Golfo di Orosei - Part I

On Sunday we took a full-day boat tour of the Golfo di Orosei. The tour included three beach stops (Cala Biriola, Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna – with a couple of hours at each) as well as a tour of one of the largest sea caves on the island (the Grotta del Bue Marino). Through the hotel we were able to get a full picnic-style lunch to take with us, which worked out perfectly since there weren’t any places to get food on the beaches otherwise.

The boat probably could have accommodated 60 people, but there were only about 30 on board including the crew. Here are some photos of Cala Godone from sea.










As we made our way south, we had unobstructed views of the pristine coastline that is largely inaccessible except by sea. The combination of the beautiful blue water, the scattered secluded beaches and the countless sea caves was incredible.





























Our first stop was the Grotta del Bue Marino (cave of the sea cow). According to our guide, the total length of the cave is 17km and it used to be a favorite spot of the native monk seals.

The tour only took us 1km into the cave, but it was nonetheless a pretty incredible experience. You basically felt like you were in a scene from The Count of Monte Cristo. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take any pictures (“copyright reasons”) but trust me that it’s definitely worth a visit. Here’s one photo that I was able to track down online.

There were three main areas of the cave section that we toured, and they were named after their physical features: the organ pipes room, the candle room and the mirrors room. I liked the mirror room in particular as the water literally reflected everything like a mirror.

Next we headed to our first beach stop – Cala Biriola. Here are some pictures taken along the way. The scenery and the color of the water were beautiful.




























Cala Biriola is a small cove accessible only by sea. The captain effectively beached the boat so we could get off and then left us behind. Fortunately, the secluded beach was a nice place to be stranded for a couple of hours.










Emilie and I quickly found a spot and set up our gear (umbrella, towels, etc.) steps from the water.



















For the most part we just ate, read and swam, and before we knew it, the boat was back to pick us up for the next stop.