This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
The Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena covers 180 km² of sea and 50 km² of land across seven main islands off the north-east coast of Sardinia, opposite the Bonifacio Strait. In 2026 the daily entry fee for a 50m yacht is roughly €180, the four most-photographed anchorages require advance buoy or zone bookings, and the park ranger patrols are active July through September. The archipelago is one of the visual high points of any Costa Smeralda or Corsica-Sardinia week. It is also one of the most regulated yacht-accessible areas in the western Mediterranean. The brokers do not generally walk through the permit detail. We do, below.
The data here is from 2024 and 2025 charters and the published park regulation. Where fees or rules are subject to 2026 revision we mark inline.
The geography, in one paragraph
The archipelago sits between Corsica's south coast and the north Sardinian coast, accessible directly from the Bonifacio Strait or from Costa Smeralda by a 12 to 15 nautical mile run north from Porto Cervo. Seven main islands plus over 60 smaller islets and rocks. The principal islands by yacht relevance: La Maddalena (the main inhabited island, with the town and ferry port at the south end), Caprera (connected to La Maddalena by a causeway, with Garibaldi's house and the Cala Coticcio anchorage), Spargi (uninhabited, west of La Maddalena, with the Cala Corsara south-west anchorage), Budelli (the Spiaggia Rosa pink-sand beach, no-landing), Santa Maria (north of La Maddalena), Razzoli (north, dramatic cliffs), and Santo Stefano (south, smaller).
The permit regime
All yachts entering the park perimeter require a daily entry permit. The permit is issued by the Ente Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena and purchased through the park's online portal at or through a small set of appointed marina agents (Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo, Cannigione, and Palau).
The fee schedule scales by LOA bracket. Approximate 2026 daily rates:
Yachts 24m to 30m: roughly €60 to €80 per day. Yachts 30m to 40m: roughly €100 to €130 per day. Yachts 40m to 60m: roughly €150 to €220 per day. Yachts 60m to 80m: roughly €250 to €330 per day. Yachts above 80m: roughly €350 to €500 per day.
Buoy fees at the buoyed anchorages (Spargi Cala Corsara, Porto Madonna, Cala Coticcio) are additional and run a per-night fee on top of the park entry. The buoy fees for 2026 are roughly €80 to €350 per night depending on yacht size and anchorage.
Permits are date-specific. Multi-day permits are purchased in advance for the planned days in the park. Single-day permits can be purchased same-day through the portal up to a quota that closes once the day's allocation is met. The portal closes for the day when the quota fills, typically by 10:00 local time in mid-August.
Zone classification
The park is divided into three zone categories with different rules:
Zone A, integral reserve. No anchoring, no landing, no fishing, restricted approach. Includes Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa (the famous pink beach) and several smaller cays. The rangers enforce a 200m perimeter around these zones. Closed swimming inside Zone A.
Zone B, general reserve. Anchoring permitted only in designated buoyed zones. Includes most of the central archipelago waters. The buoyed anchorages at Spargi Cala Corsara, Porto Madonna, Cala Coticcio sit inside Zone B and use park-managed mooring buoys.
Zone C, partial reserve. Anchoring permitted with park permit. Speed limits enforced (typically 5 knots inside the inner channels and 10 knots inside the outer perimeter). Includes the larger outer water around La Maddalena, Caprera, and the southern islets.
The captain works the zone classification day by day. Brief them at the start of the week on the planned anchorages and let them handle the booking sequence with the park. A captain who has done the Maddalena route knows the portal sequence and the timing. A captain who has not should be flagged to budget extra time on day 1 for the booking process.
The four anchorages worth knowing
Spargi Cala Corsara, south-west of Spargi. The horseshoe of white sand and granite boulders that produces the recognized La Maddalena photograph. Depth 5 to 12m, sand bottom, holding good. Buoyed Zone B. Buoy field accommodates yachts up to roughly 70m at the outer positions. Reservation through the park portal essential in July and August. Day-time use is the priority window. The anchorage exposes south-west and is closed in any meaningful Libeccio.
Caprera Cala Coticcio, north-east of Caprera. The "Tahitian" cliff anchorage with translucent water and the granite amphitheater. Depth 4 to 10m, sand, holding good. Buoyed Zone B. Tighter than Cala Corsara, takes yachts up to roughly 55m at the inner buoys and the larger tonnage anchors outside the cove in 12 to 18m. Tender access to the small beach. A 30 minute swim and a 90 minute lunch is the right format. Avoid the central August midday for crowd reasons. Morning or late afternoon delivers the visit.
Porto Madonna, between Spargi and Budelli. The central anchorage of the archipelago with visual sightlines to Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa across the channel. Depth 3 to 12m, sand and weed, holding good. Buoyed Zone B. Holds the largest range of yacht sizes including 80m-plus at the outer positions. The buoy field is the most-booked in the park and reservations are essential. Best as an overnight anchorage with morning tender exploration of Budelli's perimeter (no landing) and Razzoli's cliffs to the north.
Cala Granara, south of Spargi. The lesser-known Spargi anchorage, smaller and quieter than Cala Corsara. Depth 6 to 14m, sand. Zone B but typically not buoyed. A quieter alternative on a Cala Corsara-full day. Take the captain's lead on whether it works in the day's wind.
The fifth, qualifier-attached, anchorage
Cala Andreani at the north of Caprera. A north-facing anchorage with depth 5 to 12m and good Mistral protection. Useful when the prevailing west wind makes the western Spargi anchorages uncomfortable. Smaller in capacity and not on the standard captain's list. We note it because it has saved more than one charter day in a Force 5 Mistral.
