Nature Reserve of Scandola
Nature Reserve of Scandola
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
611 reviews
Excellent
517
Very good
59
Average
26
Poor
6
Terrible
3
RonHary
Jerusalem Israel47 contributions
Sep 2013 • Family
We took a boat from Galeria port from L'Incantu. 3 hours tour, including a shnorkling session.
After 10 minutes away from the Galeria bay we've been lucky to notice a couple of Dolphins jumping near the boat, we followed them for a while, from a distance of as close as 30 feet.
We assume there were half a dosen of them around. then we went on to arrive near the rocky shores of Scandola where we passed thru the rocks and crystal clear sea. The guide spoke only french and very little to say. On the way back we stoped to Shnorkl' it was fun to swin with the fish.
Very Recommended
After 10 minutes away from the Galeria bay we've been lucky to notice a couple of Dolphins jumping near the boat, we followed them for a while, from a distance of as close as 30 feet.
We assume there were half a dosen of them around. then we went on to arrive near the rocky shores of Scandola where we passed thru the rocks and crystal clear sea. The guide spoke only french and very little to say. On the way back we stoped to Shnorkl' it was fun to swin with the fish.
Very Recommended
Written October 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yef70
Oslo, Norway652 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
Travelled with Explorateur, 12 people in a very comfortable zodiac type boat (35 feet with 2x250 horsepower engines). Located next to Hotel Belvedere. Did both Calanche/Capo Rosso and the Scandola in one go. Fantastic 3,5 hours trip where you get to see extreme formations, cliffs and beautiful colors. The boat is also small enough to go into the caves, something the larger ones can not. We also stopped 30 mins in Girolata where food can be bought.
Main drawback: Non-English speaking driver. So read up or just enjoy the scenery. Euro 55,-.
Main drawback: Non-English speaking driver. So read up or just enjoy the scenery. Euro 55,-.
Written August 12, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AquitaineHirondelle
Dorset, UK82 contributions
Jul 2011 • Couples
What a stunning area, and just a part of a dramatically beautiful Island, Corsica.
One cannot actually set foot on the Reserve, but as it is a coastal Reserve, including both land and sea, a lot can be seen by boat.
(Of course, the best way to do this is from your own private floating gin-palace, and there were quite a few of these around, and several elegant yachts, but, not being bankers with everyone else's money in their pockets, we took a boat trip.)
Part of the whole World Heritage Site, the pretty village of Porto-Ota is the place to head for if you want to take the trip. Reached by a narrow coast road that runs between Calvi and Ajaccio, the village is lively and well-served by good hotels and restaurants. It is also a relief to reach it after many kilometers of winding road hugging vertiginous cliffs!.
From its picturesque harbour, several companies run good boats taking visitors along the fabulous coastline. The sea is an amazing colour, like a tin of new navy blue paint. The volcanic coastline, with towering pinnacles, arches, basalt columns and eroded caves, in startlingly pink and orange granite, contrasts beautifully. Our boat sailed through impossible gaps into tiny bays and caves, giving us close views of the amazing geology.
The trip boats call at the tiny village of Girolata which is accessible only from the sea or via a footpath, part of the Mare e Monti path that crosses Corsica.
All highly recommended.
One cannot actually set foot on the Reserve, but as it is a coastal Reserve, including both land and sea, a lot can be seen by boat.
(Of course, the best way to do this is from your own private floating gin-palace, and there were quite a few of these around, and several elegant yachts, but, not being bankers with everyone else's money in their pockets, we took a boat trip.)
Part of the whole World Heritage Site, the pretty village of Porto-Ota is the place to head for if you want to take the trip. Reached by a narrow coast road that runs between Calvi and Ajaccio, the village is lively and well-served by good hotels and restaurants. It is also a relief to reach it after many kilometers of winding road hugging vertiginous cliffs!.
From its picturesque harbour, several companies run good boats taking visitors along the fabulous coastline. The sea is an amazing colour, like a tin of new navy blue paint. The volcanic coastline, with towering pinnacles, arches, basalt columns and eroded caves, in startlingly pink and orange granite, contrasts beautifully. Our boat sailed through impossible gaps into tiny bays and caves, giving us close views of the amazing geology.
The trip boats call at the tiny village of Girolata which is accessible only from the sea or via a footpath, part of the Mare e Monti path that crosses Corsica.
All highly recommended.
Written October 6, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YGraig
Caerdydd18 contributions
Oct 2011 • Couples
We sailed with Colombo Line from Calvi and enjoyed the trip. It took about an hour to get to the Scandola reserve, we had 45 minutes there, and then an hour to get back to Calvi.
TIP: get to the boat at least 20 minutes before it's due to sail so you can get a seat on the top deck.
There wasn't much variation in what we were looking at...45 minutes of looking at rocks and cliff faces. We saw pracically no wildlife - I remember seeing one bird very far away.
As we visited in October, Colombo Line were only offering the half day trip - there is a full day trip that stops in Girolata for a few hours, which would have been welcome. It's definitely worth doing (€47 per person for a 3 hour trip), but don't expect to see any wildlife!
