A guide from the Zingaro Natural Reserve in Sicily

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Risserva Dello Zingaro, or the Zingaro Natural Reserve, is the first Sicily Natural Reserve and has the best coastal walk and some of the best beaches on the island. An exceptionally beautiful part of Sicily, this is my guide for the Zingaro Natural Reserve.


Approximately half between Palermo and Trapani is the most beautiful section of real desert sicily; The Zingaro Natural Reserve. The reserve must undoubtedly be a key part of any itinerary to visit western Sicily; Perfect for a one -day excursion. The Zingaro Natural Reserve is the first and original Natural Reserve of Sicily and is home to one of the best walks on the island, an endless green scrub, bright turquoise waters and many beautiful coves to enjoy. This is Sicily as planned by nature.


A guide for the Zingaro Natural Reserve


A brief history of the Zingaro Natural Reserve

As mentioned above, Zingaro’s nature reserve was the first of the more than 70 natural reserves in Sicily and we all have a group of Sicilians to whom to be eternally grateful. If it were not for its actions, there would be a coastal road that joins Castellammare of the Gulf with San Vito Lo Capo through Scopello and this intact landscape would not exist as it does today. Thousands protested, successfully blocking construction and leads to the creation of the Natural Reserve in 1981.

What to wait

Stretching through 7 km of Costina coast, the Zingaro Natural Reserve manages to complete a blow with unforgettable views from the coastal road along with six impressive assigns. There are no cars, or modern comforts, only a simple landscape with dwarf palm trees, olive trees and Mediterranean thickets. This is a one -day excursion that will leave them speechless and maybe a little tired.

There are three hiking routes to choose from; The popular 7 km coastal path (a meaning), the road halfway and the high road. The last two should only be tried by experienced and experienced hikers; They are challenging, that’s safe. The midway road is a 9 km loop that takes it to the upper section of the reserve, while the high route is 17 km and reaches almost 915 meters above sea level. If you plan to do any of these, plan in advance, be careful and avoid the heat of summer!

With two entries to the reservation, one and the other, it is not too difficult to plan a one -day excursion where it is stayed in Sicily. The southern entrance is the most popular access point with a lot of car parking space and an interesting museum a few steps away.

The coastal path

The 7 km coastal road is the most popular path in the reserve and the entire length is extended from north to south. The walk is not so bad in a relatively good terrain, although it becomes steep in some places and, for those like me, they are not great with heights, I would recommend not thinking about how close the edge of the cliff could be!

I visited the Zingaro Natural Reserve as part of a press trip organized by Visit Sicily, so it united an official guide for our ride on the coast. Therefore, our walk presented many informative stops to learn about natural flora and fauna, see the articles of everyday homes by hand from palm leaves, admire virgin views, animals detected in the rocks demolished from years of erosion (it took me some time, but yes, there are some rocks that make up the shape of a lion) and to cool in one of the many coinios. With the smooth beaches of pebbles and crystalline water, the choice really spoiled you, although we only achieved time for some photos in each one before spending time in a single cove, since some Sicilians were too. The coves are, from south to north, Cala Caberia, Cala del Varo, Cala della Disa, Cala Berretta, Cala Marinella, Cala Dell’uzzo and Cala Tonnarella Dell’uzzo.

We visited at the end of September and let me tell you that the Sicilian heat was still such that it made us fight. There is little shadow, so make sure you have a hat, you have a sun cream and you have a lot of water.

If you were doing this walk alone and certainly you do not need a guide, you can expect you to take approximately 2.5 hours in one direction. We do not walk the full return of 14 km, but we still end up spending a good half -day in the reserve.

Lunch was also organized in the Picnic area near the southern entrance and invited us to a Sicilian specialty, Cunzatu Panel (without anchovies for me, cheese and tomato in fresh bread), tits and wine; products and wine all made and cultivated Solea In Scopello.

Key information

Whether you enter the reservation through the north or south entrance, it will cost € 5 per person to visit the Zingaro Natural Reserve, although € 3 for children from 11 to 14 years and free for those children under 11 years. The cost includes parking throughout the day. Tickets are bought in the cabins and, although it is possible to pay by card, only bring effective with you, since it is much easier.

In the warmest months, from April to September, the opening hours are 7 am to 7 pm, while between October and March they are only from 8 am to 4 pm

You will need resistant footwear to walk along the coastal path, although it is not necessarily excursion boots, I just used my Nike SB normal coaches. It is forbidden to use flip flops. Be sure to bring a lot of water, as well as a hat, sunglasses, shorts/bikini and a towel! Although there is a limited shadow in the reserve, the parasols are now also prohibited if you planned to take their locals.

There are no containers at all in the reserve, so be sure to take absolutely everything with you.

How to get to the Zingaro Natural Reserve

The best way to get to Zingaro’s nature reserve is certainly by car (sincerely, it is not as bad as you plan to drive through Sicily) and took us about 1.5 hours from Palermo to reach the southern entrance. It is less than an hour from Trapani, so whatever the scenario in which it is on its Sicilian trip, Zingaro’s nature reserve is a perfect day trip.

If you do not plan to rent a car in Sicily, the most reliable alternative would be to reserve a private taxi or transport bus. I understand that there is a new public bus service that extends along the coast from Scopello (10 minutes, € 1.90) or Castellammere del Golfo (30 minutes, € 3.20) to the southern entrance of the Zingaro Natural Reserve, although the information about the schedules and the tickets does not seem to be easily accessible. Your best option is to consult Autoservizi Russo If you plan to use public transport.

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