Scandola Nature Reserve Boat Tour from Ajaccio

From Ajaccio along the west coast of Corsica

The day begins at 08:00 at Quai Napoléon in Ajaccio harbour, beside the citadel and the old town. Leaving the Gulf of Ajaccio past Parata Point and the Sanguinaires islands, the boat turns north along one of the least developed coastlines in the Mediterranean, where maquis-covered mountains drop steeply into the sea and villages are few and far apart.

On the way you cross the wide Gulf of Sagone and pass the headlands near Cargèse, a village founded by Greek settlers in the 17th century, before entering the Gulf of Porto. This first part of the cruise takes a couple of hours and is a good time to settle in on deck. Many travellers looking for Ajaccio day trips choose this tour because it reaches places no road can.

The Calanche de Piana

The Calanche de Piana are a chaos of red and pink granite pinnacles, needles and arches rising up to about 400 metres above the Gulf of Porto, below the village of Piana. Wind and sea spray have carved the rock into strange shapes that locals compare to animals and faces, and the colour changes from orange to deep red with the sun.

A Calanche de Piana boat tour shows them from below, where the cliffs look most dramatic and the water beneath them is a deep, clear blue. The boat slows down along the base of the rocks so you can photograph the sea caves and narrow inlets. The Calanche are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Gulf of Porto, listed in 1983.

The Scandola Nature Reserve

Scandola is a rugged peninsula on the north side of the Gulf of Porto, protected as a nature reserve since 1975 and listed by UNESCO with the Calanche and Girolata. Its cliffs were formed by ancient volcanic eruptions, leaving dark red rock, columns that look like organ pipes, arches and caves that the boat explores slowly along the shore.

The reserve is a refuge for ospreys, which nest on the rocky pinnacles, as well as cormorants and other seabirds, while the clear water shelters groupers and posidonia meadows. Landing, fishing and diving are strictly controlled, so the only way to see Scandola is from a boat. Is Scandola worth visiting? It is often called the most spectacular coastline in Corsica, and this cruise is the heart of the day.

The village of Girolata

Girolata is a tiny fishing village in a sheltered bay on the edge of the reserve, overlooked by a 17th-century Genoese fort on a rocky spur. There is no road: the village can be reached only by sea or by a mule path of about one and a half hours on foot from the Col de la Croix, which is why so many visitors ask how to get to Girolata and choose a boat.

The boat stops here for free time, usually around the middle of the day. You can have lunch at one of the small restaurants along the beach, at your own expense, swim from the pebbly shore, or walk up towards the fort for a view over the bay. A Girolata boat trip is the easiest way to enjoy this car-free village and its slow, quiet pace.

The return cruise and practical tips

In the afternoon the boat sails back south along the coast to Ajaccio, often taking a slightly different line so you see the cliffs in different light. The return takes a couple of hours, arriving in the early evening, about 9 hours after departure. On a sunny day this is a good time to relax on deck and watch the coastline slip by.

The best time to visit Scandola by boat is from May to September, when the sea is calmer and the light is long. The open coast can be choppy, so travellers prone to seasickness should take precautions before boarding. Bring water, snacks, sun protection and a light jacket, as no food or drinks are included on board.