One of the best things about Sardinia is the turquoise sea and craggy cliffs and sea caves along the coast. You can explore and enjoy these in a boat trip from many of the different ports around the island.

Last summer we spent a week in the Gulf of Orosei in Eastern Sardinia and took a day’s boat trip from the resort of Cala Gonone to explore some of the beaches that can only be reached from the sea. There were plenty of different boats to choose from at the harbour and we left on a larger boat which had a lower and upper deck. I was thankful that we didn’t choose a smaller boat as the space and shade was very welcome to protect us from being fried in the merciless sun.

First we stopped at the Grotto Di Bue Marina, named after the Monk seals that once colonised these caves but are now virtually extinct in the Mediterannean. We walked through a series of caverns on a wooden walkway, with fanciful names like Organ Pipe cavern and Cave of mirrors and finally end in the Monk seal cavern where the seals once came to breed.

After our visit, the boat took us past more sea caves and beaches which are only accessible from the sea, landing on a couple where we were able to swim for an hour before being picked up again. Although the beaches had white sand with cliffs rising behind and rocky outcrops for snorkling and diving, they were very crowded in the height of the summer season, but would be idyllic outside July and August. We still enjoyed our snorkling in the clear blue water and jumping off the large flat rocks that made a natural diving platform. In the late afternoon we were all beached out and we hopped on the next boat back to port.

These type of boat trips go from many different ports around the Sardinian coast and I’d recommend them even though it was quite expensive for a family. Just don’t forget to take your sun umbrella, picnic and plenty of water as there is usually nowhere to buy provisions.

Photos by Heatheronhertravels