Cycling in Sardinia

An amazing week cycling the southwest coast of Sardinia

Unique landscape & nature, stunning beaches with crystal-clear turquoise waters, Sardinia is a place that will call you back. The itinerary focuses on the southwest part of the island and thanks to the local leaders Mattia and Giordano we managed to see some less known parts of this beautiful island 🙂

Great cycling with possibly the best cycling guides

Sardinia is a beautiful island and the south west part where we were is different from other parts of the island – secluded, no celebrities, great mix of beach and nature, and genuine Sardinian food. We had two guides, both were excellent. The tour was well organised, everyone was kept together and safety felt like a priority. I like that they organised snacks and drinks for our stops, including electrolyte drinks! Negatives – we feel this tour doesn’t offer value for money. Pro rata it is one of the most expensive cycling tours in Europe but the accommodation quality was low. Only two working ACs, showers were old and with weak water pressure. When we all arrived, some hotels didn’t have enough hot water so people who went for the shower late ended up having a cold shower. For one hotel where there was no working AC (muma hostel), we were told it was too late at night to call the electrician but they would repair it the next morning (but we were only there for one night!). Later our group leader told us that the AC in that particular room had not been working for the last 2 weeks. There was no offer to move us to a different room. We didn’t appreciate being lied to and will leave a review about this on the hotel’s website. Also note that the support van was small and filled with our bags so there’s only 1-2 spaces for people to sit if anyone decides not to do the hill climb. Though with the e-bikes I think this probably won’t be much of a problem.

Most Inspirational Moment

San Pietro island, last day of the tour also was pretty amazing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both were great, the best cycling tour leaders we've had. Funny, didn't force us to go into certain restaurants but gave us lots of options, kept everyone mostly together.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience of our cycling tour in Sardinia. We’re thrilled to hear that you appreciated the beauty and authenticity of this lesser-known part of the island. The secluded nature, genuine Sardinian cuisine, and the balance of beach and nature are exactly what we aim to highlight in this itinerary, so it’s wonderful to know that resonated with you.

We’re especially pleased that both of your guides made a positive impression and that the tour felt well-organised and safe throughout. It’s great to hear that the group was kept together and that thoughtful touches like snacks and electrolyte drinks added to your comfort and enjoyment during the ride.

That said, we’re genuinely sorry to hear that the accommodation fell short of expectations. We understand how important a comfortable and well-equipped place to rest is after a day of cycling, and it’s disappointing to learn that issues with air conditioning, water pressure, and hot water impacted your experience. Your feedback about the Muma Hostel and the handling of the AC issue is particularly concerning, and we’re investigating this with our local operator to understand what went wrong and ensure that such situations are handled more transparently and proactively in the future.

We also appreciate your comments regarding the support van. While e-bikes do offer flexibility, we recognise that having adequate space in the van is important, and we’ll be reviewing this aspect of the logistics to see where improvements can be made.

We take your concerns about value for money seriously. Our goal is always to deliver a high-quality experience that reflects the cost of the trip, and your feedback helps us identify where adjustments may be needed to better meet that standard.

Thank you again for your honest and constructive review. It’s through feedback like yours that we continue to improve and refine our trips. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another Exodus adventure in the future—one that exceeds expectations from start to finish.

The Exodus Team

Nearly excellent

I do feel a little mean just giving 4 stars but there were a few niggles. It’s a great trip and particularly satisfying in that there are no transfers until the end – you cycle from hotel to hotel for 6 days. Lovely scenery, though not quite as gorgeous as described in other reviews. Accommodation basic but clean – no luxury but you don’t spend much time in it. Sardinian food and wine is pretty awesome but mostly fish based.
Gripes. Bikes are old and heavy which make the second and third rides more onerous than they should be- 3400 feet ascent in 36 miles does not usually faze me but knees were complaining for a few days after. I experienced a degree of bike envy for the guide’s lightweight gravel bike. As noted elsewhere the flight times are awkward and we were pretty bored by the end of the last day awaiting our transfer to the airport- a late check out from our rooms on a hot sticky day would have been good. The trip notes were inaccurate which, sadly, is a common issue with Exodus trips. Biggest grouse was, however, that there was only ever one guide on the rides, which meant that the weakest member was either cycling alone or dependent on the good nature of other participants for company. To my mind a bit of a safety risk but I guess we might have been spoilt after our trip to Indonesia where there were always three guides.
I am sounding a bit negative. We had a great time but some minor alterations would improve the experience substantially.

