Gulf of Orosei Private Boat Tour: A Day on the Water, Done Your Way

• Top choice Catamaran with lunch from US$276 Duration8 hours^[1]Rating4.91 from 268 reviews^[1]Guide languagesEnglish, French, Italian, Spanish^[1]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before^[1] Check availability
• Baunei coast day tour from US$86 Duration9 hours^[8]Rating4.87 from 1,036 reviews^[8]Guide languagesEnglish, Italian^[8]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before^[8] See this tour
• RIB to Mariolu & Goloritzè from US$69 Duration3 hours^[9]Rating4.84 from 705 reviews^[9]Guide languagesEnglish, Italian^[9]CancellationFree up to 24 hours before^[9] See this tour

What a Gulf of Orosei private boat tour looks like

The Gulf of Orosei is the stretch of Sardinian coast people picture when they imagine the island: limestone walls falling straight into the sea, pale pebbles underfoot, and shallows that shift from green to deep blue as the boat moves. It stretches 30 kilometres along the eastern coast of Sardinia^[10]. The colour of the water changes with the depth under the keel, from almost transparent over sand to a deep, opaque blue where the cliffs drop away. The water and the shore around it sit inside the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu^[11]. The coves keep a raw, weathered look.

The catamaran trip booked from this site leaves from Arbatax and runs for 8 hours, with a live tour guide who speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish^[1]. It is listed as a catamaran boat trip with lunch, and prices start from US$276^[1]. From 268 reviews it holds a rating of 4.91, with Guide at 5, Transportation at 4.9 and Value for money at 4.8^[1]. For a family or a mixed group, the appeal is a long, unhurried day on deck rather than a sprint between bays.

Private options: dinghies, small groups and skippered boats

If you want a Gulf of Orosei private boat, there are two realistic routes. The first is self-drive hire: a Cala Gonone listing rents a 6-metre dinghy to a private group for 8.5 hours, from US$270^[2]. No licence is needed to hire a dinghy for exploring the Gulf of Orosei, though the driver must be at least 18 years old^[3]. You set the route, the swim stops and the pace, and you head back to the harbour when you decide.

The second is a skippered boat that keeps the group small. From Tortolì-Arbatax, a boat tour to Cala Goloritzé and Cala Mariolu is limited to 8 participants and takes 8 hours, with stops at Pedra Longa, Cala Goloritzé, Cala Biriala and isola dell'Ogliastra^[4]. From Santa Maria Navarrese, a maxi dinghy tour is limited to 12 participants and lasts 9 hours^[5]. A small boat puts you closer to the rock walls and into the narrow corners of a bay; a bigger deck gives you shade and room to move around.

Limestone walls drop straight into water that shifts from green to deep blue.

The coastline you are cruising past

This is limestone at its most sculptural. Wind, rain and salt have cut headlands, arches and half-open caves into the cliffs, and the sea has gathered pale pebbles into bays that are hard to reach on foot. Walkers know this coast from above on the Selvaggio Blu, a trekking route that starts in Pedra Longa and ends in Cala Luna, following paths that hang between the sea and the mountains^[12]. From a boat you see the same wild stretch from the other side, looking up at the rock instead of down at the water.

Arbatax has a landmark of its own before you even leave the harbour. The Rocce Rosse, or Red Rocks, take their name from the porphyry cliffs that rise from the sea in the Red Rocks Bay east of the Arbatax port, a tourist neighbourhood of Tortolì, with white rocks and tall red granite boulders behind them^[13]. Red and white rock against dark green scrub makes a strong first photograph of the day, and it is an easy place to stretch your legs while you wait for your departure time.

Coves and caves worth planning around

Cala Mariolu is famous for its crystal-clear water, white pebbles and dramatic limestone cliffs that plunge into the sea^[14]. It turns up on the Dorgali cruise from Cala Gonone, which stops at Cala Luna, Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu and Cala Sisine^[15]. Anyone planning a self-drive day can aim for the same water, with the freedom to move on when a bay gets busy.

