Northern Corsica, its regions, its natural places between gorges and lakes will have something to dazzle you for your next Corsica camping holiday. Head towards the Gorges at Haut Asco, to visualize and be as close as possible to paradise: from the sky you will have the opportunity to see golden eagles and bearded vultures hovering above your heads and on land you will come across many GR20 hikers , the long-distance hiking trail in Corsica.
The Asco Gorges
Between Niolo and Balagne, between gorges, forests, mountains and lakes, the 35km-long Asco Valley will delight all hikers. The Asco Gorges extend over 9 km. The cliffs are dug into the granite, surrounded by rocky ridges, the most important of which are the “Cima a i Mori” and the “Monte Terello” which exceed 1000m in altitude. The wild vegetation will offer you a whole host of diverse and varied scents. The bravest can swim in the natural swimming pools but the water remains very cool. Indeed, the Asco River has carved large natural pools into its bed which are popular in summer when cars ignore the many no parking signs along the road.
Visit the village of Asco
In the hollow of the mountain, at an altitude of 600 meters, you will also find the village of Asco which once lived from livestock. Many old houses have been renovated in the lower part of the village where the parish church of Saint Michael the Archangel is located with its typical bell tower.
It’s a good time to take a gastronomic break, taste Corsican dishes such as fresh sheep’s cheese or the very famous honey from the region.
Hiking: Haut Asco
This is the very mountainous part of the Asco Valley. For your hike, once you have crossed the Caldane plateau, you will begin the ascent of Haut Asco at an altitude of 1450 meters. In Haut-Asco you can take a short walk on part of the GR20 (Grande Randonnée 20), one of the most beautiful and demanding hiking trails in Europe, which crosses the Corsican high mountain range on approximately 180 km.
If you want to get an idea of the difficulty but also of the impressive northern part, go on the GR20 from Haut-Asco (departure near the car park). There, in the high mountains, at the foot of Monte Cinto, the highest mountain in Corsica (2706 m), the “roof of the island”, you can taste the mountain air and terrain on an excursion of a day. Here also ends the third stage for GR20 hikers from the North.
