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Michele Angileri

Riu Perdosu

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The pink granite and the porphyry of the Sarrabus characterize a wild area made of majestic rocks and maquis. The Riu Perdosu flows through it. Its descent features waterfalls and pools but also long walks in an environment of extraordinary beauty.

Name	Riu Perdosu
Area	Sardegna, Sarrabus
Nearest village	Burcei
Elevation loss	275 m
Length	6 km
Highest cascade	20 m
Rock	Granite
Rating	4
Shuttle	Needed
Explored by	Michele Angileri; may 21st 2022

I remember ...

Rio Perdosu is one of those Sardinian streams (few? many?) that have remained unexplored until now despite the search for new gorges carried out by numerous Sardinian canyoneers. Yet it is not a minor stream, or located far from inhabited centers ... even the approach routes are unusually short and easy.
Perhaps what discouraged exploration was the length of the itinerary, or maybe the fact that part of water flowing through the Rio comes from Burcei purifier. In fact, a careful nose perceive the smell of waste water at the base of first falls, where the stream aerosolizes, while later on the natural purification processes make this faint trace of pollution disappear. A careful nose is needed, since the level of contamination is really minimal: compared to other famous canyoning routes in Central Italy, the Perdosu can be considered very clean (or so it was at the time of my exploration).

10 years earlier I had put the Perdosu in my list of streams to explore: those crazy rocks must hide points of extraordinary beauty, immersed in the best Sardinian-Corsican wilderness! 10 years later, however, the exploration of the Rio came out almost by chance. For that day I had another stream planned which I gave up, however, as access would have involved crossing a private property. So I made a new inspection of Burcei: upstream of the gorge the water appeared uncontaminated. Also (incredibly!) I had the possibility to be accompanied to the beginning of the gorge and picked up at the exit, and therefore I would not have to do one of my usual long walks on unknown routes to get back to the car. And I really needed this since the exploration I had done the day before had been much more tiring than expected and had left me a low back pain ...