Lake Lèsina

Longer and narrower than the Varano Lagoon - 22 kilometres long, no more than 3 kilometres wide and with a water depth of just over 2 metres - it is part, together with the Varano Lake, of the two saltwater coastal lakes that line the Gargano and are home to numerous varieties of endemic fauna and flora. Separating it from the sea is the Bosco Isola, a sandy strip that is home to the Duna di Lesina Oasis, an extension of about 25 hectares that offers many paths through the reed thickets, Mediterranean scrub and lagoon basins and lends itself well to mountain biking. The eastern part of the Lesina lagoon is occupied by the Lesina Lake State Nature Reserve, which is surrounded by dense reed thickets where red herons and bitterns breed, while the mud flats favour the spawning of black-winged stilts. A tour of the Gargano National Park visitor centre in Lesina, with a saltwater aquarium, an ethnographic section and a nature museum, is an opportunity to learn more about the characteristics of the area and the lives of local fishermen. The visitor centre also arranges birdwatching excursions and guided tours on board catamarans or sandali, typical Lesinian wooden boats. So, rely on one of the experienced guides to take you to see one of the romantic sunsets from one of their boats.