TIP: get to the boat at least 20 minutes before it's due to sail so you can get a seat on the top deck.
There wasn't much variation in what we were looking at...45 minutes of looking at rocks and cliff faces. We saw pracically no wildlife - I remember seeing one bird very far away.
As we visited in October, Colombo Line were only offering the half day trip - there is a full day trip that stops in Girolata for a few hours, which would have been welcome. It's definitely worth doing (€47 per person for a 3 hour trip), but don't expect to see any wildlife!
Written October 10, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessy_S_B
9 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
We took a boat with a skipper and spent the day discovering the beautiful Scandola reserve and its surroundings... not to be missed
Written July 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louis B
Montreal, Canada149 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
While preparing for our trip you read lot about the Scandola. My take, the Zodiac trips are probably best for two reasons. You get closer to the Rocks, and the zodiac trip could be a good adventure in itself. But looking at the rocks could be tiresome at one point.
Written July 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NatureLover1954
Cairns, Australia77 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
We took a 6-hour trip to this World Heritage site in the hope of seeing lots of marine life and amazing beauty. The cost was an expensive $A145.
There are a number of tour companies from Ajaccio- ours was owned by SAS Stella Marin Bologna.cant remember the exact name.
The journey from Ajaccio took 2 hours each way in rigid zodiac. Despite the temperature that day being hot, it was freezing with the wind chill. We saw lots of coastline, which while pretty, became much the same after the first half hour.
Whilst we were assured there would be commentary ,there was none. The zodiac was in company with a bigger boat, who had a captain who spoke more to his passengers. Our captain of 12 passengers did not speak, and certainly did not speak English.
We saw no wildlife- not even dolphins ( who had been sighted recently). We saw the nest of some bird of prey- apparently common in England.
Many rock formations were pointed out- after the first 5, the next 50 became boring.
Lunch stop was at a beautiful village, accessible only by boat. You don't have to reserve with the company and there are other restaurants available. However our meal was indeed excellent.
There was also a stop for a swim off the boat. The sea was crystal clear. Too cold in early June for most of us though.
In summary, ask lots of questions of any tour operator. It may be better value to go from Calvi, if you are also staying there as it is closer.
There are a number of tour companies from Ajaccio- ours was owned by SAS Stella Marin Bologna.cant remember the exact name.
The journey from Ajaccio took 2 hours each way in rigid zodiac. Despite the temperature that day being hot, it was freezing with the wind chill. We saw lots of coastline, which while pretty, became much the same after the first half hour.
Whilst we were assured there would be commentary ,there was none. The zodiac was in company with a bigger boat, who had a captain who spoke more to his passengers. Our captain of 12 passengers did not speak, and certainly did not speak English.
We saw no wildlife- not even dolphins ( who had been sighted recently). We saw the nest of some bird of prey- apparently common in England.
Many rock formations were pointed out- after the first 5, the next 50 became boring.
Lunch stop was at a beautiful village, accessible only by boat. You don't have to reserve with the company and there are other restaurants available. However our meal was indeed excellent.
There was also a stop for a swim off the boat. The sea was crystal clear. Too cold in early June for most of us though.
In summary, ask lots of questions of any tour operator. It may be better value to go from Calvi, if you are also staying there as it is closer.
Written August 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marc1714
Barcelona, Spain91 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
We took the option without Girolata. We took a boat from Galéria. There are 2 companies, we took that one in the pier, € 35 per person in a large zodiac, in total were about 16-18 people. The guide, nice, speaks a little English and explains the geological formation and history of the area, brings you closer to the caves. In a moment he leave you for 20 minutes to snorkel (very nice), they leave you goggles and fins. Output duration 3h. You can do it in the morning, noon or evening. Better go to the dock and book for the next day. Better than Calanques du Piana. You can also do this from Porto (village with much more attractive and restaurants), but Galéria is very quiet and is good for rest.
Written September 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bitty007
Bayside, NY315 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
The Colombo boat ride to the Scandola nature reserve is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. It is truly breathtaking. This is a must if you are in town. We did the morning boat trip and loved it. I recommend making a reservation before you go as it fills up quickly and we almost did not get to take this trip.
Written September 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa M
12 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
This nearly was a disaster for us! We're not very organised - we drove all the way to Porto (2hrs) thinking we could just pick up a boat from there, but they were all fully booked for the next 2 days! So advice no 1: book in advance. So after failing Porto we went to Calvi the next day, again fully booked but able to book for the next day. We had wanted to go on a smaller / 12 person boat but (you guessed it) all fully booked for days, so we 'resorted' to the big boat, 3hr round trip just to Scandola. It was fantastic. Yes maybe we didn't get as close to the rocks, but we still got to see it (and as others have said, it was worth it), and the boat trip itself was huge fun for us and our 3 children. It's worth saying though that the sea was quite rough - we didn't care as we loved the bouncing boat, it was like a rollercoaster at full speed! But there were quite a few people on our trip who were very sea sick. Advice no 2: take sweets to eat for sea sickness!
