Quirra/Sarrabus

At Capo Carbonara near Villasimius

The Quirra seems almost uninhabited – for tourists, the area is only interesting as a link between Ogliastra and Sarrabus.
The SS125 runs through it almost without any curves, only now and then do well-maintained roads branch off and seem to get lost in nowhere. It is better not to follow these roads, because they usually end in military restricted areas.

It gets nicer further south in the Sarrabus.
The old SS125 moves away from the coast and crosses the mountains of the south-eastern tip of Sardinia. The road first passes through the gorge of the Riu di Cannas. The route is very winding and scenic.
Rugged rocks overgrown with macchia and trees glow in different hues. At the bottom of the gorge, the water of the river gathers in small pools.

The longest beach in the region is the Costa Rei – about 10 km long and made of the finest sand. South of the Costa Rei, in the direction of Villasimius, there are also other beautiful small beaches.
Near Villasimius, the Capo Carbonara juts out into the sea – a Saracen tower rises above the dreamlike landscape and wonderfully blue water.
The rocky south coast has many indented sandy bays, and the coastal road is one of the most beautiful panoramic stretches in Sardinia.

To cope with the increasing traffic, a motorway was built to relieve the coastal road. The last completed section was opened to traffic in March 2013.