The length of time it takes to complete the Corsican GR20 depends on the walking pace you are willing and able to set yourself each day: Completing it in 12 days means going a little faster than planned from Calenzana to Conca. Don’t forget that the trail is designed to be completed in 16 days, so if you plan to do it in 12 days, you’ll be doubling some of the stages. So there will be days when you stop at refuges in the evening, and days when you walk faster and come across a refuge in the early afternoon for lunch, for example. If you’re planning to spend 12 days on the GR20 in 2024, here’s some advice on how to make it a success.
The stages of the GR20 in 12 days
Here you’ll find a list of all the stages of the GR20. The table below gives you an example of how to divide up the GR20 into 12 days – it’s not compulsory, it all depends on what you want to do! You can also take into account the variations.
For example, stage 7, which we suggest in the breakdown below, is done via a variant that avoids Vizzavone. However, you won’t be able to do the variant ascent of Monte d’oro, which takes you straight back down to Vizzavone.
In the same vein, stage 10 below is a variant that avoids Matalza, an old stage of the GR20 when it still had 15 stages.
The estimated walking times given below are calculated for a standard hiker: depending on your physical condition, you should normally go faster.
| KM | D+ | D- | Tps | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calenzana à Ortu | 11 | 1450 | 250 | 6h30 | Plus d'infos |
| 2 | Ortu à Ascu (en mangeant à Carozzu) | 13 | 1520 | 1590 | 13h00 | Partie 1 Partie 2 |
| 3 | Ascu Stagnu à Tighettu | 9 | 1200 | 1000 | 8h00 | Plus d'infos |
| 4 | Tighjettu à Ciottulu di i Mori | 7 | 700 | 340 | 4h00 | Plus d'infos |
| 5 | Ciottulu di i Mori à Manganu | 24 | 920 | 1300 | 8h00 | Plus d'infos |
| 6 | Manganu à L’Onda (en mangeant à Petra Piana) | 18.5 | 1330 | 1500 | 11h30 | Partie 1 Partie 2 |
| 7 | L’Onda à Capannelle (en évitant Vizzavona) | 26,5 | 1700 | 1700 | 13h15 | Partie 1 Partie 2 |
| 8 | Capannelle à Prati | 17 | 900 | 750 | 6h00 | Plus d'infos |
| 9 | Prati à Usciolu | 11 | 700 | 750 | 5h45 | Plus d'infos |
| 10 | Usciolu à Asinau (en évitant Matalza) | 21 | 950 | 1140 | 8h30 | Partie 1 Partie 2 |
| 11 | Asinau à Paliri | 15 | 600 | 1100 | 7h00 | Plus d'infos |
| 12 | Paliri à Conca | 13.5 | 370 | 1100 | 5h00 | Plus d'infos |
| TOTAL | 186 | 12000 | 12000 | 95h00 |
Refuges for eating, refuges for sleeping
Here is a list of all the refuges on the GR20. If you want to do it in 12 days, you’ll come across 1 or 2 refuges a day: the one you leave in the morning, the one you might come across halfway along the route (normally for a lunch break) and the refuge where you sleep in the evening.
| Arrêt | Altitude | Places | Plus d'infos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calenzana | Départ Jour 1 | 280 m | Plusieurs lieux | Plus d'infos |
| Ortu di u Piobbu | Dormir "Jour 1" | 1520 m | 32 | Plus d'infos |
| Carrozzu | Repas "Jour 2" | 1270 m | 36 | Plus d'infos |
| Station d’Asco Stagnu | Dormir "Jour 2" | 1422 m | Plusieurs lieux | Plus d'infos |
| Tighjettu | Dormir "Jour 3" | 1683 m | 48 | Plus d'infos |
| Ciottulu di i Mori | Dormir "Jour 4" | 1997 m | 26 | Plus d'infos |
| Manganu | Dormir "Jour 5" | 1600 m | 32 | Plus d'infos |
| Petra piana | Repas "Jour 6" | 1842 m | 28 | Plus d'infos |
| l’Onda | Dormir "Jour 6" | 1431 m | 28 | Plus d'infos |
| Vizzavona | Repas "Jour 7" | 954 m | Plusieurs lieux | Plus d'infos |
| E Capannelle | Dormir "Jour 7" | 1586 m | 15 | Plus d'infos |
| Prati | Dormir "Jour 8" | 1820 m | 22 | Plus d'infos |
| Usciolu | Dormir "Jour 9" | 1750 m | 31 | Plus d'infos |
| Matalza | Contournement | |||
| Asinau | Dormir "Jour 10" | 1536 m | 28 | Plus d'infos |
| I Paliri | Dormir "Jour 11" | 1055 m | 22 | Plus d'infos |
| Conca | Arrivée fin du jour 12 | 280 m | Plusieurs lieux | Plus d'infos |
Stories of the GR20 in 12 days
Do you have a question? Don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments section or on the GR20 forum. Discover here the stories of hikers who have completed the GR20 in this timeframe
Letizia and Raphaël’s GR20
These two thirty-somethings from Switzerland completed the GR20 in 12 days, doubling stages 4 and 5 as well as stages 10, 11 and 12 in just two stages. To find out more
More info
They did the GR20 in 12 days and offer you the chance to discover their story: stages, breakdown and equipment)
All the other ways of doing the GR20 :
- Doing the GR20: the stages
- Do the GR20 in 10 days
- Do the GR20 in 8 days
- Do the GR20 in 7 days
- Do the GR20 in 5 days
- The GR20 in autonomy
- The GR20 Comfort
- The running GR20
- The GR20 Grand Luxe
- The GR20 on your own