Official GR20 stage · 9/16
Stage 9: Onda → Vizzavona
The last stage of the northern half: from the Onda refuge, perched on its plateau under Monte d'Oro, the trail drops toward Vizzavona and its railway station. The mountain softens, and the forest starts to take over.
Essentials
The essentials
Key facts
- Distance · 10.2 km
- Elevation gain · +651 m
- Elevation loss · -1,115 m
- Max altitude · 2,072 m
- Difficulty · Moderate (3/5)
- Estimated walking time · 3h25 – 5h35
- On the trail · Stage 9 / 16
Download this stage's GPX
Official OpenStreetMap track, snapped to the PNRC refuges.
On the ground
On the ground
The stage starts at the Onda bergerie, set on its small green plateau. What follows alternates ridgelines and long descents, with a clear shift in atmosphere: the mineral north gradually gives way to denser woodland as you approach Vizzavona. It's more a transition stage than an extreme one, but the steep descent (1115 m of loss) is hard on the knees. Keep an eye on the weather as on any GR20 ridge — afternoon storms remain the real danger, far more than exposure itself.
Vizzavona splits the GR20 in two: a station on the Bastia–Ajaccio line, the simplest escape route on the entire trail if body or morale need a break.
Water & resupply. The Onda refuge has a reliable water point at the start; after that, ask the warden about the state of the springs before setting off, as everywhere on the GR20. Vizzavona, at the end of the stage, is one of the few genuine resupply points on the whole route: a full grocery store and a train station to restock before the second half.
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