Vizzavona’s secret waterfalls

Vizzavona is a pass (1,163 m) and a forest in the middle of the island, on the road and railway linking Ajaccio with Corte and Bastia. The public forest covers 1,638 ha of laricio pines and beeches, according to the Office national des forêts. For walkers, it is above all the midpoint of the GR20, between the northern and southern sections.

Photo : Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The waterfalls around Vizzavona

The torrents coming down from Monte d’Oro form several falls that are easy to reach:

• the Cascade des Anglais, on the Agnone, 1 hr 30 min there and back from the station: a chain of rock pools beside the GR20;
• the Voile de la Mariée (Bride’s Veil), further south at Bocognano, outside the forest: a 70 m fall on the Trotto stream, according to the Agence du tourisme de la Corse, best seen in winter and spring, when the flow is strong;
• the small waterfalls along the forest paths, which you come across as you walk.

The GR20 and Monte d’Oro

Vizzavona is the starting point for the ascent of Monte d’Oro, one of the island’s great summits, for experienced walkers only. GR20 hikers stop here overnight, and thanks to the train you can start or finish half of the route here.

Why go

It is the easiest mountain area to reach without a car: you step off the train and walk straight into the forest. Autumn is the finest season here, when the beeches turn russet. In summer, the forest stays cool while the coast swelters.