Like everbody's saying here, The path going to the beach is tricky and i would like to thank fellow travelers here who put a very precised direction and we found the place right away the very first try!!
First of all come EARLY as the place is small and could get easily be crowded.
Down below is the direction on how to get there...
*To the paid public parking lot ...
Google maps "PARK LA TARTARUGA"
Park here to avoid parking penalty fees in the area. Parking fee is 12€/day or 1.50€/hour and you'll pay to the parking lot attendant when you leave, so it doesn't matter how early you come, they will open at 8am and they will start your parking time as soon as they see your car parked there.
*To Spiaggia delle Vache...
-Put in google maps 'Sassi Piatti Villas'
Just walk through the road 'VIA CALA GIRGULO' once you've reached that villa you'll see a stone stairs going down to the beach with a yellow sign "Spaggia della vache"
-Once you reach the beach, go right and you'll see a white sign " SENTIERO SPAGGIA TARTARUGA" ...
-Just follow the paths along the coast!
It's a combination of climbing low boulder stones, small sandy coves and narrow bush paths. You'll know that you're on the right direction when you see black dirt walking marks on the path ways.
As far as i remember, we saw 2 paths either going along the coast (left) or to the bush forest (right) and you'll get confused where to go. Once again, always follow the coast and not the way going out up to the forest.
So many times we felt like "are we on the right path??" We simply followed our guts and didn't think twice and suprisingly, we've already reached our destination.
Hiking tips:
- Wear closed shoes. I had a 'Five finger' shoes that i can use for hiking and swimming and i had a perfect grip between climbing stones.
I've seen some with flip flops which is ok too but it can easily get stuck on the sand along the way and sometimes the stones could be wet and slippery. All up to you!
-Pack light! We were a family of 4 and we went only with one backpack and it is enough!
It is kind of hard to get there when you think of it but it is manageable! We even went there with our kids and i saw couples with baby carriers and they also made it.
Another important tip is, go there EARLY in the morning to avoid the crowd during high season and you'll appreciate the beauty of the place much better. We went there at 7am, we thought we were the first ones but a couple was there already. At 9am people are slowly coming in and it's started to get crowded, at 11am we left. 2-3 hrs spent there was enough for us. There are a lot more nicer and bigger beaches in sardinia if you prefer to stay the whole afternoon. And to set your expectations, the place is nice but a lot of rubbish like tissue paper, bottles and plastic along the hiking path , which is sad and some area stank of urine or human manure. Poeple need to be more disciplined to preserve the beauty of this place.
We came here out of curiosity and for experience but this is not the place to go to for relaxation. It has no shade and cramped beach.
Check my IG: rm24 for some photospots! 😜