Rock climbing at Domusnovas and around Iglesias
Concentrated around the town of Iglesias is Sardinia's largest rock climbing area, with many hundreds of routes. This area is dominated by the rock climbing at Domusnovas, where there are over 700 routes alone, across a wide range of grades from F5’s to F9b. The rock climbing at Domusnovas is very varied with numerous slabs, walls and overhangs to choose from on excellent bolted limestone rock. The vast majority of routes are single pitch, though there are multi-pitch routes up to 135m long that are generally well bolted.
Dotted around the town of Iglesias there are many varied rock climbing areas. These include the single pitch sport routes at Ombre Rossa and the wall of Punta Pilocca that is described as one of the best in the whole of Sardinia. Additionally, there are plenty of multi-pitch sea cliff climbing areas that offer both trad and sport routes, at crags such as Masua, Cala Domestic, Pranu Sartu, San Nicolo, and Capo Pecora. Inland, there is even some granite multi-pitch sport routes at Torre Cinzia.
The cave area of San Giovanni sector at Domusnovas
| No | Region | Type of Climbing | Type of Rock | Single or Multi-pitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domusnovas | Sport | Limestone | Both |
| 2 | Ombre rossa | Sport | Limestone | Single |
| 3 | Gonnesa | Sport | Limestone | Single |
| 4 | Nuxis | Pure Trad | Limestone | Both |
| 5 | Carloforte | Pure Trad | Basalt | Single |
| 6 | Capo Sandalo | Sport | Basalt | Both |
| 7 | Masua | Trad/Sport | Limestone | Both |
| 8 | Cala Domestic | Trad/Sport | Limestone | Multi-pitch |
| 9 | Pranu Sartu | Sport | Limestone | Both |
| 10 | Punta Pilocca | Sport | Limestone | Single |
| 11 | Gutturu Pala | Trad/Sport | Limestone | Both |
| 12 | San Nicolo | Sport | Limestone | Multi-pitch |
| 13 | Capo Pecora | Trad/Sport | Granite | Both |
| 14 | Torre Cinzia | Sport | Granite | Multi-pitch |
| 15 | Arbus | Bouldering | Granite | N/A |
Map of the rock climbing areas around Iglesias including Domusnovas
Domusnovas and Iglesias Rock Climbing Logistics
When to go - The climate around Iglesias makes it an excellent place to visit to go rock climbing from early autumn right through to late spring, and hence is a popular "winter sun" rock climbing holiday venue.
Which guidebooks – The Domusnovas Sport Climbing Guidebook describes 750 sport routes at Domusnovas and Ombre Rossa. It also includes some of the multi-pitch routes at Domusnovas. The Sardinia Trad and Multi-Pitch Rock Climbing Guidebook covers the whole of Sardinia, and includes the multi-pitch routes at Domusnovas, Masua, Cala Domestic, Pranu Sartu, San Nicolo, and Capo Pecora. Buy these guidebooks from our shop.
What gear - For the majority of the sport routes a single 70m rope and up to 16 quickdraws will be sufficient. For those looking to climb the long multi-pitch routes, then dual ropes and full lead rack are advisable.
Accommodation - Within the Iglesias area there are numerous places to stay that are suitable for rock climbers, see our Iglesias accommodation page for more details.
The mountains around Iglesias are also a great place to go mountain biking in Sardinia. A combination of old mining tracks, mule tracks, paths and abandoned railway lines have been linked together to create some great routes in these remote mountains. Discover more about mountain biking in Sardinia.
The Domusnovas Sport Climbing Guidebook covers 750 routes across a wide range of grades from F5’s to F9b. The guidebook is split into 36 different sectors at Domusnovas, and it also includes the crag of Ombre Rosse.