Access 

From the inhabited village of Meana, the Ortuabis plateau can be reached via the SS 128 road by car and bicycle, or by following the signs for the nuraghe Nolza at the exit of the village. This leads to a fine asphalt road that proceeds on a lonely descent into the valley, reaching below the forest, the first fork at the bottom of the valley, where you take a right turn. 

The vineyards and the Nuraghe 

You continue uphill, on a ridge from which there is a beautiful view of the village. The more wooded areas are behind you and you find yourself on rolling hillsides occupied by beautiful vineyards. High up on a raised hill is the massive silhouette of the nuraghe Nolza. You continue along this road, always lined with vineyards and following the signs until you reach the ticket office. The expert tour guides and the extraordinary view from the top of the nuraghe make it an extraordinary and essential visit to discover this corner of Sardinia. 

The forest 

Leaving the nuraghe, turn right onto the asphalt road, keeping slightly above the railway. The road becomes a dirt track, slightly uphill: here you take a left and then a right, in quick succession, to finally return to the asphalt road where you take another right, slightly uphill, passing by a disused quarry and then into a beautiful wood where the gradient drops. Here you meet the SS128 again and where you can arrive by car, skipping the first part of the itinerary. Follow the public road on the right until the sign km 74, where there is a sign indicating the hiking trail. Here you enter the forest, pass an open barrier and begin to follow a slightly downhill dirt road. 

The kilns 

The road keeps a firebreak on the right and winds along the same route as the aqueduct on a limestone plateau, formerly used for the production of lime, which was produced in large furnaces. The dirt road gradually deteriorates and you come to a barely noticeable fork where you keep to the right to visit a large lime kiln, located on a gentle slope. You resume heading north on a barely noticeable path, sometimes getting off your bike and soon reaching the area where the Ortuabis reception area is located, currently awaiting management. Take the dirt road that serves the area, turning left once you have passed the larger structures and entering the forest, which also has numerous charcoal burners' farmyards. When you come to a fork in the road, you can take a left to visit a large kiln, then right again returning to route SS128 and, by the known road, retracing the outward route to the village.

Access 

The San Basilio Park is well signposted and from the inhabited centre of Ollolai you take a convenient uphill asphalt road, very panoramic, which leaves the village behind and soon plunges into a forest of Holm oaks. From the asphalt road you change to concrete, soon passing the astronomical observatory of San Basilio, and the Planetarium of Ollolai, located on the right-hand side of the road. You continue for a short distance over a few slopes until you reach a large clearing after which the rolling road begins to descend with tight hairpin bends. 

San Basilio 

The mountain overlooking the village of Ollolai, once one of the most important centres in the area, is dedicated to San Basilio Magno, and the small road leads to the church dedicated to the saint, built in Byzantine era and then renovated several times, in front of which, are the ruins of the convent that once belonged to the Franciscans, and is the theatre of many legends. Just below the church and a spring, often dry in the hottest summers, there is a vast clearing surrounded by a dense Holm oak forest and an impressive series of granite peaks which are incredibly broken and varied. On the left, at the top of Sa Punta Manna, which you could reach via a route marked with some ropes, however it requires experience of short climbs along a path, to be tackled only if you are an experienced mountaineer and the rocks are dry. 

The sign of history 

The area of San Basilio was, however, inhabited in much earlier times than the church and convent can testify. The numerous caverns carved out by erosion in the granite tafoni have been inhabited, with certainty, since the Neolithic period, as many archaeological investigations testify. Hollowed-out rock shelters are scattered throughout the area, and to get an idea of the territory in which the proto-Sardinians operated, it is worth spotting, just below the small church, a fence that one meets on the right, towards the direction of the field. Beyond it, you come to a fairly obvious little path that begins to climb steeply in the middle of the wood, marked by the passage of people and bicycles, but with no trail signs or markings. You then reach a wide ridge in the middle of the forest where you come across a more visible track, the remains of a disused dirt road. Take it to the right, soon arriving near the communication mast that towers above the area. There are numerous sites of archaeological interest in the vicinity, although they are poorly signposted. After a visit to the scenic rocks near the antenna, you take the dirt road to the right, going downhill and soon returning to the tarmac road that leads back to the village.

Access 

In the centre of Olzai, the outstanding predominant feature is granite. All the old houses and the canals that kept the mountain torrents at bay, are built with this hard stone and the streets of the beautiful historic centre are paved in the same way. You leave your car in the centre of the village, where Via Taloro intersects with Via Marconi, begin to climb the latter and keeping to the left the canal that captures the waters of the Riu Bisine. Drive up between the small houses of the centre until you reach a square on the right, where you will also find the signs for the House-Museum of Carmelo Floris, a famous painter born in Olzai: the museum is well worth a visit and arrangements can also be made here for a visit to the mill. 

