Guide · From San Teodoro

San Teodoro to Tavolara: the dinghy trips

San Teodoro sits at the southern end of the protected area, so its boats see the beaches of Capo Coda Cavallo before they reach Molara and Tavolara. Four well-rated trips leave from its harbor and its beaches.

Check availabilityfrom $87 · free cancellation

Editorial team, tavolaraboattour.comUpdated October 20, 20266-minute read12 sources

The tour for this guide From San Teodoro: Tavolara Archipelago Dinghy Grand Tour 4.9 (657 reviews) 6 hours from$87per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until 24 hrs before your boat

Quick answer

01This page's pick: The 6-hour grand tour from San Teodoro's harbor, rated 4.86 from 657 reviews, from $87.
02Shorter: The 3.5-hour mini tour from the same harbor, from $70.
03From the beach: A 6.5-hour five-island day from La Cinta, rated 4.91.
04Small and sheltered: A 4-hour RIB from Cala Suaraccia with at most 12 guests.
05Beach rule: Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu need a booking from 1 June to 30 September.¹

Why start from San Teodoro

If your holiday base is San Teodoro, you do not need to drive north to reach Tavolara. The town's tourist office says boat trips into the protected area leave from its beaches and include a swim at the Molara natural pools.² It describes the protected area as running from Capo Ceraso near Olbia to beyond Punta Isuledda in the south, so you start inside it.³

The southern start also changes what you see. Before the islands, the boats follow the white beaches and granite headlands of Capo Coda Cavallo, a strip of land that Tavolara shelters, with Molara and the islet of Proratora in front.⁴ From San Teodoro that coast is part of the trip from the first minutes, not a distant line on the horizon.

These trips use rubber dinghies or RIBs. They are quick between stops, ride close to the water and can reach small, shallow coves. Expect a bumpy ride if the wind is up, and sit near the stern if you prefer a softer seat. Wear something you do not mind getting splashed, keep sunglasses on a cord and put your phone in a dry bag before the boat speeds up between stops.

The grand tour, stop by stop

A day from San Teodoro's harbor

Start

San Teodoro harbor

Rubber boats with up to 12 passengers, a skipper and a guide.
40 minutes

Brandinchi Beach

Photo stop and free time on the white sand.
45 minutes

Molara

Swimming and snorkeling in the natural pools.
15 minutes

The Cathedral Cave

A sea cave under Tavolara's cliffs.
1.5 hours

Ashore on Tavolara

Lunch, a walk and a swim.
40 minutes

Cala Girgolu

A last swim before the ride home.

The grand tour from the harbor

This page's pick is the dinghy grand tour of the Tavolara archipelago. It leaves from San Teodoro's tourist harbor in rubber boats that take no more than 12 passengers each, with a skipper and a local guide. It lasts 6 hours, is rated 4.86 from 657 reviews and starts from $87.

The listed route is generous. It stops at Brandinchi Beach for 40 minutes, passes the islet of Proratora, gives 45 minutes to swim and snorkel at Molara, visits the Cathedral Cave under Tavolara and then lands on the island for 1.5 hours of lunch, walking and swimming. It ends with 40 minutes at Cala Girgolu before heading home. Before you go, look up Proratora, Cala Girgolu and Brandinchi on a map, so you can follow the route as you ride and recognise each stop as it comes.

Lunch is up to you: bring a packed meal or buy food at the island's bar. For parking, the operator points drivers to the MAST Museum in Via Stintino, a short walk from the boats, and bus riders to the Port & Museum stop on the Circular Line Centre. A private boat is also available on this listing for families or friends who want the dinghy to themselves.

Time out

Hours on the water, by San Teodoro trip

hours

Durations as each GetYourGuide listing states them.

Three San Teodoro trips

Grand tour, mini tour or the beach start

This page's pick

Grand tour

From the harbor

Hours: 6
On Tavolara: 1.5 hours
Price: from $87

See this trip

Shortest

Mini tour

From the harbor

Hours: 3.5
Molara: 30 minutes
Price: from $70

See this trip

Tavolara: 5 Islands tour from San Teodoro's beach

Most stops

Five islands

From La Cinta beach

Hours: 6.5
Check-in: 9:15 AM
Price: from $93

See this trip

Decision helper

Which San Teodoro boat is yours?

Match the trip to your day

I want to walk on Tavolara I have only half a day I want to start on the beach I worry about the wind I want the best rated

The grand tour

1.5 hours ashore for lunch and a walk.

The mini tour

3.5 hours with Molara and Brandinchi.

The five-island tour

Check in at Mediomare on La Cinta beach.

Cala Suaraccia RIB

The start is described as sheltered from Scirocco.

Cala Suaraccia RIB

Rated 4.95 from 199 reviews.

