GR20 camping and bivouac rules: what you need to know

The GR20 crosses the Corsica Regional Nature Park and some very fragile habitats. Several rules, some of them little known, apply to all hikers.

Bivouacking

• Wild camping is prohibited: bivouacking is only allowed close to the refuges or in designated areas.
• Booking is compulsory, even to pitch your own tent in a refuge’s bivouac area (€12 a night in 2026).
• Campers use the refuge’s outdoor facilities (showers, toilets, communal stoves).

Fires and wildfire risk

• Fires and smoking are prohibited from 15 June to 30 September in forests, the maquis and the mountains.
• From mid-June to mid-September, mountain areas can be closed at any time by prefectoral order when the fire risk is severe. In July 2026, the Albertacce fire cut the GR20 between Tighjettu and Ballone, and the Bavella massif was temporarily closed to the public.
• Check the wildfire risk map and the Park’s notices before each stage.

Protecting the environment

• Swimming is prohibited in the mountain lakes.
• Walking poles are banned at Lac de Nino and on the Cuscionu plateau, to protect the pozzines (wet grasslands).
• Do not feed or disturb the wildlife.

Dogs and drones

• Dogs must be kept on a lead, are strongly discouraged on certain sections and are not allowed in the refuges or rental tents.
• Flying a drone requires authorisation.

Calenzana: start before 11 am

A municipal by-law prohibits starting the GR20 from Calenzana after 11 am, to prevent heatstroke on the long climb of the first day.

The Park’s essential kit

The Park presents a minimum set of equipment as compulsory: sleeping bag, waterproof jacket, warm layer, first-aid kit, emergency blanket, head torch, hiking boots, filter water bottle and purification tablets, and the FFRandonnée topoguide. See our kit list.