Official GR20 stage · 5/16
Stage 5: Tighjettu → Ciottulu di i Mori
A short but demanding stretch: from Tighjettu, the trail climbs to the highest refuge on the GR20, perched at 2,048 m at the foot of the Paglia Orba. A mineral balcony over Corsica's high mountains.
Essentials
The essentials
Key facts
- Distance · 6.4 km
- Elevation gain · +646 m
- Elevation loss · -309 m
- Max altitude · 2,048 m
- Difficulty · Moderate (3/5)
- Estimated walking time · 2h30 – 4h
- On the trail · Stage 5 / 16
Download this stage's GPX
Official OpenStreetMap track, snapped to the PNRC refuges.
On the ground
On the ground
The path alternates rocky trail and short rises up to Ciottulu di i Mori, part of the same run of ridges and breaches that mark the northern half between stages 4 and 7 — a few airy steps, never very long. The refuge sits below the Paglia Orba (2,525 m), nicknamed 'the Corsican Matterhorn' for its sharp silhouette, one of the island's most-climbed peaks. It's also close to the source of the Golo river. One thing to watch: altitude makes itself felt on this section, and the ground stays rocky right up to the refuge — solid ankles help with a pack still loaded with supplies.
Ciottulu di i Mori is the highest refuge on the route (2,000 m): cold nights even in summer, even after a short stage.
Water & resupply. The Ciottulu di i Mori refuge has a water source on site and serves meals at any hour, which is rare on this trail — useful after a stage rated moderate.
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