Many boats leave from the port of Palau to tour Sardinia’s Maddalena Archipelago. As soon as they set sail, the vessels make a first stop at the island of Spargi. They moor at the old military dock, just a short walk’s away from one of the most beautiful spots in the entire archipelago: Cala Corsara. The sand on this beach is fine and white, flanked by rocks and greenery. From there excursions are organized for discovering the wild interior of this island, the highest and rockiest of the archipelago.
After you’ve returned to the deck and set sail, you can admire “Witch’s Rock”, an imposing mass of granite that, from one angle, takes on the appearance of a witch fit for a fairy-tale, complete with a frightening, jagged nose.
Not far from the coast, the granite features of a St. Bernard’s face emerge from the cliffs.
The trip continues sailing along the eastern face of the island, full of beaches and inlets. Here you can find Cala Granara, Cala Soraya, Cala Connari and, finally, another mooring at the wharf of Cala Ferrigno.
From Cala Ferrigno you can reach the small and charming Cala Bonifazinca on foot. Continuing on past this beach in the direction of the mountain, you reach the old military batteries, where the enormous terraces provide an extraordinary panorama of the entire archipelago.
From Cala Ferrigno the tour continues towards Budelli.
Since the Park was established, this island has been incorporated into “zone A,” where you must sail fairly distant from the shore, and dropping anchor is strictly prohibited.
This is where the celebrated pink sand beach is located, whose color is due to the fragmented shells of various marine species. For good swimmers, since this is the only way to get there.
From Budelli the trip continues through the canal between Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria. This inlet, originally known as Porto Madonna, has been renamed “the Swimming Pools” due to its crystal clear and shallow water and sandy bottom.
The island of Razzoli has no beaches, but offers some incredibly beautiful rocky inlets, such as Cala Lunga, located on the west side of the island.
Razzoli is separated from Santa Maria by the Passo degli Asinelli (“Donkey’s Path”).
Santa Maria is the most northwesterly of the islands of the archipelago, and also the greenest. The beach of the same name is ample and candid, with lapping emerald waves, and flanked on all sides by thick greenery.
From the beach we recommend continuing east until you reach Punta Filetto with its still active lighthouse. O this cliff that peaks above the spray of the waves, it’s easy to comprehend the force of nature, that reigns supreme on the Maddalena Archipelago.
Back at the wharf, the ferry departs again towards Palau, the port of departure, giving visitors a chance to take a last glance of the natural beauty just seen, to preserve in memory the unforgettable images of a true paradise.
