Kayaking in Sardinia: The 7 Best Itineraries

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Kayaking in Sardinia: The 7 Best Itineraries

 

In Sardinia, kayaking is a recommended activity, and one of the best ways to commune with nature. Here in Sardinia Kayak can be practiced both at sea or by the river, in both summer and in winter, and obviously, during spring and autumn as well, if it doesn’t rain too much during the season.

 

Enjoy the surrounding nature, discover unreachable and remote places, and you may be able to get to know the “inhabitants” of this places, like ducks, geese, kingfishers, swans and herons, while exploring caves or bays, and experiencing the thrill of an unforgettable night trip. There’s plenty of reasons to go on a canoe trip in Sardinia.

 

One of the factors that need to be taken into consideration in addition to the chance of rain are, undoubtedly, the conditions of the wind: for those who are fond of “windy” sports there are many options in Sardinia , but when it comes to kayak excursions, especially if you’re a beginner or if it’s your first experience, the best advice to follow is taking into account that the force of the wind may vary, and lead to the creation of ripples in the water, especially at sea.

 

While the canoes used in rivers must be manageable because of the variable current, the canoes used at sea ​​need to be fast enough to be able to follow the navigation: that is the reason why sea canoes are longer and streamlined compared to those used in rivers.

 

As an example, so that even the ones with less experience can understand, consider that one of the parameters used to evaluate the speed of the canoe is the relationship between its length and its width: the higher the ratio, the faster the canoe. Fair warning: we advise against beginners and novices going too fast on a canoe, because the navigation may become less and less stable, therefore increasing the difficulty of control.

 

There’s a lot of routes available for kayaking in Sardinia: more than 60. In this article we have selected 7, classifying them to offer a different experience in terms of environmental context.

 

So, grab a windbreaker, which can always be useful when on a canoe, and let’s go!

 

 

 

The 7 best routes for Kayaking in Sardinia.

 

The 7 Sardinian itineraries that we have selected for you are perfect for kayaking. We listed them in order, from North to South, in a clockwise direction. When arranging this list we considered, as previously mentioned,  different types of naturalistic contexts, so as to give a wider range of choices. In addition to that, for each itinerary we also included the nearest hotels in which we suggest you to stay, each of these being part of the  Wonderful Sardinia collection.

Here’s a quick rundown of what we have prepared for you: an itinerary by river, one by the lake, one located by an archipelago, two located by some islets and the rest by the sea. Something for everybody’s taste!

 

Starting from the North we have the Coghinas River, in the Anglona region.

Then we move to La Maddalena  and then again to Porto Taverna-Isola di Molara.

As a fourth itinerary we suggest Lake Cedrino in Baronìa, a sub-region neighbouring the Barbagia.  Here you could also experience indoor canoeing.

From here we descend to Ogliastra discovering the beautiful coasts between Cardedu.

Finally, in Southern Sardinia, we propose visiting Villasimius and then Chia.

 

 

 

Kayak in The Coghinas River

 

Our first suggestion is the navigation of a river: the Coghinas River is the third river in all Sardinia, with his source in Gallura and its mouth in the Gulf of Asinara in Valledoria.

The river is 116 km long, but the best stretch for the perfect excursion is the mouth of the river, offering a spectacular landscape in the last km of the Coghinas. Starting from the Terme di Casteldoria, you can admire the steam that, created by the hot water, surfaces the river, along with reeds, mediterranean scrub and animals like herons, kingfishers, ducks, gulls and hawks. For this reason, we highly advise you to always have your camera ready.

Difficulty level: low

 

Where to stay: Torreruja Hotel Relax Thalasso & SPA.

 

 

 

Kayak at the Maddalena

 

Here, to get the best out of the canoe excursion, more than one day is needed, since half a day or even a whole day are not enough. Of course, it is also possible to have a shorter trip of a few hours, but the Maddalena Archipelago deserves a more detailed visit, since there are so many beauties to see.

So, let’s prepare our camping tent and start our first day by visiting Caprera and the island of Garibaldi, where it is possible to admire wonderful beaches like that of the Relitto, along with ancient fortifications and wonderful bays.

The second day is spent at the Island of La Maddalena, where the iconic granite looks its best in Bassa Trinita, together with the various beaches of the main island of the Archipelago.

