For your holidays in Upper Corsica, we can only advise you to discover the Niolu valley within the Corsica Regional Natural Park where one of the largest lakes in Corsica is nestled: Lake Nino. Bordered by the famous GR20 and culminating at an altitude of 1743m, this body of water is a preserved and protected area for fauna and flora. You will have the pleasure of seeing (certainly) around the lake, wild horses and cows who take advantage of this privileged place.
Lake Nino and its pozzines
Lake Nino is the second largest lake on the Isle of Beauty, known for its pozzines, which means “well” in Corsican. To access this magical place in wild Corsica, it takes around 4.5 hours for the more sporty round trip walk, for a difference in altitude of 730m.
There are several routes to discover this beautiful Corsican lake starting from the Niolu valley.
Lake Nino: hike via Colga
The first route of medium difficulty takes its starting point from the forest house of Poppaghia on the D84 between Albertacce and Castellu di Vergio. The mountain path rises gently through the Laricio pines, “the Corsican Pines” of the endemic trees of the island of beauty. Follow the yellow markings or the cairns, piles of stones indicating the path. After an hour’s walk, you will reach the Colga sheepfolds. Then the climb will become steeper, you will have to advance through the rock plates. The panorama that awaits you is equal to the difficulty of the hike. You will have a magnificent view of the valley and the tall pines. At 1762 m above sea level you will arrive at Bocca Stazzona. The panorama offered opens onto Lake Nino and these pozzines, grassy lawns specific to the vegetation of the Corsican high mountains but also onto the famous Monte Rotondo.
Lake Nino: hike via the Vergio pass
The second, longer but easier route takes the GR 20. It starts from the Vergio pass, allow between 6 to 8 hours of walking there and back. From the start of the hike, you will have a sublime view of the Paglia Orba and the rocky Cintu massif, the highest peak in Corsica (2706 m). You will advance in the shade of the large pines for several kilometers to reach the Col de Saint-Pierre, very close to a large leaning pine. After crossing a plateau and changing the slope, you will be rewarded with the view of Lake Nino 100 meters below.
