Smeralda Boats review: sailing and catamaran days from Cannigione to the La Maddalena Archipelago

Smeralda Boats is a charter company registered in Arzachena that runs full-day sailing, catamaran and RIB excursions into the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, most often from the marina at Cannigione on the Gulf of Arzachena. It is a different animal from the big motor ships that leave the same gulf every morning: ten guests on a sailing yacht, a skipper who chooses the coves on the day, and a pasta lunch cooked on board.

Smeralda Boats reviews are among the strongest we have seen for any operator in the area, so if you are weighing a Smeralda Boats La Maddalena day against the motor ships, it pays to know what is verifiable on the company’s site, what reviewers keep repeating, and what is left unsaid.

What they offer

The site is organised around three products, all sold as full days:

• Sailing excursions on a monohull, with Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria and Caprera named as the pool of destinations. The wording is that guests become “commanders for the day” and choose among the islands according to the weather, so there is no fixed sequence of stops.
• Catamaran excursions with the same island list, sold from Cannigione and Porto Cervo.
• RIB excursions (escursioni in gommone in the Italian version), described as fast, low-consumption and low-impact. No RIB models or self-drive terms are published, so treat this as skippered.

Beyond day trips, the sailing page also mentions weekly cruises, and “personalised tours, just ask” covers private charter. Departure ports listed across the site are Cannigione, Porto Rotondo, Porto Cervo, Poltu Quatu, Palau and Santa Teresa di Gallura; Cannigione is the one that reviews and the Tripadvisor listing tie the company to.

A realistic full sailing day from Cannigione means heading north past Caprera into the park, two or three anchorages, and a return in the late afternoon. Expect Cala Corsara on Spargi and the Porto della Madonna pools between Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria to feature when the wind allows; the Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli is viewed from the water only, since landing there has been forbidden since 1994.

Boats and comfort

Two vessels are described on the site:

• D’Artagnan, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43, 13.21 m long, licensed for a maximum of ten guests.
• A Privilege 482 catamaran, 15 m long and 8 m wide, with five double cabins. The catamaran page does not state a day-trip capacity, so ask.

Snorkelling is included in the description of both. Reviewers describe the boat as clean and the atmosphere as relaxed, and several mention that the crew handled children well. Neither vessel is built for speed: a sailing day covers fewer miles than a RIB, which is the point.

Prices and what’s included

Smeralda Boats prices are not published on the website as of September 2026. Quotes are given by WhatsApp or email. Included on the day, according to the site and consistent with reviews: an aperitif, a pasta course, swimming stops and snorkelling. Reviews describe fresh antipasti of Sardinian products, a seafood pasta, and a Sardinian white wine.

Ask specifically about:

• The park contribution. Operators hold their own park authorisations; a small per-person amount is sometimes collected separately, so check.
• Child pricing and the minimum age they accept on the sailing yacht.
• What happens when the mistral blows: whether you get a new date or a refund.

What customers say

On Tripadvisor the company shows a 5.0 rating from 1,081 reviews and ranks first of seven “Nature & Parks” listings in Cannigione, checked September 2026. That volume is unusual for a ten-guest boat and points to many seasons of consistent days.

The recurring themes:

• The skipper, referred to as Captain Marco in many reviews, for his knowledge of the archipelago, his humour and his care for guests.
• The first mate, named as Mattia, for the cooking and for helping nervous swimmers.
• Reaching small coves with no other boats, which the motor ships from the gulf cannot do.
• The lunch, mentioned in almost every review we read.

We found no recurring complaints among the visible reviews. Our own caveats: a sailing day is weather-dependent in a way a motor ship is not, so a windless day means motoring and a windy one may mean cancellation; and with ten places per day, peak-season availability is tight.

Departure logistics

Cannigione is a village on the Gulf of Arzachena, about 15 km from Palau. The marina has paid parking; arrive with time to spare in July and August. The exact pontoon is given when you book, since the company does not run a kiosk. Guests staying on the Costa Smeralda can ask for a Porto Cervo or Poltu Quatu departure instead, which saves the drive around the gulf.

For the alternatives that leave from the same village, see our guide to boat tours from Cannigione.

Insider tip: Cannigione sits deep in the gulf, so the first stretch is transit. Ask for a Palau departure if you want more time in the park and less on the way there; Palau is two nautical miles from La Maddalena.

Who should book it, and who should not

Book Smeralda Boats if you want a sailing yacht or catamaran with a small group, a cooked lunch and a skipper who picks the coves on the day. It suits couples, groups of friends who can fill the boat for a private day, and families with children who are confident in the water.

It is the wrong choice if you want to tick off all seven islands in one day, if you are prone to seasickness on a heeling boat, or if you need a published price and a click-to-book confirmation. For a comparison of sailing versus motor formats, read our catamaran and sailing guide.

How to book

Direct only, as far as we could verify: WhatsApp or phone on the number on the site, or email, with contact hours of 08:00–20:00 seven days a week. We did not find Smeralda Boats on GetYourGuide. If you want the safety net of free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, that means booking a different operator through the platform. All the companies we have profiled are listed on the operators hub.

Insider tip: Ask which boat you are on. The monohull and the catamaran are different days: the catamaran is steadier at anchor and has more flat deck for children; the monohull heels and feels more like sailing.

Alternatives you can book online

For a Cannigione departure with instant confirmation, GetYourGuide lists the Caprera, Spargi, Budelli and Santa Maria boat tour, the highest-rated motor tour from the village at the time of writing, and the full-day cruise from Cannigione with free time in La Maddalena town. For a catamaran with lunch and a maximum of twelve guests, the Palau catamaran tour with lunch is the closest match to the Smeralda Boats format. Browse all La Maddalena boat tours to compare.