On the third day you’ll be able to admire the island of Santo Stefano: former Nato base, monuments from the Second World War and fortifications from the Napoleonic era can be found.

Finally, on the fourth day, we’ll start heading back passing either through Palau, or eventually Cannigione.

 

Difficulty level: high (primarily because of the long itinerary)

 

Where to stay: Resort Cala di Falco.

 

 

 

Kayak in Porto Taverna and by the Isle of Molara

 

Porto Taverna is a beautiful town, just above San Teodoro, between Costa Dorata and Capo Coda Cavallo.

In front of Porto Taverna are the islets of Molara and Tavolara, and here different canoe excursions depart, directly from for the Protected Marine Area of Tavolara. All canoe excursions start in the morning, usually heading back in the evening and visiting various points of attraction such as Gilgolu Beach, Punta Pedrosu, Isola Cana, Molara Island, Piscine Beach, Cala di Chiesa and Cala Spagnola.

Beautiful beaches, granite rocks, rugged coastline and deep shades of blue blue sea, forming uncontaminated enviroments that will make every kayaker approaching this landscape fall in love.

Difficulty level: mid-high

 

Where to stay: Paradise Resort & SPA.

 

 

 

Kayak in Lago Cedrino

 

Lake Cedrino is an artificial lake located in the province of Nuoro, established in 1984 near Dorgali, a few kilometers from Oliena.

 

Here you’ll be able to enjoy wonderful views, lush vegetation, hills and mountains all around. In addition to trekking or going on boat trips, we highly recommend you taking a kayak trip, to commune with nature: each organized excursion can be done using 1 or 2-seater canoes, and you’ll be able to admire beautiful mountains, living an amazing experience close to herons, cormorants, wild boars and mouflons roaming the shores of the lake. One-hour and half-day excursions can be arranged.

Difficulty level: extremely low

 

Where to stay: Hotel Su Gologone.

 

 

 

Kayak in Ogliastra

 

You can not exclude this beautiful sub-region from a kayak trip: the Ogliastra is something really magical. There is a vast selection of both very easy and more complicated itineraries.

We usually suggest a simple, 3 hours, itinerary with a length of 8 km, suitable for children as well, so as to offer a solution even for the little ones.

The trip starts from the beach of Cardedu, descending through Coccorocci beach, under the Marina di Gairo. Here are 3 different stops: Cala Su Sirboni, a small stretch of light sandbanks bordered by two rocky headlands, Capo d’Asta, with shallow and transparent waters, and Cala Luas.

 

Difficulty level: extremely low

 

Where to stay: Experience Hotel Corte Bianca.

 

 

 

Kayak in Villasimius

 

In Villasimius, one of the most famous places in South Sardinia, we offer a full day tour since the wide variety of things to see.

The tour starts from Old Fort Beach and reaches the Isola dei Cavoli, where you’ll be able to visit the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia. In Isola dei Cavoli you may even see peregrine falcons, cormorants, bertes and gulls.

Leaving the kayak on the shore you’ll also be able to visit the Faro dei Cavoli, 40 meters high, built in the early twentieth century, from which is possible to admire the amazing view on the Gulf of Carbonara.

Difficulty level: medium

 

Where to stay: Hotel Cala Caterina.

 

 

 

Kayak to Chia

 

For our last itinerary, let’s end on a high note discovering Chia.

More specifically, we’ll start our Kayak tour from the caribbean Tuerredda!

This itinerary has the flavour of history: from Tuerredda to Capo Malfatano and along the way you’ll be able to admire towers that in the past have played an important role in protecting the island. Between coves and jagged rocks you’ll find Torre di Piscinnì, an ancient Spanish watchtower. From here you can either go back or continue walking further along the west coast.

 

Difficulty level: mid-high

 

Where to stay: Hotel Village – Chia Laguna Resort.

 

 

 

This is just an overview of our suggestions, and obviously the options for Kayaking in Sardinia are more abundant, all you have to do to learn about new routes or book one of those already proposed by is to contact us.

 

 

Giulio Sacripanti

 

 

All the rights to the cover photo are reserved by Wonderful Sardinia.

 

 

 

 



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