North Sardinia and Southern Corsica Sailing Itinerary from Portisco: A 7-Day Cruise Through the Maddalena Archipelago and Bonifacio

The cruise departs from Cala dei Sardi Marina in Portisco, in the Gulf of Cugnana between Porto Rotondo and Porto Cervo, and moves progressively north through the Maddalena Archipelago before crossing the Strait of Bonifacio into southern Corsica and returning along the same granite coastline at the end of the week.

The Maddalena Archipelago National Park forms the core of the route, a protected marine area of seven main islands and dozens of smaller islets rising from transparent water over a granite seabed. Sailing here means alternating short coastal passages with long hours at anchor in coves accessible only by boat. The light conditions, the color of the water and the sculptural quality of the granite formations give this part of Sardinia a visual character that is immediately recognizable and genuinely difficult to replicate anywhere else in the Mediterranean.

The crossing into Corsica brings a sharp contrast in landscape. Where Sardinia presents low granite headlands and pale sand beaches, Corsica rises from the sea in vertical limestone cliffs, particularly around Bonifacio, where the medieval citadel sits directly above the harbor entrance on a narrow promontory. The arrival through the narrow channel flanked by white cliffs is one of the more striking moments available in western Mediterranean sailing.

The area between the two coastlines, known as the Bocche di Bonifacio, is also where the privately owned island of Cavallo and the natural bay of Rondinara offer some of the most protected and clearest water on the Corsican side of the strait, less visited than Bonifacio itself and better suited to a full afternoon at anchor. The return leg through Spargi, with its string of hidden coves, and the stop in La Maddalena town complete a week that moves between wild anchorages and genuinely lived-in island harbors.

Days follow a consistent rhythm of morning departures, midday stops for swimming and lunch at anchor, and quieter evenings either moored in a small island port or anchored under an open sky. Navigation distances stay close enough to shore that conditions are generally manageable throughout the season, with most daily passages lasting between forty-five minutes and two hours.