Private boat tour in La Maddalena: skippered boats, RIBs and rental without a licence

A private boat tour in La Maddalena turns the maths of the big shared boats upside down: you pay for the boat, not for each seat, and the only people aboard are you and the skipper. You fix the departure time, you can ask to skip a crowded cove, and you can head home early when the children have had enough. The sums start to work from six passengers up; for two, a day out can cost as much as a week of ferries.

This page compares the four private options that are genuinely worth your time, the all-inclusive motorboat from Palau, the private half day, the eight-seat RIB from La Maddalena and the snorkelling trip, plus rental without a licence. We cover the 40 hp rule, the park permit for private boats and the questions to ask before you hand over money.

At a glance

Formats compared: private, rental, catamaran, motor ship

The full comparison of shared boats sits in our guide to the archipelago boat tour.

The skippered private tours

All-inclusive full day from Palau

This is the private listing with the most feedback behind it: 4.9 from 25 reviews according to GetYourGuide. A skippered motorboat for up to 10 people, 9:30 am to 5 pm from pier 5 at the marina in Palau, with fuel, aperitivo (drinks with snacks) and lunch included. Beyond a swimsuit, there is nothing to organise. For an extended family or a group of friends, this is where we would start.

The private half day

Four hours, morning or afternoon, again from Palau. It carries only 3 reviews (5.0) according to GetYourGuide, so judge it on the description rather than the score. It is the right shape of day with children under four, who run out of patience after three stops, and for anyone who wants an afternoon afloat and an evening in Palau. We line it up against the other short trips on the page about half-day boat tours.

The 8.50 m RIB from La Maddalena

An 8.50 m RIB with an awning, up to 8 people, leaving from La Maddalena, rated 4.9 from 9 reviews on GetYourGuide. The listed route takes in Cala Soraya, a natural pool, Cala Coticcio on Caprera and a pass along the town front. A RIB slips into places a motorboat cannot reach and planes quickly between islands, but you sit on the tubes and you take spray when the sea gets up.

Private trip with snorkelling

The Delfino Bianco trip leaves from La Maddalena and is built around a day with mask and snorkel; 4.6 from 3 reviews according to GetYourGuide, with duration and price on the listing. Ask which underwater spots are planned and whether the kit is provided.

Insider tip: Cala Coticcio is the single biggest argument for going private. Since 2021 the park authority has capped access on foot and you may only walk in with an authorised guide; from the water a boat can stop in the bay under the park rules, and at 10 am the cove is still empty. Ask your skipper to make it the first call of the day.

Boat rental without a licence: the 40 hp rule

In Italy no boating licence is required to handle a craft with an engine up to 40 hp (30 kW). Rental firms in Palau and La Maddalena run 5–6 m RIBs on exactly that limit, from spring through to October. The guided rental on GetYourGuide, a Capelli Tempest with a 40 hp engine, is precisely this: a RIB with a guide on hand and no licence requirement, leaving from La Maddalena. The price is on the listing, which is new and carries no reviews yet: no-licence RIB.

What changes compared with a skippered trip:

• Park permit. According to the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, private boats need a navigation permit, daily or longer, priced by hull length and bought online from the park authority. With a skipper, the operator holds its own authorisation. On a rental the permit is normally down to you, so ask about it directly.
• Fuel. Almost always excluded on a rental; included on the all-inclusive day.
• Anchoring. Forbidden on Posidonia seagrass; mooring buoys exist in the main coves. If you cannot read the seabed from the surface, take the skipper.
• Liability. Deposit, excess, a propeller meeting granite: all yours.
• Weather. The rental firm can refuse to let the boat go out in a mistral, and if it does let you go, getting back in time is your problem.

Several firms on the island and in Palau rent with and without a skipper. We list them on our local operators page, without prices, because those change every season.

Does it pay? The arithmetic by group size

The price per boat divides by the number of passengers. Without quoting figures you will find on the listing, the reasoning runs like this:

• 2 people. The cost per head sits well above a shared catamaran at €150–200. It makes sense for a special occasion, or to have Cala Coticcio to yourselves.
• 4 people. The cost per head lands close to a catamaran, with flexibility and privacy on top. With small children, private wins.
• 6 people. The cost per head drops below the catamaran and the day is built around you.
• 8–10 people. The cost per head approaches a €76 motor ship, with lunch and aperitivo included on the all-inclusive boat and nobody queueing for the ladder.

Do the sums with the children counted in: the limit of 8 or 10 is people, not adults.

Insider tip: before booking a private boat for two, add up the fare for the catamaran with lunch twice over and set it against the per-boat price on the listing. If private costs more than double, the catamaran buys you the same quiet water for a fraction of the money.

