SPORT: Il Viottolo Kayak excursions
Sea kayaking – canoeing – on the Island of Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago
Daily excursions and weekly sea kayak (canoe) tours.
Sea kayak sports holidays with weekly travel packages and weekend tours canoe holiday Elba with its 147 km of coastline, full of caves and beautiful coves, surrounded by a crystalline sea full of life, is the ideal place to actively approach the sea kayak . Paddling around the island of Elba we will reach exclusive ravines by exploiting the maneuverability and low draft of the sea kayak (type of closed, fast and stable canoe, designed for long journeys at sea) and, in the silence of navigation, we will be able to approach seagulls, cormorants and shag. Our kayaks are designed exclusively for marine use equipped with watertight lockers to be able to carry photographic equipment, clothing, tents and sleeping bags on board in case of long excursions.
Half-day and full-day sea kayaking excursions to Elba Island, kayaking excursions to Pianosa Island and the other islands of the Tuscan Archipelago but also an outdoor sports holiday for an itinerant kayak excursion of a week aimed at savoring the contact with the sea and the surrounding nature and experiencing the wilder side of the Elba that only with a kayak tour is it possible to enjoy . Away from the chaos and traffic even in the busiest months, paddling between unreachable coves and lesser-known beaches.
All excursions are led by expert environmental kayaking guides and include the use of kayaks and related equipment.
The Path
Via Puccini, 3
Marina di Campo 57034
(LI) Elba Island
Tel. and Fax +39 0565 978005
Website: www.ilviottolo.it
E-mail: ilviottoloelba.it
Examples of half-day and full-day kayaking excursions on the Island of Elba.
HALF DAY EXCURSION
Marina di Campo-Lacona
Distance: km. 9.8.
Duration: about 5 hours.
Interests: photographic, geological, biological
The departure is from the beach of Marina di Campo. We go to the left side of the gulf characterized by granite rocks and orthoclase and skirt it passing between the coast and the islet of Porto Caccamo. The kayak allows us to pass between the semi-outcropping rocks giving us the opportunity to enjoy the splendid colors and scents. Continuing on, you reach the enchanting cove of Ischia with two small gravel beaches set among the rosy granite rocks. Further on we meet the “Rota” where a series of small coves carved into the black rock invite you to make the first stop for a swim.
We now cross the Gulf of Fonza rounding the tip of Priolo from which, with a suggestive the rocks, we reach the Longio, characterized by very white granite rocks that enhance the blue color of the sea. The overhanging valley of the Kings evokes archaic legends of the island’s past. In this area, which is particularly rich in fish, you will often encounter flocks of small specimens that jump above the surface of the sea to escape their predators. and then the Cala al Fico characterized by splendid calcite crystals set in the rocks overlooking the sea, then you arrive at the Grotta dell’Acqua: this small cave contains a source of fresh water that is the destination of sea birds that go there to quench their thirst. Thanks to the silence and compact size of the canoes, you can enter the cave to observe the animals that enter the cave with spectacular and acrobatic flights.
A few hundred meters from the cave is the reef of the Coralline, a huge granite column that plunges up to 70 meters. After passing the Coralline, you go up towards Lacona, a particularly transparent and full of life stretch of sea where you usually meet the shag fishing; these elegant seabirds similar to cormorants have the characteristic of fishing by diving underwater even at considerable depths.
A delightful beach hidden among the rocks and inaccessible for boats and rafts is the ideal landing place for our canoes where in addition to take a bath you can rest in the shade of another comfortable cave.
Leaving the Paradise beach, go along Cala dell’lnferno where one of the largest colonies of seagulls on the island resides; in this stretch the seabed rich in poseidonia constitutes the ideal habitat for scorpion fish, octopus and moray eels. After passing the Punta della Contessa behind which the military posts of the Second World War stand out, the excursion ends on the Lacona beach , where you will be taken back to the home.
FULL DAY EXCURSION
Program example:
Marina di Campo-Procchio
Difficulty: challenging for experts
Duration: 10 hours
Distance: km 47
Interests: photographic, geological, biological It starts from the beach of Marina di Campo in the morning, heading south-west towards the gulf of Galenzana.
In the gulf there is the “bagnolo”, a shoal that , during low tide, it comes out completely from the sea. Leaving Galenzana, also important for its historical traces, we flank the “Grotta del Bue Marino”.
Continuing west, we find ourselves in front of the “Grotta del Vescovo”, which can be visited entirely with our kayaks. After a few hundred meters the rocky coast gives way to a series of beaches that invite you to stop for a swim.
Starting off, we reach a stretch of coast characterized by a creamy white color and in this section we discover the ” Grotta Azzura “, one of the largest in Elba. Going forward we reach the gulf of Cavoli, and the small sandy beach of Seccheto.
The white granite accompanies us to the beach of Fetovaia, doubling the Punta, we see the long series of black beaches of the Tombs: here a stop more than recommended is due to rest on the beaches from which you can admire the islands of Pianosa and Montecristo. The next objective is the Scoglio dell’Ogliera, where the wreck of a ship sunk in 1974 is located a few meters deep.
After passing the villages of Pomonte and Chiessi, we reach Punta Nera (the westernmost point dell’Isola): now the granite rocks give way to friable stratified rocks. Paddling along the coast for about an hour we reach the white lighthouse of Patresi and then we reach Capo S. Andrea, a white promontory and an important reference point for navigators of the past.
We are on the north side of the island and the environment is totally changed: the coast is covered with lush vegetation, in the distance on our left we see the island of Capraia and in front of us the whole north side of the island of Elba, which in the horizon merges with the Tuscan coast. We are paddling in the stretch of sea where it is easier to spot whales.
These animals often approach and it is exciting to admire them as they sail silently and elegantly a few hundred meters from the coast, signaling their presence with spectacular puffs.
After leaving the imposing Nasuto cliff behind us, we spot the Torre di Marciana Marina, built in the 17th century. Passing in front of the town of Marciana Marina, a superb panorama opens up to our eyes that embraces the whole north side of the Monte Capanne massif, luxuriant in the green of its chestnut groves and fascinating, with the medieval villages of Poggio (339slm) and Marciana (350slm) ) to evoke the past.
After passing Punta della Crocetta, the coast becomes sweeter and greener. We reach the Scoglio della Paolina, to end our excursion on the large Procchio beach .
Half-day and full-day sea kayaking excursions to Elba Island, kayaking excursions to Pianosa Island and the other islands of the Tuscan Archipelago but also an outdoor sports holiday for an itinerant kayak excursion of a week aimed at savoring the contact with the sea and the surrounding nature and experiencing the wilder side of Elba that can only be enjoyed with a kayak tour. Away from the chaos and traffic even in the busiest months, paddling between unreachable coves and lesser-known beaches.
All excursions are led by expert environmental kayaking guides and include the use of kayaks and related equipment.