Cagliari Boat Tour: Devil’s Saddle, Snorkeling & Wine Tasting

4.88

(130 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I heard was the slap of water against the hull as we left Poetto beach—someone’s laughter carried over the engine hum. Our skipper, Marco, waved us aboard the white zodiac (not as fancy as I pictured but honestly more fun). He handed out snorkeling masks and grinned like he knew a secret. The sun hit that early Sardinian angle where everything looks a bit too bright. We set off along Cagliari’s coastline, past old men fishing from rocks and teenagers waving at us from shore.

I didn’t expect Devil’s Saddle to look so dramatic up close—layers of rock stacked like someone got impatient building them. Marco pointed out a cove only reachable by boat or a long hike (“but why walk when you can float?” he joked). The water here is unreal—clear enough to see your own toes dangling off the side. When we stopped for our first swim, I hesitated (cold!) but everyone else just jumped in. There was this weird silence underwater except for my own bubbles and distant clicking—maybe shrimp? No idea. But floating there with sunlight flickering above felt sort of private, even though we were all together.

Between stops, Marco poured us glasses of his cousin’s homemade white wine. It tasted sharp and cold—maybe not what you’d find in a fancy bar but perfect after saltwater. Someone tried to ask for another glass in Italian and totally butchered it; Marco just laughed and filled it anyway. We drifted into Cala Fighera next, cliffs rising up all pale gold and scrubby green. There was time for one more swim before heading back toward Poetto beach—the wind picked up a little and made my towel flap around my shoulders like a cape.

I keep thinking about that last cove—the way the light bounced off the rocks and how quiet it felt out there, even with strangers around. Sardinia gets under your skin in these small ways you don’t notice until later.