In the Sulcis Iglesiente, (southwest Sardinia) a unique itinerary discovering a hinterland rich with natural beauty, historic traces and industrial archaeology.
Mines, abandoned villages, canyons, the sea and naturally mountainbiking in this tour that will let you discover a piece of a lesser known Sardinia.

Length : 209 or 219 kms
Tracks and unasphalted roads: 80%
Difficult Level: 3

Day 1 – Arrival in Cagliari
Independent arrival in Cagliari in the late afternoon or evening.
Meeting with Ichnusabike staff, delivery of the material, and transfer to Iglesias.
Accommodation at the hotel, briefing, supper and free time.

Day 2: Ghost Villages
On a bike to discover abandoned villages in southwest Sardinia!
Passing the Grotte di San Giovanni, you will enter into the forest of Marganai; maybe one of Europe’s biggest Mediterranean natural forests, and from there, continue along the path where you can explore abandoned villages and mines. Arrival in the evening at an agriturismo not far from the mine of Pubusinu.
A= By bike aprox 30 kms – Total Ascent 750 m  or B= By bike aprox 40 kms – Total Ascent 980 m

Day 3: The mine in the woods
Still more mines, vegetation and fun in a stretch that towards day’s end will bring you to Montevecchio, one of the most interesting and organized mining villages of Sardinia’s mining "adventures", able to give you a glimpse of what life was like two centuries ago.
By bike aprox 40 kms – Total Ascent 1050 m

Day 4: The montains of sand
From Montevecchio, a ring-shaped excursion where woods, the sea and mountains blend in with the extraordinary landscape of the Costa Verde (or Green Coast).
A primitive coast where the ochre coloured dunes of Piscinas stand out; mounds of sand modelled by the wind and time that with their 250 metre (asl) peaks outline a unique landscape for Sardinia.
By bike aprox 38 kms – Total Ascent 800 m

Day 5: The silence of the time
With your bike you will go through the ruins of Naracauli and Ingurtosu where lead, zinc and silver were once extracted from the mines. The village of Ingurtosu, nestled along a slope is an interesting example of a nineteenth century mining settlement characterized by the neo-Gothic building that once housed the Mining administration.
Arrival in your hotel in the evening with a beautiful view of the sea of Portixeddu and Capo Pecora that both represent the southernmost boundary of the Costa Verde.
By bike aprox 31 kms – Total Ascent 650 m

Day 6: The "pan di zucchero
From Capo Pecora to Nebida, our trip continues discovering mining settlements!
After Buggerru, small mining village once known as Petit Paris (or Little Paris) due to the intellectual cultural environment that the mining executives recreated during the mine’s golden period, you will continue until you reach Cala Domestica, a delightful inlet made up of two beaches that are connected to each other by a tunnel dug out by the miners.
Late evening arrival at Nebida, small village with a view of the white rock of the Pan di zucchero (sugarloaf).
By bike aprox 40 kms – Total Ascent 800 m

Day 7: Towards Villa di Chiesa
More discoveries and mountainbiking fun in this connecting stretch that will finally bring you to Iglesias; medieval city and important centre for the entire mining district.
In the city do not forget to visit the Museo dell’arte Mineraria (Museum of Mining Arts) and the tunnels dug out during the last century by the students of the Istituto Tecnico Minerario (Technical Institute of Mining) which were also used as a refuge during World War II.
Meeting with the Ichnusabike representatives in the afternoon and transfer to Cagliari.
By bike aprox 30 kms – Total Ascent 600 m

Day 8: Departure
Our services end after breakfast.
Greetings and departure ory by request you may extend your stay to enjoy a few days of relax by the sea.

Tour Rates 2010

The Fee Includes
6 nights accommodation with half boarding  + 1 night (Cagliari) with b&b formula only in 3 stars hotels (except for Nebida: 2 stars) , agriturismo and tipical B&B (Cagliari), gps rental + guide book, luggage transport from hotel to hotel,
Transfer Cagliari-Iglesias and Iglesias – Cagliari  included.

The Fee does not Include:
The Journey to and from Cagliari, last dinner in Cagliari, drinks at meals, extra transfer from Cagliari to Airport, insurance, tips, anything extra of a personal kind, anything not specified in "The fee includes".