La Maddalena Archipelago National Park

Breathtaking beaches, unspoilt waters and marine habitats La Maddalena, Caprera, Santo Stefano, Spargi, Budelli, Santa Maria and Razzoli, together with another fifty or so tiny islands, form the unique La Maddalena Archipelago, one of the most enchanting places in Sardinia. About 20 million years ago, a gigantic underground tumult pushed Sardinia from the Gulf of Lion, between France and Spain, into the centre of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Further settlement then divided the enormous valley, separating Sardinia from Corsica and leaving the handful of islands that now stand in the wonderful waters to the north-east of Sardinia, off the coast of Gallura. The predominant La Maddalena, with six major islands, and fifty-five virtually uninhabited islets. One hundred and eighty kilometres of coastline are protected by the large La Maddalena Archipelago National Park, established in 1996 as an integral and important part of the Bocche di Bonifacio International Marine Park. It has unique habitats, granite rocks shaped by the Maestrale and spectacular beaches pink and golden beaches. Junipers, strawberry trees, mastic trees and myrtles. Rorquals, sperm whales, dolphins and turtles splash around in the crystal-clear sea. Water birds and numerous ornithological species.