What to ask before you book

1. How many people maximum, and what minimum age. Some boats will not take babies.
2. What is included: fuel, aperitivo, lunch, water, masks and snorkels, towels.
3. The exact time and pier, and how early to turn up.
4. Is the route fixed or decided on board? The second answer is the whole point of going private.
5. What happens in strong wind: new date, refund, or a shortened trip.
6. Who pays the park contribution, and whether any landing fee is due in cash.
7. For a rental: deposit, excess, park permit, fuel, return time, and what happens if the engine fails.

The GetYourGuide listings quoted here allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later, so use them to hold a date at no risk.

When to book a private boat tour

The season runs from April to late October. June and September are the strongest months for going private: sea at 20–21 °C in June and 22–23 °C in late September, coves half empty even at midday, and lower per-boat prices than in August. Between 15 July and 31 August the private boats are few and they go before the catamarans, so book one to two weeks ahead.

The mistral is most frequent in spring and autumn. A RIB feels wind sooner than a motor ship, so your skipper may cancel on a day when the big boats still sail; in return, on a calm day, that same skipper picks sheltered coves the shared boats never touch. On timing, the 9:30 am departure on the all-inclusive boat is half an hour ahead of the motor ships, which buys you the first cove empty.

What a private day looks like

There is no fixed route, and that is the point. A typical run out of Palau in calm weather takes in:

• Santo Stefano, barely out of the harbour, with Cala Villamarina for the first swim.
• Spargi, Cala Corsara if it is quiet, otherwise Cala Granara or Cala Connari.
• Budelli, a pass in front of Spiaggia Rosa (the Pink Beach, viewed from the water only under park rules) and a swim at Porto della Madonna, the natural pools between Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria; you can land at Spiaggia del Cavaliere for the viewpoint over the pink sand.
• Santa Maria, with lunch at Cala Santa Maria.
• Caprera, Cala Coticcio on the way home if the wind allows, and Cala Napoletana as the fallback.

From La Maddalena, the private RIB starts inside the archipelago and has more time for Caprera. Cove-by-cove notes are in our guide to the islands, and the rules for Cala Coticcio have a page of their own.

How to save

• Fill the boat. This is the only real lever: 8 people instead of 4 halves the cost per head.
• Take the half day. The four-hour private trip costs less than a full day and is plenty with small children.
• Go in June, September or October. Lower per-boat prices and empty coves.
• All-inclusive against extras. A fare covering fuel, aperitivo and lunch can work out cheaper than a bare rental once you add the park permit, petrol and a meal.
• Not included. Check snorkelling kit, any cash landing contribution and parking in Palau, where the free spaces are taken by 9:30 am in August.

Getting to the harbour

The all-inclusive day and the private half day leave from the marina in Palau, pier 5 for the first of them. Palau is about 40 km (25 miles) and 45 minutes from Olbia Costa Smeralda airport, which has summer flights from several UK airports, and ARST buses take 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 (timetables on ARST). There is paid parking beside the harbour and in the multi-storey car park. More detail on the page about boat tours from Palau.

The private RIB, the snorkelling trip and the no-licence rental all leave from La Maddalena: from Palau the Delcomar and Maddalena Lines ferries take 15 to 20 minutes, run frequently and carry cars (timetables on Delcomar and Maddalena Lines). The exact meeting point is on the listing, and our La Maddalena page covers the harbour and parking.

What to bring on board

• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat with a cord: the wind never drops on a RIB.
• A UV shirt for the children and a sweatshirt for the run home.
• Water shoes: granite and sea urchins in every cove.
• Mask and snorkel, unless they are included.
• A dry bag, because spray on a RIB reaches everything.
• Water and snacks, above all on a rental, where there is no galley.
• Cash for a landing contribution or for fuel.
• Seasickness tablets for anyone who needs them.
• For a rental: photo ID and a charged phone for the rental firm.

According to the Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, taking sand, shells or pebbles is forbidden, as are fires and camping on the smaller islands, and drones need permission from the park authority. The full rulebook is on our national park page.

Booking a private boat tour in La Maddalena

For six people or more who want a day with nothing to organise, the private boat tour in La Maddalena we recommend first is the all-inclusive motorboat from Palau, with skipper, fuel, aperitivo and lunch for up to 10 aboard: check availability and the per-boat price. For Cala Coticcio and the tighter coves, look at the eight-seat RIB; for a short outing with toddlers, the four-hour private half day does the job. If you would rather steer yourself, rental without a licence gives you that freedom, with the park permit and the weather as the extra items on your list.