Salento: Capo di Leuca Boat Tour & Snorkeling Caves

4.97

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already out on the water before I realized how salty the wind tasted. The boat left from Salento and our guide, Marco (he wore sunglasses even in the shade), started pointing out these jagged limestone caves that I’d only seen on postcards. There was a group of older women up front who kept laughing every time we hit a wave—one of them had brought homemade focaccia, which somehow smelled stronger than the sea air. I didn’t expect to feel so relaxed right away.

The coast around Capo di Leuca looks different from the water—more wild, almost secretive. We stopped near a narrow inlet, and Marco handed out snorkeling masks (I always worry about fogging mine up but these were decent). Slipping into the water, it felt cooler than I thought it’d be for June. You could see little silver fish darting between rocks if you looked close enough. Someone shouted about a crab but I missed it; honestly, I was just floating there listening to muffled voices above me and thinking about nothing for once.

I tried asking Marco what one of the cave names meant—he grinned and rattled off a story about smugglers hiding treasure here ages ago (who knows if that’s true). The sun kept shifting through clouds, so sometimes the cliffs glowed gold and sometimes they just looked grey. We drifted past another cave where swallows nested overhead—tiny shadows flickering against the rock. It’s funny how fast two hours goes when you’re half-soaked and salt-sticky, but I still think about that feeling of being out there, not really caring what time it was.