Guide · Private boats

Private tour of Tavolara, small group or your own RIB

A boat with only your people on it, or a small group of ten or twelve: around Tavolara both are possible. Here is what the listings offer, what they leave open and when sharing is the smarter choice.

Check availabilityfrom $87 · free cancellation

Editorial team, tavolaraboattour.comUpdated October 20, 20266-minute read11 sources

The tour for this guide From Porto San Paolo: Tavolara & Molara Vintage Boat Tour 4.9 (303 reviews) 7 hours from$162per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until 24 hrs before your boat

Quick answer

01This page's pick: The Maria 1899 from Porto San Paolo: 7 hours, up to 12 guests, from $162.
02Truly private: A private RIB half day from the Olbia marina for up to 12 people.
03Private option: The San Teodoro dinghy tours can be booked as a private group.
04Smallest shared: This site's tour and the classic boat from Porto San Paolo take up to 10.
05Hiring a boat: Dinghies are for hire at Cala Brandinchi to visit the protected area.¹

Private, small group or shared?

Around Tavolara you can choose between three ways of being on the water. On a fully private boat only your party is aboard and the skipper follows your wishes within the rules of the reserve. On a small-group boat you share the deck with a handful of strangers, and on a larger boat you join whoever booked that day.

The difference is less about the sea than about the day. A private tour of Tavolara lets you choose when to swim, how long to linger and when to head home. A small group keeps that relaxed feel at a lower price, and a bigger boat suits travelers who enjoy company and want a fixed plan. Think too about who is coming: young children, a grandparent who needs shade or a friend who gets seasick all change which boat is right.

Whatever you book, the same rules apply. Tour boats need a permit to work in zones B and C of the protected area and may not enter zone A, and each may carry no more than 100 passengers.² ³ For guided snorkeling, a guide may lead no more than 10 people in the water at once.⁴

The small-group day

A long day from the Olbia marina

Start

Dock A, slip A2

Meet at the boat in front of the marina office.
45 minutes

Spiaggia del Dottore

The first swim and snorkel.
45 minutes

Tavolara

Swimming and marine life around the island.
45 minutes

Pools of Molara

Snorkeling in the clear pools.
2 hours

Brunch on board

Regional food and an aperitif.
Evening

Back in port

The return to the marina.

The small-group day from Olbia

The longest small-group day is the 8-hour trip run by Controvento Charter from the MOYS marina in Olbia, Dock A, slip A2. Its title promises a group of at most 12, and its rating of 4.99 from 291 reviews is the highest among the boats on this page.

The listed stops cover the highlights of the reserve: Spiaggia del Dottore, Tavolara and the pools of Molara, each for 45 minutes, with Cavalli island, Isola Piana, Cala Spalmatore, Spiaggia della Tartaruga and Capo Ceraso on the way. Snorkeling gear is included, and a 2-hour stop brings brunch and regional food on board, with an aperitif served with white wine and water.

The live guide speaks Italian, English, German, French and Spanish, and the boat returns to port in the evening. The operator advises bringing extra food and drinks for the day, and the itinerary can change with the weather. It starts from $179, with a full refund for cancellations made 24 hours or more ahead. For a day that long, pack a hat, a long-sleeved top and more water than you think you need.

Room on board

Most guests per trip, by boat

guests

Group limits as each listing states them; the 8-hour day states its limit in the title.

Three ways to keep it small

Wooden boat, classic boat or your own RIB

This page's pick

Maria 1899

Porto San Paolo

Hours: 7
Group: Up to 12
Price: from $162

See this boat

Porto San Paolo: Half Day Boat Tour to Tavolara and Molara

Up to 10 guests

Classic boat

Porto San Paolo

Hours: 4
Molara: 50 minutes
Price: from $93

See this boat

Private Tour of Piscine di Molara & Cala Girgolu - Half-Day from Olbia

Only your party

Private RIB

MOYS marina, Olbia

Hours: 4
Group: Up to 12
Price: from $749

See this boat

Decision helper

Which kind of boat is yours?

Start from who is coming along

We are celebrating something We want a long day at sea We need step-free access We want a half day, few people We want to skipper ourselves

The private RIB

Only your party on board, up to 12 people.

8-hour small group

Brunch on board and stops of 45 minutes each.

Maria 1899

Listed as wheelchair accessible.

This site's tour

Up to 10 guests, back at 1:30 PM.

