As you head out on the first section, bathed in the soft Mediterranean light, the smell of the sea surrounds you – the warm salty sea air, trees warming in the sun, herbs and plants along the way. But there’s no time for letting your concentration drift. Navigation is the crux when it comes to the Selvaggio Blu. Though there are waymarks at the start, they soon peter out. Which is why you might want to consider enlisting a local guide. Moving along the coast, with some sections of climbing already, the first night is then spent in an old shepherd’s hut, sheltered from the wind and surrounded by pine shrubs. After a well-earned Ichnusa beer, some cold cuts and cheese, it’s time to set up camp on the floor of the hut. For those wanting the full experience there’ plenty of space to sleep under the stars.

The second day takes over scrubby, rock-strewn slopes down toward the sea. With gnarled wooden gates, yellow flowering shrubs, ancient imposing olive trees and the sea as your constant companion. Finding the trail is harder than on the first day: waymarking is only in the form of small rocks deposited in the nook of old branches. The exposed rock at Bacu Tenadili requires a climbing harness and rope again. After that it gets easier and that afternoon you reach Porto Pedroso, a fjord-like shingle beach where your expedition support will deposit water and supplies. Sleep under the stars here again or pitch a tent.

The third day of this extraordinary trek is the most memorable: the Cala Goloritzé beach. Sparkling sandy coves are surrounded by rocky white spires that rise up from nowhere. It’s like a corner of the Caribbean in Europe. The route then takes in some varied climbing across slabs, exposed traverses, steep promontories, interspersed with short walking sections through trailless country. Some sections are fitted with via ferrata-like bolted cables to clip to. Others require a 60-meter rope for abseiling.

The final few days are by no means dull either. Bizarre caves, gullies and fissures carved out by the sea are interspersed with lengthy rappels. There are plenty of ‘no fall zones’, so secure footing and full concentration are a must. On the last day the route crosses the impressive Sa Nurca gorge. A rappel down to Cala Biriala is in fact just a little ‘detour’ on the way to the final section to Cala Sisine – the official end of Selvaggio Blu. But it makes for a spectacular end to a spectacular adventure, before finally taking the boat back to Santa Maria de Navarese.