La Maddalena Private Boat Tour: What It Costs and Who It Suits

Most boat days in the La Maddalena archipelago are shared, priced per person and sold by the seat. A boat for your group alone exists too, and it is less exotic than it sounds: a skippered 8.5-metre RIB costs $673 for the boat and takes up to ten guests (October 2026 price). For two people that is a lot of money. For four or more, it starts to undercut the small-group boats, and at ten it costs about what a seat on the big day-trip boats does.

The private boat: an 8.5-metre RIB with a skipper

The La Maddalena Archipelago: Private Trip by Zodiac (RIB) 8.50 is run by the Consorzio Velieri d’Epoca. You board at 9:30 at pier 5 in Palau, in La Maddalena town or at Poltu Quatu, and you are back at 16:45. The day has four long stops: Cala Soraya on Spargi, the natural pool of Porto della Madonna off Budelli (about two hours), Cala Coticcio on Caprera, or Baia di Nelson on Santo Stefano when the weather says so, and an hour in the old town of La Maddalena. The boat has a sun awning, a bathing ladder, a stereo and a freshwater shower.

What the price includes: the boat, a local skipper and the national park entry; snorkelling gear on request. What it leaves out: fuel, which the listing charges on top, and food and drinks, so bring a picnic or stop for lunch in La Maddalena. It is rated 4.8/5 from 11 reviews and was still taking bookings for the next day when we checked in late October 2026.

What a private boat costs per person

One price for the boat means the cost per head falls with every guest. Against the per-person options sailing from the same ports:

Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 check of the GetYourGuide listings; the private RIB’s fuel is extra. Operators change prices by season, so treat these as the shape of the market, not a quote.

The private boat is cheaper per head than the nine-seat RIB from four people, and cheaper than the speedboat from five. Three seats on the catamaran with lunch ($224 each) cost $672, the same as the whole private RIB, although the catamaran includes lunch and wine and the RIB does not include fuel.

Which boat for which group

Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check; operators use seasonal pricing, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Between the two private-feel options sits the From Palau: La Maddalena Archipelago Tour, an inflatable boat limited to nine guests from the Cala Casotto harbour in Palau, with a paddleboard on board and the park ticket included, at $202 a head (4.8/5 from 44 reviews). It is shared, but a group of four takes almost half the seats, which is close to a private day.

Palau, La Maddalena or Cannigione: where to leave from

• Palau is the main port for archipelago day trips, and the private RIB, the small-group RIB, the speedboat and the big shared boats all start there. Operators warn that summer traffic into Palau is heavy, so leave early.
• La Maddalena town is a pickup option for the private RIB and the shared Palau boats, handy if you are staying on the island.
• Cannigione, Baja Sardinia and Laconia, on the Costa Smeralda side, are the departure ports of the Northern Sardinia: La Maddalena Archipelago Boat Trip, a shared eight-hour day at $70 a head with a pasta lunch.
• Santa Teresa Gallura, on the north-west tip facing the archipelago, has its own shared day, the From Santa Teresa Gallura: La Maddalena Full-Day Boat Tour: eight hours, beach stops at Spargi and Santa Maria and an hour in La Maddalena town, with a pasta course cooked on board, for $70 a head (4.3/5 from 1,581 reviews).
• Poltu Quatu, a marina near Porto Cervo, is the third pickup point of the private RIB, with a fuel surcharge according to its listing.

Coming from Cagliari, the archipelago is about five hours away by road, so it is a trip for people staying in the north. If you are based in the south, our La Maddalena vs Cagliari guide compares the two regions, and the private gozzo in the Gulf of Cagliari costs $421 for up to seven.

The park rules a skipper handles for you

The whole archipelago, islands and sea, is a national park, set up by law on 4 January 1994. Three rules shape every boat day:

• The Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli is under full protection. You may not land on it, and the park forbids swimming, sailing, anchoring or mooring in the water in front of it. Every boat on this page passes it for a photo from the water; a tour promising a walk on the Pink Beach is not telling the truth.
• The Spiaggia del Cavaliere on Budelli is closed on land. The white-sand natural pool facing Porto della Madonna has been off limits on foot since a park ordinance of 6 May 2022, because its dune had shrunk by about half since 1998. Boats still stop to swim in Porto della Madonna in front of it.
• Boats need the park’s permission. A private pleasure boat pays the park by length, €2 per metre per day for boats up to 10 metres, and rental and charter firms need the park’s yearly authorisation. The private RIB, the small-group RIB and the speedboat on this page all include the park entry in their price.

When the wind is up, skippers pick the sheltered side of the islands and may swap a stop; the private RIB, for instance, swaps Caprera for Santo Stefano’s Baia di Nelson in bad weather. A skippered day means you do not have to make that call.

When to go

The archipelago season runs from spring to the end of October. In late October 2026 the private RIB, the speedboat, the small-group RIB, the catamaran and the Cannigione boat were still taking bookings for the following days, while the big Palau boat and several premium RIBs had closed until May or June 2027. July and August bring the warmest water, the most boats at every cove and the highest landing fee on the shared boats (€5 a head, against €2.50 in spring and autumn).