25 July 2008
Gateway to Sardinia, Bonifacio is the southernmost town of Corsica, a paradise for surfers and nature lovers alike.
Easily accessible, Bonifacio is a popular destination for many visitors to the Island of Beauty.
Figari airport is only a 14-kilometre ride away from the town centre, and ferry trips to Santa Teresa in Sardinia take exactly one hour.
Wind capital of France, Bonifacio is the surfing destination by excellence in the Mediterranean.
Bonifacio's surfing school is located on Piantarella beach at 5 rue St Erasme, offering a wide range of courses for all levels and all ages.
The centre also rents sailboards, catamarans, kayaks and pedalos.
New to kite surfing; join for a course at Corsica Kite boarding in the Golfe de Ventilegne.
If you are after something different, head for Pirate Adventure Corsica in Tonnara beach for quad (driving licence required) and jet ski adventures (no licence, from the age of 16).
Bonifacio also boasts one of the most abundant marine reserves around the island, encompassing the Lavezzi and Cerbicales islands located by the eastern coast.
The "bouches" is groupers' paradise and has become extremely sought after by scuba divers across the world.
Santa Manza Plongee in Santa-Manza or Barakouda in Avenue Sylvere Bohn can arrange diving trips for both certified divers and beginners on a "discover scuba" experience.
With no less than 70 kilometres of coast surrounding the town, Bonifacio is the perfect beach holiday destination, with the highest number of wild beaches in the area.
To mention only the most popular spots, the beaches of Rondinara, Balistra, Santa Manza gulfs and Canetto are worth the trip, including Sperone beach which offers magnificent views over the Lavezzi islands.
Bonifacio is an architectural wonder and an extremely pleasant town to visit.
Its city walls were successively rebuilt by invaders from the medieval period onwards, and the town has preserved some of its most breathtaking houses, all built over gigantic drops above the sea.
The citadel, caves and vertiginous cliffs are best explored from the coast, with one of the boat tours departing from the marina.
Vedettes Thalassa runs frequent one hour trips to the caves, cliffs and calanques (rocky inlets) and day or half-day trips to the Lavezzi islands, a perfect opportunity to see puffins, Eleonore hawks, giant cormorants and warblers from up close.
Visitors travelling in a group can also enjoy more freedom and rent their own jet skis, kayaks, pedalos or boats (with and without licence required) from Pouss'vague in Route de Santa-manza for a customised tour of the southern coast of Corsica.
Thanks to the area's wide network of paths, trekkers, cyclists, bikers and horses-riders can also enjoy the island's majestic landscapes, making their way through the scented maquis and the little stone walls typical to this area, initially built to protect crops from the wind.
Home to herons, kingfishers and Hermann tortoises, Bonifacio's surroundings are more than likely to delight every one in the family.
No need for golf lovers to take a boat tour to appreciate the beauty of the Lavezzi islands as world class Sperone golf course is overlooking the sea, boasting a fantastic scenery amid the surrounding hectares of maquis.
Finally, those for whom landscapes are a passion can pay a visit to the Michele Mallaroni gallery in 19 rue du Palais or the Mediterranean gallery in 3 rue Fred Scamaroni.