Most Inspirational Moment

The ride along the Costa del Sud. Beautiful

Thoughts on Group Leader

For the most part good. The whole trip ran like clockwork. I’m sure he will become increasingly empathetic with time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Sardinian hills were a little arid in September and I wonder if they would be greener and prettier in spring. Consider asking for a late check out on last day.

Reply from Exodus

We’re grateful for Steven’s thoughtful and balanced review of his recent cycling trip in Sardinia. It’s clear he enjoyed the experience overall, and we’re also pleased he appreciated the clean accommodations, the Sardinian cuisine, and the sense of achievement that comes from completing the itinerary.

Steven raises several points which we take seriously. Regarding the trip notes, we do understand how frustrating it can be when on-the-ground reality doesn’t quite match the written expectations. We’d like to reassure him that we periodically cross-check our trip notes with our local partners and trip leaders to ensure the information is as accurate and up-to-date as possible; where discrepancies are highlighted, we work to correct these.

With respect to the group having a single cycling leader, this is a decision made carefully in consultation with our Health & Safety team. All of our cycling trips undergo review to determine the appropriate level of support needed, and for this itinerary, we’ve assessed that a single leader is sufficient, based on the route, terrain, and maximum group size. However, we recognise Steven’s concern about the spread of abilities in the group and the impact that can have on the dynamic. It’s something we’ll continue to monitor, especially as feedback like his helps us refine our approach.

Finally, Steven’s comments about the bikes and final day logistics are noted. While the bikes are chosen for durability and reliability over varied terrain, we understand that more experienced cyclists may prefer lighter options. And, where feasible, we will always try to secure late checkouts or more structured final-day options to help travellers make the most of their time.

We’re grateful to Steven for highlighting both the positives and the areas for improvement, as his comments help us maintain and improve this trip for future travellers.

– The Exodus Travels Team

Hard Work

Hard ups, scary downs and hard off-road sections.

Amazing trip !!

Amazing trip, great mix of cycling and beach with swimming. The scenery and the routes were so beautiful. It was one of the best cycling trips I have done. And of course the Italian food was. excellent.

Super Trip

We had pretty bad weather but apart from a few minutes we managed to avoid the rain – until Cagliari. The trip was superb, mainly because of the leader Giovanni and driver Antonio, though our group (11 in total) could not have got on better – a superb bunch of folks. The cycling was spectacular on days 2,3 and 6 with mountain roads and spectacular views. We also managed to swim twice and enjoy lunch on 3 beach restaurants. Giovanni and Antonio really looked after us, having to revert to plan B or C due to the cold and dull weather. The highlight for me was Carloforte – beautiful place. The worst thing was the flight times from the UK, meaning we arrived late at our first hotel and on our return home. Overall – brilliant week, would highly recommend.

Feedback

Excellent trip, great time of year to go. The trip was well put together and the cycling was safe and varied.
Would say I thought it was more a 3.5-4 than the 3 it was given.

Great trip, but a couple of REALLY tough climbs

We had an excellent group of five, and Giovanni and Marc our guides were excellent.

The scenery, mountains, beaches, cliff tops, historic ruins are wonderful as are the wild flowers and flamingos. The hotels were all of a good quality and most had swimming pools.

The cycling is harder than the 3 rating suggests. I’ve done a number of cycling trips, but days 2 and 3 have serious climbs on them and two of the five of us had to take the van for the last part.

Foodwise, I’m a vegetarian and while there was always something to eat, it was more often grilled veg than would have been ideal. We mostly ate in fish restaurants. That said, there were a couple of standout meals that were superb.

The bikes are good quality, perhaps a little heavy, and provided with panniers – best to put them in the van on the climb days.

Amazing trip

A really great trip, Sardinia is a very beautiful place and we had a fantastic week of cycling, eating, socialising and learning about this beautiful Island from our lovely guides

Cycling in Sardinia

A very enjoyable week of cycling in Sardinia’s south west coastal area with a lovely group. Some long climbs which were rewarded with equally long descents. The weather was sunny for the first couple of days, thereafter overcast and occasionally rainy, but this did not dampen the spirits of the group. The leaders – Michele and Simone were excellent, ensuring all the group had an enjoyable time. The hotels and agriturismos we stayed in along the route were all very good with excellent home cooked food.