Firebreaks and Wind Turbines

There are two ways to get from Lago Coghinas over the mountains to Perfugas. The first is on asphalt on the SS 392/672 north or the SS 132/672 south around the ridge. The second option - you guessed it - is the more exciting one and turns out to be a tough off-road route that demands a lot from you. Not for off-road beginners or drivers of SUVs or heavy touring enduros. A decent four-wheel drive or a light single-cylinder enduro are the right tools here.

The tour starts at the western tip of Lago Coghinas. This lake stretches at the beginning of the Gallura region and collects the water from the Riu Mannu. Built in 1927 between the winding slopes of Monte Limbara, it is now considered the largest reservoir in northern Sardinia and the second largest on the island. Its dam is 185 meters long and 58 meters high. At its eastern end stands a beautiful Art Nouveau villa, which used to be the home of the director of the waterworks.

The track shows you right from the start what is up: Steep, rocky and covered with deep longitudinal furrows, it climbs from 220 to 680 meters in altitude over the first five kilometers. Narrow road, dense undergrowth at the edge. Anyone who gets stuck in a four-by-four has to dig and put stones under the wheels. If the enduro gets stuck, you either have to push it - if possible - or turn around. Which is just about possible with a motorcycle, but not with a car.

Once you have climbed the plateau, a viewpoint provides a well-deserved rest stop.

After that, it gets tough again. The rough track winds steeply uphill and downhill between wind turbines. At the hamlet of Erula, it crosses the SP 75, and then continues to curve down the slope, mostly through oak forest. Fording a stream is the final challenge before the last few meters on asphalt lead to Perfugas.