Piana Calanques & Scandola Small-Group Boat Tour from Porto

Porto harbour and the start of the tour

The tour leaves from the small harbour of Porto, a village at the mouth of the Porto river framed by red mountains and a sixteenth-century Genoese tower. The harbour faces west into the sea, with Piana to the south and Scandola to the north, so boats reach both coastlines quickly and spend their time among the cliffs rather than in transit.

Things to do in Porto before or after your boat trip include the short climb to the tower, a walk through the eucalyptus grove by the beach, and a stroll along the river to the old Genoese bridge upstream. Arrive in good time in summer, when the village is busy and parking near the harbour is limited.

Calanques de Piana boat tour

The Calanques de Piana are a wall of pink and red granite rising straight from the sea between Porto and Capo Rosso. Wind, rain and salt have hollowed the rock into towers, arches and caves, and locals see animals and faces in the strangest shapes. On a small boat the skipper can glide through natural arches and nose into sea caves where the water turns an intense turquoise.

Is a Calanques de Piana boat tour worth it? From the road above you see the rock towers; from the water you understand their scale. The Piana section lasts about an hour and a half on the shorter option and forms the first part of the full route. Afternoon light makes the granite glow red, while late morning brings the clearest water.

Scandola Nature Reserve

North of Porto lies the Scandola Nature Reserve, created in 1975 and listed by UNESCO in 1983 together with Piana and Girolata. Its cliffs come from ancient volcanic activity and show dark red porphyry, faults and long basalt columns. No road reaches the peninsula, and landing, fishing and diving are tightly controlled, so marine life is unusually rich.

From the boat you can look down into translucent water where colourful fish swim near the surface, and on lucky days dolphins ride the bow. Ospreys nest on rock pinnacles here. The Scandola-only option lasts about two and a half hours and includes Girolata; on the full route the reserve follows Piana.

Girolata village and its cove

Girolata is a hamlet in a deep green cove on the edge of the reserve, with no road at all. Its square Genoese fort, built in the seventeenth century, still watches over the moorings, and the few houses behind the beach are supplied by boat. Hikers reach it on a mule track of about two hours, but most visitors see it, as you do, from the sea. In summer yachts anchor in the cove, while in spring and autumn it feels almost deserted.

The skipper usually slows in the cove so you can photograph the fort, the beach and the steep red hills behind. The contrast between the turquoise water and the dark maquis is one of the most memorable sights of the day.

Swim stop in a clear cove

Before heading back on the full route, the boat stops in a sheltered cove with crystal-clear water so you can dive in and cool off in the Mediterranean. The exact spot depends on the wind and the sea that day, and the skipper chooses the calmest place. The water here is often so clear that you can see the rocky seabed several metres below, with small fish darting between the stones.

Bring swimwear and a towel, and wear them under your clothes to save time. On the way back to Porto the late sun often lights the cliffs in shades of orange and gold, a fine end to a sea adventure along the most beautiful stretch of the Corsican coast.