The Golgo plateau is easily reachable passing through the village of Baunei where you will find the road signs for this destination. It is half a day journey from the coast of Ogliastra and back (be careful because in summer the temperature goes far above 30°C/86°F!).
After driving along a winding road, from where you will enjoy a breathtaking view of the valley below, the signs will lead inside the plateau, an expanse of low maquis, surrounded by a chain of calcareous rocks. Few years ago in this area the deepest karstic chasm in Europe was brought to light ('Su Sterru'). Here it is possible to see the famous 'As Piscinas', pools naturally formed by rainwater, where pigs, goats and donkeys live all around in a natural state. Nearby you will find the country church of s. Peter (chiesetta campestre di s. Pietro), which dates back to the XVIII century; there, a path goes down to the beautiful Goloritzè cove ( it is not to be missed but it takes more or less six hours there and back).
If you choose to extend the journey along the SS Orientale sarda road, after getting past the Genna Silana pass, you can reach the surprising gorge of Gorropu; it is a part of the Supramonte, a calcareous agglomerate full of pinnacles, valleys, clefts and gorges.
Otherwise, after half an hour drive, passing through Urzulei, Talana, Villagrande, along a panoramic road plunged in a hilly landscape, you will meet the village of Osini, where it is worth visiting both the scala of s. Giorgio, a gorge marked by vertical calcareous cliffs.
Ulassai, the village after Osini, has one of the most beautiful caves in Europe, the 'Su Marmuri' cave ('su marmuri' means 'marble'), which is few kilometres far from the centre, at the end of an asphalt road. You will find its imposing entrance at the top of a steep slope; once you have reached it, 200 steps will lead down into the bowels of the earth. The itinerary inside the cave measures 850 meters, all on the same level; the visit includes many rooms whose one is called “big room” because it is 72 meters long and 30 large. But the marvels do not end as during the route you will meet two subterranean lakes, while gigantic stalagmites rise from the floor of the cave; some of them take on particular shapes, as those inside the 'cactus room', which remind of the tropical plants.
