Stage 1: Calenzana → Ortu di u Piobbu
11 km from Calenzana (275 m) to Ortu di u Piobbu (bivouac) (1570 m), with 1360 m of ascent and 90 m of descent.
Walking time by fitness profile
| Fitness profile | Walking time |
|---|---|
| Trail runner (fast & light, long days) | 3h11 |
| Fit / sportive (strong hiker, big days) | 4h34 |
| Multiday hiker (classic GR20 pace) | 6h00 |
| Relaxed (steady, shorter days) | 7h11 |
Times computed with the RandoNav planning algorithm. Breaks not included.
On the trail
There is no gentle handshake on the GR20 — stage 1 is a 1,360 m climb straight out of Calenzana's sleepy lanes, and most hikers are moving by first light to beat the heat. The trail wastes no time: within an hour you are zigzagging up through maquis that smells of sun-baked herbs, the Bay of Calvi shrinking behind you every time you dare to look back. The gradient rarely relents, the shade comes and goes with the pine trees, and your shoulders will spend the day negotiating with a pack that felt lighter at home.
The reward arrives in installments: ever-wider views over the Balagne coast, then the first real taste of Corsican granite as the path picks its way beneath orange-streaked cliffs. By mid-afternoon the bivouac site at Ortu di u Piobbu appears on its grassy shelf at 1,570 m, and the evening ritual begins — tent up, boots off, sunset over the sea you have just climbed away from. Carry plenty of water for the ascent and start early; this stage has ended more GR20 attempts than any technical section further on.
Start / end
About this stage
Stage 1 links Calenzana (275 m) with Ortu di u Piobbu (bivouac) (1570 m) over 11 km, climbing 1360 m and descending 90 m. This stage lies in the northern half of the GR20 (before Vizzavona), the rockier and more technical part of the trail. Water is available at every stop on this stage.
Walk this stage your way
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