Cala Goloritzé comes with the one rule that shapes a day on this coast. Access requires a mandatory reservation from April to October and is limited to a maximum of 250 people at the same time^[6]. Fix your date before you fix your boat. Cala Luna is in Sardinia on the central eastern coast and is reachable from Cala Gonone, a hamlet in the township of Dorgali in the province of Nuoro^[16]. If you want a cave as well, adult tickets for the Grotta del Bue Marino cost €10 in the ordinary season and €12 in June, July, August and September^[17], and one listing pairs the cave with a Cala Luna stop^[18].

When to go and what the water is like

In the Gulf of Orosei the average sea water temperature in August is 26.5 °C, with a minimum of 24.4 °C and a maximum of 29 °C over the last decade^[7]. That is warm enough for long, lazy swims, and the sheltered coves stay calm when the open water is choppier. Water that has sat in shallow, sun-warmed bays all day feels warmer still than the open gulf. High summer air temperatures are another matter, so save the middle of the day for the water and the shade of the boat.

Late spring and early autumn are the months for walking the coast and for having the bays more to yourself, though the sea is cooler. Summer brings heat, holiday crowds and the fullest timetables. Whichever month you pick, book early enough to get the boat and the date you want, and make your Goloritzé reservation before the boat if that bay is on your list.

Arbatax, Cala Gonone or Santa Maria Navarrese?

Where you start decides which coves are within reach. Arbatax is the port for the catamaran trip booked from this site, an 8-hour day with a live tour guide^[1]. It also has a Baunei Coast day tour by boat, 9 hours, from US$86^[8], and a 3-hour RIB trip to Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè, from US$69^[9]. Each harbour gives you a different first hour on the water, from the red rocks at Arbatax to the long cliffs further north. Cala Gonone and Santa Maria Navarrese are the natural starting points if you are staying up the coast.

From Cala Gonone, a cruise to Cala Goloritzè takes 7.5 hours and is listed from US$79^[15], and a dinghy cruise with swim stops is limited to 12 participants, listed from US$109^[19]. From Santa Maria Navarrese, a cruise to Cala Goloritzè, Cala Mariolu and Cala Biriala takes 8 hours and is listed from US$102^[20]. Comparing two or three listings against your own dates is the quickest way to see what the longer days and higher prices actually buy.

Booking, languages and what to pack

The catamaran trip booked from this site can be reserved now and paid for later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund^[1]. Guide languages vary by boat, so read the listing before you choose. The Arbatax catamaran has a live tour guide in English, French, Italian and Spanish^[1], the RIB from Arbatax has a driver who speaks English and Italian^[9], and the Cala Gonone dinghy cruise has a live guide in Italian and English^[19]. If you need a language that is not on a listing, book a boat that has it rather than hoping for a translation on the day.

Pack light and pack for sun: a hat, sun cream, a towel, drinking water and a light layer for the ride home when the boat picks up speed. Shoes with grip help on wet decks and on pebbles that get hot in the afternoon. If you are driving a dinghy yourself, bring a dry bag for phones, a cool bag for lunch, and ask about fuel and the safety briefing before you leave the harbour.

Plan your Orosei boat day

1. Pick your port

   Arbatax, Cala Gonone and Santa Maria Navarrese all have boats, and each one puts different coves within easy reach of the harbour.

2. Choose shared or small group

   From a catamaran with a live guide to a small skippered dinghy, the size of the boat sets the mood of the day.

3. Check the Goloritzé rule

   Access to Cala Goloritzé needs a reservation from April to October and is limited to 250 people at the same time.^[6]

4. Book with free cancellation

   The Arbatax catamaran offers reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[1]

5. Pack for sun and water

   Bring a hat, sun cream, a towel and a light layer for the ride home, and check the month you are travelling before you pack.

Worth knowing