Booking sequence
The captain or charter manager will handle the park permits. The right sequence for a Costa Smeralda or Bonifacio-Sardinia week:
Day minus 14: yacht manager confirms intended Maddalena days with the broker and purchases multi-day park entry through the portal. Permit number captured on the contract.
Day minus 10: captain submits buoy reservation requests for Spargi Cala Corsara, Porto Madonna, and Cala Coticcio for the specific dates and yacht LOA. The park portal allocates buoys by yacht size matching available buoy capacity.
Day minus 3: captain confirms allocation and pays buoy fees. Confirmation numbers carried for ranger verification.
Day of: captain monitors VHF for ranger announcements and respects the speed limits and zone boundaries. Most captains run a 6 knot transit through the inner channels regardless of the posted 5 knot limit, which is the practical compliance number we have observed in the field.
If the captain or broker tells the client "we will get the permit on the day", this is a yellow flag for August dates and a red flag for the buoyed anchorages. The permit system is allocation-based. Day-of availability is unreliable in peak weeks.
The costs, summed
A 50m yacht running three days inside the park in August 2026, with two buoyed nights at Porto Madonna and Spargi Cala Corsara and one day-use at Cala Coticcio:
Park entry, 3 days at €180: €540 [VERIFY against 2026 fee schedule]. Porto Madonna buoy, 2 nights at €220: €440. Cala Corsara day-use buoy: €130. Cala Coticcio day-use buoy: €110.
Total roughly €1,200 for the park-side fees on a 3-day Maddalena visit on a 50m yacht. Negligible against the charter base rate and the APA. The point is not the cost. The point is the booking sequence.
What we would pass on
We would pass on the standard "tour-the-park" day-stop format that some brokers default to (Cala Corsara, Cala Coticcio, Porto Madonna, all in one day). The format produces three rushed stops with anchor reset between each and a captain the portal in between. Two stops per day is the pattern.
We would pass on Spargi Cala Corsara in mid-August unless the buoy is booked. The day-use buoy allocation goes early. Yachts arriving without an allocation will be denied by the rangers and turned out of the buoy field.
We would pass on Budelli landings under any circumstance. The Spiaggia Rosa is no-landing. Tender approach to the beach perimeter is also restricted. Clients sometimes push for the photograph from the sand. The fine schedule for landing violations is steep and the ranger enforcement is active. The visual works from the yacht and from a tender holding off the perimeter.
We would pass on the Maddalena park for a yacht above 80m for more than 24 hours. The buoyed anchorages get tight at the upper LOA. A 90m yacht spends most of the park day at outer anchor in deeper water, with longer tender runs to the visit points. Costa Smeralda buoy fields at Cala di Volpe and Romazzino fit the 90m class better.
Three things we would change about the standard
We would book Porto Madonna for an overnight rather than the standard daytime drive-by. The visual of the archipelago at dawn from the central buoy is the better photograph than the same view at midday with 50 tenders crossing the channel.
We would add Cala Andreani at the north of Caprera to the captain's pre-week list as the Mistral backup. The standard list omits it. When the Mistral hits Force 5, the alternatives shrink. Cala Andreani is one of them.
We would push the broker to confirm permit and buoy numbers in writing before the charter contract is countersigned, particularly for August weeks. The "captain will handle it" assurance is often correct, but not always.
FAQ
Is a permit required for the La Maddalena archipelago? Yes. The Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena requires a daily entry permit for all yachts entering the protected area. The permit is purchased through the park authority's online portal or appointed marina agents. The fee scales with LOA.
How much does the park entry cost in 2026? The 2026 daily fee schedule for yachts above 24m is roughly €60 to €350 per day depending on LOA bracket. Mooring buoys in the controlled anchorages carry an additional buoy fee. Reservations for the most-photographed anchorages (Spargi Cala Corsara, Caprera Cala Coticcio) are essential in July and August.
Which anchorages are worth the stop? Four anchorages deliver the visit. Spargi Cala Corsara on the south-west of Spargi for the white-sand horseshoe. Caprera Cala Coticcio on the north-east of Caprera for the cliff-and-water shot. Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa is no-anchor and a viewing-only stop. Porto Madonna between Spargi and Budelli for the central buoy field anchorage.
Can you swim at Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli? No. Budelli's Spiaggia Rosa is Zone A integral reserve. No landing, no swimming inside the perimeter. Yachts and tenders hold off the 200m perimeter. The visual is from the water.
How far is the park from Porto Cervo? Roughly 12 to 15 nautical miles to the southern entry points (Caprera south, Santo Stefano). The standard Costa Smeralda week routes the park as a one-day or two-day visit from Porto Cervo or Cannigione.
Related reading
For the wider Sardinia question, Corsica vs Sardinia for a weekly charter. For the pilotage detail on the strait crossing into the park from the Corsican side, Bonifacio Strait pilotage and anchorages. The other regulated Mediterranean anchorage system is detailed in the Saint-Tropez 2026 anchorage permit analysis. For the Italian alternative routes, Ponza-Aeolian week and Sicily-Aeolian route. The destination pages are Italy yacht charter, the regional ranking is our best Mediterranean charter yachts for 2026, and the wider anchorage fee picture is in Mediterranean anchorage and dockage fees.
For the onshore stay on either side of the park, Hotels For Kings Sardinia inventory covers Porto Cervo, Cannigione, and the Costa Smeralda properties.