On the left side of the coast, after passing a small cliff, you will notice a pier, a landing point for boats that lead to the discovery of the protected area.

SardegnaTurismo (Regione Sardegna)Source 5

The mini tour: the same water in less time

If a whole day is too long, the same operator runs a mini tour of 3.5 hours from San Teodoro's port, also in small rubber boats with up to 12 passengers each. It starts from $70 and is rated 4.79 from 253 reviews.

The stops are shorter, and Tavolara is listed only as a photo stop. Its route lists 30 minutes at Brandinchi Beach, 15 minutes at Proratora's Grotta del Forno, 30 minutes of snorkeling at Molara, a 15-minute photo stop at Tavolara and a last swim at Capo Coda Cavallo. Snorkeling equipment is on board, so you can leave your own at home.

The mini tour suits families with young children, travelers who burn easily and anyone who wants half the day free for the beach. You see the islands from the water and swim in the best spots, then you are back in town with half the day still ahead.

Checklist

For a dinghy day from San Teodoro

Bring

ID or passport for the beach check-in
A packed lunch, or money for the island bar
A hat and a long-sleeved top for the open boat

Check

Which start: harbor, La Cinta or Cala Suaraccia
The Brandinchi booking rule in summer
How long your trip stops on Tavolara

Price check

San Teodoro boat trips for your group

Choose a trip and the number of travelers

Grand tour6 hoursfrom $87 Mini tour3.5 hoursfrom $70 Five islands6.5 hoursfrom $93 Cala Suaraccia RIB4 hoursfrom $105

People 2

Total from$173

pp from $87

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

SAN TEODORO, SARDINIA: 3 Must-See Beach Stops in Italy

Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.

Leaving from the beach: La Cinta and Cala Suaraccia

Two trips start straight from the sand. The five-island tour leaves from Mediomare on La Cinta beach, where you check in at 9:15 AM, 45 minutes before the tour, with an ID card or passport and a rental contract to sign. It lasts 6.5 hours, is rated 4.91 from 228 reviews and starts from $93.

Its route is the longest list of names on this page: Puntaldia, Lu Impostu, breakfast and a swim at Brandinchi, Isola Ruia, Proratora, 30 minutes at Molara, 1.5 hours with lunch on Tavolara, Isola Cana, Cala Girgolu and a last stop at Capo Coda Cavallo. La Cinta itself is San Teodoro's most famous beach, an arch of fine white dunes facing the island.⁶

The other beach start is at Cala Suaraccia, also called Le Farfalle, where a small pier serves boats that tour the protected area.⁵ Skipper Fabio, from a family of Molara fishermen, takes at most 12 guests on a maxi RIB licensed for 28, and says the start stays sheltered on days of Scirocco wind. It is rated 4.95 from 199 reviews.

Brandinchi, Lu Impostu and the beach-booking rule

Cala Brandinchi lies at Capo Coda Cavallo almost opposite Tavolara, in San Teodoro's territory, with very light sand and turquoise water much loved by snorkelers.⁷ Its twin, Lu Impostu, is a kilometre of white dunes dotted with junipers and mimosas.⁸ Both appear on the boat routes from San Teodoro, and both have their own rule in high summer.

From 1 June to 30 September, access to Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu needs a booking.¹ Visitors who are not residents, local taxpayers or guests of local accommodation pay a small fee per person, must book and may book at most 6 people at a time.⁹ If you arrive by boat on a tour, ask the operator how the landing is handled before you go.

Brandinchi also has a kiosk-bar, sunbed and umbrella rental, pedalos, canoes and paddleboards, and dinghies for hire to visit the protected area.¹⁰ If you would rather skipper yourself, that is an option, but the rules of the reserve apply to you just as they do to the tour boats. A self-drive dinghy also means reading the weather yourself, keeping clear of zone A and swimmers, and returning on time, so it suits experienced boaters more than first-timers.

Choosing your San Teodoro trip

Choose by time first. With a whole day and a wish to walk on Tavolara, take the grand tour or the five-island tour: both give you 1.5 hours on the island. With a morning or an afternoon to spare, the mini tour or the Cala Suaraccia RIB fit better, and the RIB still lists 70 minutes on Tavolara with a walk.

Then think about the start. The harbor trips are easy to reach by bus and have parking nearby; the beach trips start where you may already be spending the day. If the forecast shows Scirocco, the Cala Suaraccia operator says its start is sheltered from that wind. Whichever you pick, arrive early on the day to find the right boat without rushing.

All four return your money for a cancellation made 24 or more hours before the dinghy leaves, so you can book early and still change your plans if the forecast turns. In San Teodoro the protected area also runs an information point, a good place to ask about the rules before you head out.¹¹

Book your seat