild beauty. We have selected a friendly private gite for our overnight stop, at Crocce. We either stay in the gite or camp. Access to main baggage.

From our gite, we head in a south easterly direction to the col Bocca di Chiralba (1743m). We then ascend to the ridge above to meet it at 2029m. Here we are in the shadows of the Monte Incudine summit. We follow the trail downhill via the refuge of Asinau to the river in the base of the valley. An easy section through the woods brings us to the alpine path that leads up and over the famous granite pinnacles of Bavella. The most exciting and challenging sections of today's route are towards the end of the day, as we scramble up some rocky slabs; there will be fixed chains there to assist us on the trickiest sections. Overnight gite at Col de Bavella. Access to main baggage.

The granite spires and pine tree forests make for a memorable last days walk. By mid morning we will arrive at the last of the refuges, Paliri. As we come down out of the mountains there is a real sense of achievement. On arriving in the village of Conca we have a well-earned drink before transferring to our hotel near Bastia airport (approx 3hrs). We are able to relax at this wonderful hotel before having a celebratory final meal in the restaurant here.

The holiday ends after breakfast. Airport transfers are not included.