Uphill 

You keep to the left, uphill, taking Via Anastasio and then following a small cemented road that leaves the last houses of the village behind. At the next fork, turn right again, uphill on the asphalt, plunging into a dense and silent Holm oak forest. The road climbs steeply, narrowing and gaining height with tight hairpin bends that are always paved. 

Mulinu Vetzu 

The road keeps to the left of the sunken valley of the Riu Bisine from which, in the rainy season, the roar of the torrent comes. A last uphill stretch leads to a widening where, under the forest trees, a few small tables have been set up for a rest. On the left, just below the road, some ancient buildings attract your attention. Su Mulinu Vetzu was mainly used for milling wheat and barley. In the main building was the large wooden wheel, set in motion by gravity from the water that was appropriately channelled. The mill dates back to the end of the 18th century and was renovated in the 2000s: today, the transmission shaft would need further restoration to make the gearing functional again. The old building retains intact the industrial charm of the times gone by; once the visit is over, you can stay and enjoy the coolness of the forest, before returning to the village by the road followed on the outward journey

Access 

The two archaeological sites visited by this simple tour can both be reached via the SS 128 road, directly from the village of Oniferi and following the signs for the SS 131. Leaving the last houses behind, you travel about 3.3 km and spot a tourist sign on the left indicating the necropolis. You will then park in a narrow space next to the main road. 

Sas Concas 

You pass a rudimentary wooden gate and descend along a gentle slope between some beautiful cork trees, passing a barely noticeable ford. On the left, a ridge of pyroclastites are clearly distinguishable, with a beautiful pinkish colour. The entire ridge is colonised by beautiful prickly pear plants, in sharp contrast to the orange lichens tenaciously attached to the rock: on these south-east-facing rocks the Neolithic inhabitants decided to find the final resting place for their loved ones, excavating one of the most extraordinary necropolises of their time. Wandering around the area, one can count up to twenty different tombs, often divided into several rooms. The domus de janas necropolis is also famous for the richness of the decorative elements in the burial chambers: ritual hearths, architectural elements relief carved and, above all, the mysterious graffiti symbolising stylised and upside-down men. The petroglyphs of Sas Concas are very similar to other depictions scattered in contemporary sites in Sardinia and represent an archaic and still mysterious symbolism: among the tombs of the necropolis, the best preserved ones are to be found in the large tomb of the hemicycle, preceded by a chamber excavated in the rock that is now largely eroded. 

Nuraghe Ola 

Once the visit to the necropolis is over, you can return to the car by continuing on the SS128, ignoring the detours for the SS 131 DCN and remaining on the old state road for about 3 km: on the left of the road, well signposted and visible, stands the magnificent Nuraghe Ola, at the centre of an area with a high density of archaeological monuments. The ancient nuragic tower, of a simple construction, can be reached by a short path from the car park. Immediately before the monument are two large huts, which have been the subject of archaeological investigation in recent times. The nuraghe was also recently restored. It consists of a large inner tholos chamber, where there are some alcoves, and a splendid intermural staircase that provides access to the upper floor. Here one notices a slab that closes the tholos and that, at the summer solstice, is sometimes removed to allow one to witness the suggestive phenomenon of the sun ray penetrating the darkness of the chamber below at midday. At the end of the visit, you can return to the village or visit the beautiful necropolis of Brodu, not far away, however its not signposted.

Access 

The easy tourist itinerary that visits the Mui Muscas oasis consists of a convenient track to be cycled, on easy dirt tracks, asphalted stretches and little traffic. From the village, take the SS388, leaving the village and encountering, immediately after the last houses, the signs for the nature oasis, where ecursions and a viewpoint are signposted. You continue along the asphalt road, always following the signs and begin to climb a scenic hill, flanked by a beautiful cork oak forest and scrub with heather and artubus trees. 

Mui Muscas 

When the slope ends, you find yourself in the Mui Muscas area, surrounded by the beautiful municipal park that occupies a large area of cork oak or sparse reforestation. You reach some structures currently awaiting management. On the right, after opening and closing a gate for pedestrian transit, where some picnic areas could be reached in the woods. Instead, turn left immediately before the structures, following a dirt road. On the right of the road, a gate allows access to the Parco degli Asinelli (Donkley Park), one of the most extraordinary attractions in this area. 

The Donkeys 

The Donkey Park was created in the mid-1990s to preserve the pure Sardinian breed, characterised by its grey coat, the obvious black cross on its rump and a particularly petite size. Today the beautiful forest is home to just over fifty specimens and where there have been numerous collaborations and genetic and veterinary studies undertaken. You return to the dirt track, continuing in a north-westerly direction and gradually beginning to descend, always following the more defined road. At a large fork, you keep to the left, climbing slightly up a small hill and then descending again to a fork where you find the tarmac road again. Following it to the left, you soon return to the village.