PNRC refuge
Usciolu refuge
The Usciolu refuge, at 1,750 m, is one of the busiest on the GR20 — as much for its position as for its well-stocked shop. It commands the entrance to the a Monda ridge, the spectacular “ridge of statues”.
Essentials
The essentials
Key facts
- Altitude · 1,750 m
- Distance · km 137 from Calenzana
- On the trail · Between Prati and Asinau
- Capacity · 31 places
- Coordinates · 41.9351, 9.2059
- Management · PNRC · staffed refuge
Book this refuge
Bedding: dorm bunk, PNRC tent or bivouac (subject to availability).
Booking is compulsory on the Park's official system, by date and place. Refuges are staffed from 16 May to 4 October 2026.
A sleeping bag is required (no blankets provided); meals are ordered from the warden, not online.
On the ground
The refuge on the ground
Book early: it's one of the three refuges that sell out first on the PNRC system. Showers, stream water and resupply make it a strategic stop before the long days of the south.
The refuge commands the Arête à Monda (once the 'ridge of statues'): a long, slender crest bristling with granite blocks, with sections sometimes fitted with chains.
Facilities — indicative, confirm with the warden
Our traverse
Our evening at Usciolu
We slept here on the evening of day 9, arriving at 17h03 at the end of a day about pacing: since the day before, my left knee had been sending clear signals, and we had given up on pushing to Croci. Arriving at Usciolu confirmed it was the right call — a day kept under control, and packs set down with the feeling of having respected the body instead of grinding it down.
At dawn the sunrise was superb — the kind of light that could have made the day perfect. We left at 06h26 for the a Monda ridge and the Coscione plateau, a day that would be played out in the head more than in the legs. For us, Usciolu will remain the refuge of the smart decision: the one where you stop a little earlier so you can make it all the way.
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