Rent at Brandinchi

Dinghies for hire to visit the protected area.¹

For each site, a maximum of 2 boats may operate at the same time; each guide may lead no more than 10 people in the water at the same time.

Ministero dell'Ambiente (MASE) - D.M. 3 dicembre 2014, GU Serie Generale n.6 del 9-1-2015 (PDF)Source 4

Other small groups: a wooden boat and a classic one

This page's pick is the Maria 1899 from Porto San Paolo, the other long small-group day. Its listing limits the group to 12 for 7 hours, with stops at Spiaggia del Dottore, a secret stop, Molara with lunch, Tavolara and Cala Girgolu, and an aperitif on the way back. It is also listed as wheelchair accessible.

For a half day, two boats keep the group to 10. The family-run classic boat from Porto San Paolo spends 50 minutes at Molara with a coffee break and ends at the Isola dei Cavalli. This site's own tour from the Olbia marina also caps its group at 10, with snorkeling gear for everyone and an aperitif at a secret stop.

For a family, a small group can feel almost private, especially once everyone is in the water. Compare the total for your party on a shared boat with the total for a private one before you decide, and weigh what each includes.

Checklist

Before you book a private or small boat

Ask the operator

How many guests share the boat
Whether food and drinks are included
What happens if the weather turns

If you rent

Bring the licence the boat requires
Ask where the military zone and zone A lie
Never anchor over seagrass

Price check

Small-group seats for your party

Per-seat boats only; set your group size

8-hour small groupOlbiafrom $179 Maria 1899Porto San Paolofrom $162 Classic boatPorto San Paolofrom $93 This site's tourOlbiafrom $87

People 2

Total from$357

pp from $179

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each trip's lowest per-seat GetYourGuide price by your party size, converted at the day's ECB rate; the booking page shows the exact sum.

Video

Renting a boat in Sardinia - best locations for boating around Olbia and Tavolara island

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A fully private boat

For a boat of your own from Olbia, there is a private half day to the Molara pools and Cala Girgolu on a Marlin 850 HD Pro GT inflatable boat for up to 12 people. Check-in is at 9:00 AM at berth A3 on Pier A of the MOYS marina; the boat leaves at 9:30 and returns at 1:00 PM.

The skipper, fuel, an aperitif with local products and wine, and a snorkeling kit are included, and if the weather stops the trip the operator refunds it in full. It starts from $749, has no reviews yet, and its listing leaves open whether that figure is per boat or per guest, so enter your party size when you book and check the total.

In San Teodoro, the grand tour and the mini tour by dinghy can both be booked as a private group. That gives you the operator's usual route, with Brandinchi, Molara and Tavolara, and only your party on board. Ask the San Teodoro operator for the private price for your exact group before you book, so you can compare it with the shared seats.

RIB rental: skippering yourself

If you hold the right licence and know the sea, a RIB rental gives you the most freedom of all. At Cala Brandinchi, for example, dinghies are for hire to visit the protected area, alongside pedalos, canoes and paddleboards.¹ The reserve also sets a daily cap on rental and charter boats: 1,923 people in total, under the 2025 rulebook.⁵

Freedom comes with duties. Zone A is closed to navigation, and in zones B and C motor boats must keep to 5 knots within 300 metres of the coast and 10 knots out to 600 metres.⁶ ⁷ Anchoring is banned on seagrass anywhere and allowed in zones B and C only on sand or pebbles, and jet skis are banned throughout.⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰

The reserve's mooring buoys at Molara and Tavolara are kept for operators who carry passengers.¹¹ Ask the rental desk where you may anchor, where the military zone lies and what the forecast says, and come back early if the wind rises. A skippered boat removes all of that worry. If in doubt, start with a guided day to learn the coast, then rent on a later visit.

How to choose

Choose a fully private boat for a celebration, a proposal or a family who want to set their own pace. Choose a small group for most of the same freedom at a lower total, and a shared tour of Tavolara on a bigger boat if you enjoy company and a fixed plan. There is no wrong answer, only the one that fits your group and your budget.

Ask before you pay: what is included, whether food is on board or you bring your own, which language the guide speaks and what happens if the weather turns. The 8-hour day lists brunch on board but also suggests bringing extra food, and the private RIB refunds you in full if the trip cannot run.

Whatever you choose, every boat on this page refunds you in full when you cancel a day or more ahead, at least 24 hours before departure, which takes much of the risk out of booking early. Book as soon as your dates are firm in July and August, and keep a spare day in case the sea is rough.

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