Corsica Calanques Sea Kayak

Overview

Corsica's west coast drops into the Mediterranean in towers of orange granite, and the only honest way to see it is from the water. Launch at Porto and work south beneath the Calanques de Piana, where 300-metre spires glow like embers in the evening light, or north along the roadless coast to Girolata — a village still reachable only by sea or mule track — and the edge of the UNESCO-listed Scandola reserve. Check the current rules before you plan: approach limits in the protected core have tightened to shield the ospreys nesting on its sea stacks. The Mediterranean here keeps a strict timetable: glassy at dawn, thermal wind by early afternoon. Paddle at first light, be ashore by two, and treat the open crossings with respect — swell arrives from weather you cannot see. Wild camping is prohibited on Corsica, so plan legs around the campsites at Porto, Ota and Galéria. May-June and September give warm water without the August boat traffic. Around £1,000 for a week with kayak hire and campsites. Snorkel every lunch stop — the granite carries on underwater in boulder gardens full of bream.

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Prefilled for 1 May 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.