Sardinia Island begs tourists not to use Google maps ⋆

Sardinia Island begs tourists not to use Google maps

Authorities in Baunei, in Sardinia’s eastern province of Ogliastra, have launched an appeal to visitors, telling them not to rely on Google Maps to travel around the area.

Tourists are routinely following their GPS down lanes that are unsuitable for cars and onto off-road tracks in a bid to make their way to “hidden” beaches, needing to be rescued by the local fire brigade when they get stuck.

The move follows 144 emergency call-outs for both cars and hikers in the province over the past two years.

Final straw GOOGLE MAPS sardinia

The final straw: the two tourists in a Porsche who were rescued by emergency services on a rough track in the Supramonte mountain range, known by climbers for its vertical rock faces.

They were looking for the pristine “cale,” or white sand coves at the foot of plunging cliffs, for which Ogliastra is famous.

The emergency services are effectively funded by the local community.

Tourists do not have to pay for their rescue.

Mayor of Baunei, Salvatore Corrias, told CNN that authorities have erected signs around the area in Italian and English, advising tourists “don’t follow the directions on Google Maps“, and that the tracks are only suitable for all-terrain vehicles. There have been more than 140 such rescues in the last two years.

“Too many sedans and small cars get stuck on impassable paths, sometimes it happens even to off-road vehicles too,” Salvatore Corrias, the mayor of Baunei, told Ansa news agency. “People follow the suggestions of Google Maps which, on our roads, are often misleading.”

The stunning coastline, much of which is hard to access, is dominated by the imposing bulk of the Supramonte mountains, which sweeps down to the sea.

Locals recommend that tourists bring with them a good old-fashioned paper map to avoid smashing up their hire cars on potholes and boulders. Or better still, hire a local mountain guide.