Cengia S’Istrada Longa è a long rocky frame, in jargon ‘cengia’, that runs halfway up a sheer wall of about 200 meters in the hinterland of Sardinia. It protrudes from the rock of a few tens of centimeters (sometimes very few) interrupting the vertical of the mountain, creating a natural path on which some daredevils venture.
This thrilling trekking path is located in the Supramonte of Baunei, in the province of Nuoro, an area dotted almost everywhere with limestone rocks.
In some places the ledge narrows to less than a meter wide, so you have to be very careful, as there are no means of safety such as cables, ropes, etc..
The ledge offers a breathtaking view. In the distance you can even see the sea of the spectacular Cala Sisine, one of the most beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Orosei, which is also the mouth of a small stream that originates in the Golgo plateau, in the Supramonte of Baunei.
To reach the S’Istrada Longa you start from Margine, near Su Loriscadorgiu, where there is a beautiful specimen of maple tree that marks the beginning of the route. It crosses a canyon along the riverbed and arrives at the majestic wall. S’Istrada Longa runs along the whole wall and allows to reach the next canyon, Bacu Su Marinau.
The panorama is one of the most beautiful of the whole Supramonte of Baunei. Here nature, according to those who have had the good fortune to walk along the path, has given the best of itself; the canyon is majestic and the secular holm oaks balanced on natural terraces give origin to the hanging gardens of S’Orruargiu.
It is definitely a trekking that can be done only if you are accompanied by environmental hiking guides and especially if you do not suffer from vertigo.