It was wonderful, and the big boat worked out really well for us (and it's cheaper - bonus!).
It was wonderful, and the big boat worked out really well for us (and it's cheaper - bonus!).
Written August 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do tour boats run year round? We plan on visiting in February or March.
Written November 6, 2023
Hi, I am not sure, but I would be surprised, as the weather is not very good that time of the year. Please refer to their website.
Written November 7, 2023
Bonjour, nous partons pour la Corse en septembre et nous voudrions faire la réserve de scandola depuis Porto ou depuis Calvi. L'excursion depuis Calvi semble plus longue, donc pas déconseillée sur le site pour les enfants de moins de 6 ans. Nous sommes deux familles avec un enfant de 2 ans, 3 ans et un bébé de 5 mois. Vous avez fait l'excursion depuis Porto sur un petit bateau, donc ma question est : est-il recommandé de faire cette excursion avec un bébé de 5 mois? Y a-t-il des vestes de sauvetages pour les bébés à disposition et pour les enfants?
Merci!
Written August 16, 2018
Bonjour, je ne pense pas que ce soit une excursion à faire avec un bébé de 5 mois, d'abord aucun gilet de sauvetage imposé... il devait en avoir mais nous ne les avons pas vu. mais le bateau est stable, cela ne bouge pas du tout.
Par ailleurs, la journée est longue, pour nous départ d"Ajaccio à 8 h du matin, retour à 18h, pas de toit sur les bateaux semi-rigide cela veut dire que nous sommes exposés au soleil et au vent toute la journée.
Avec nous, il y avait un petit garçon de 4 ans, qui a bien aimé la balade mais qui a trouvé le temps long car il fallait rester assis tout le temps, sauf les 2 heures de pose pendant le déjeuner.
Written August 28, 2018
Bonsoir nous souhaiterions faire la réserve de scandola ...tt le monde parle de prendre un petit bateau, ou celui ci se prend t il? Merci à vous
Written August 7, 2018
Corsica croisières, ils sont extra ! ce sont des petits bateaux (semi- rigides) de 11 personnes plus le skyper qui peuvent ainsi facilement entrer dans les grottes et failles rocheuses. Ces bateaux sont souples, nous ne ressentons pas les à coups des vagues (à l'arrière ou à côté du skyper), ne sommes pas non plus aspergés par l'écume.
Written August 10, 2018
Hallo, wat wil je weten over deze attractie?
graag had ik willen weten vanaf waar je de boot moet nemen en of je deze boottrip best op voorhand reserveert. (midden september). graag had ik ook even willen informeren naar de prijs per persoon.
Alvast bedankt,
Written April 28, 2018
Bonjour,
Nous allons en Corse fin septembre et notre priorité est de pouvoir visiter Scandola.
Nous voudrions connaître les différentes possibilités/offres/prix et comment il faut faire pour réserver ?
Nous avons écrit par mail mais n'obtenons pas de réponses.
D'avance grand merci de votre réponse la plus complète possible.
Bien à vous,
Nicole
Written April 18, 2018
Nous avons effectué la balade chez Corsica croisières, ils sont extra ! ce sont des petits bateaux (semi- rigides) de 11 personnes plus le skyper (le nôtre s'appelait François et était super !) qui peuvent ainsi facilement entrer dans les grottes et failles rocheuses. Ces bateaux sont souples, nous ne ressentons pas les à coups des vagues (à l'arrière ou à côté du skyper), ne sommes pas non plus aspergés par l'écume.
il faut réserver par téléphone ou sur le site (au port, sur l'extrême droite). le coût par personne est de 100€, mais cela vaut le coût car nous avons eu de très bons explicatifs par le skyper, nous avons pu nous baigner au milieu des poissons et avons même pu apercevoir des dauphins à l'aller comme au retour.
A cela, il faut ajouter le restaurant à Girolata on l'on s'arrête. le resto "Au bon espoir" est super, il faut compter 25 à 30€ par personne, selon votre choix (moins si vous ne choisissez qu'un plat) pour nous c'était le meilleur resto de corse.
sinon vous pouvez apporter votre picnique et déjeuner sur la plage ou ailleurs dans Girolata. (pause de 2 h environ)
Written August 10, 2018
Bonjour, que voudriez-vous savoir sur cette attraction ?
Pourriez-vous me dire comment il faut s'y prendre afin de réserver pour la visite en petit bateau pour cette excursion que nous ferions fin septembre 2018 à 4 adultes ?
Nous aimerions savoir d'où part le bateau ?
Combien de temps dure la visite ?
Written December 3, 2017
Salve, mi chiamo Renza Scandola e abito Verona. I miei nonni sono originari di una contrata montana che si chiama "Le Scandole" e si trova nel Comune di Boscochiesanuova (VR). Vorrei sapere da cosa nasce il nome della Riserva Naturale. E' per caso un mio antenato?
Written August 29, 2017
La Riserva è patrimonio dell'unesco che lo ha stabilito. Sono stato a visitarlo e c'è proprio all'ingresso l'albero genealogico. Mi dia qualche indicazione in più...
Written August 29, 2017
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