Two islands, their stories, and the bays worth the trip. This is the route we start people on — because you don't really know this coast until you've seen it from the water.
"You can see Tavolara from anywhere along this coast. But seeing it from the sea — the sheer walls, the cobalt water underneath — is a different thing entirely."
The classic tour is where we start people who want to understand this corner of Sardinia. In four hours you cover what makes the Tavolara and Molara Marine Protected Area worth protecting: the natural pools with water you can see straight through, the vertical face of the highest inhabited island in the Mediterranean, the coves that can only be reached from the water.
Skippers who have run these routes for years — not seasonal staff reading a script. Groups small enough that nobody misses anything. And no rushing.
Punta Est · Capo Coda Cavallo
Molara's natural pools
Tavolara island
Cala Girgolu
Spiaggia delle Vacche
The classic route takes in five stops. Your skipper adapts them to the weather and the sea that day — but this is the shape of it.
You leave from Capo Coda Cavallo. The moment the engine starts and the shore drops behind you, you understand why this place is different. Ahead is the Punta Est coastline — pink granite, Mediterranean scrub, and Tavolara growing on the horizon by the minute. The first pass is in front of the Grotta del Forno.
The first stop is the one that silences people who have never seen it. The Molara pools are a few metres deep, still and completely clear, with fish all around you. You swim, you snorkel, you forget what time it is. You can see the bottom everywhere. It is one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean — and that comes from the skippers who are there every day.
You head for Tavolara. The south face is the vertical side of the island, the one that looks out to open sea: rock dropping sheer for hundreds of metres into a dark cobalt blue that resembles nothing you have seen before. Skippers slow down here — the view is worth the time. Silence, rock, blue.
The only inhabited part of Tavolara. A strip of sand between two seas with a few houses, a restaurant, and an odd piece of history: the tiny kingdom of Tavolara, recognised — so the story goes — by the British Crown. Your skipper will tell it. The stop is short and hard to forget.
Cala Girgolu is a run of small sheltered coves, each with its own beach and its own seabed. Reachable only from the water. You drop anchor and swim in water you can see straight through. If there is a place here where time stops, this is it.
Before turning for home, the last stop is Punta Est — the granite headland that closes Capo Coda Cavallo. Calm water, shallow bottom, the last swim of the day. From here you can see the whole coastline you have just sailed. A good way to close the circle.
Twelve seats per boat, no more. Book online, pay securely.
Secure card payment · Free cancellation up to 24h before
Yes — these trips are built for families too. The boats in our network are stable and safe, with buoyancy aids and certified life jackets for smaller passengers. For children under 2, message us on WhatsApp first and we'll work it out together.
Safety comes first. If the conditions don't allow the boat to go out, we always tell you the evening before and either move you to another day or refund you in full.
Departures are from the Capo Coda Cavallo peninsula, near San Teodoro. The exact boarding point depends on which operator you're matched with: once you've booked, your skipper contacts you to confirm where to meet.