Le Cinque Terre canoe

The five lands and Portovenere are world-famous tourist destinations and their extraordinary beauty is only overcome by the chaos that is created on the summer weekends.
Fortunately , there is a way to enjoy these wonders without suffocating among people: it is - as you will have already intuitioned - of the canoe, which allows you to admire the coast from a unique perspective and discover the most beautiful angles. Even the stand up paddle (SUP) obviously is fine, and indeed it allows you to admire crystal clear water from above.

by Kayak from Levanto to Portovenere, passing through the Cinque Terre (in order Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore) you can appreciate the red cliffs of sunsets , deserted beaches otherwise unattainable and much more.
Here under the map of this part of Liguria and the description of the canoe itineraries Along the coast. Write to us at info@wildrips.net or visit www.catchiavari.it For info and bookings of trips organized in KAYAK and Stand Up Paddle.
An advice on How to visit This section of Coasta Ligure: in addition to the normal kayak also the Inflatable canoeing is a great solution: it can in fact be paid in a direction from a train station to another, thus damaging the canoe and returning back comfortably by train (obviously you can do the same with a rigid kayak, but one of the Group must return by train to take the car on whose roof to load canoes). Attention because the distances on the map are in a straight line, while it is normal (indeed, very recommended) follow with the kayak the sinuosities of the Ligurian coast with its bays and its rocks.

Levanto - Monterosso

This first canoe itinerary is not yet part of the Cinque Terre but it already offers spectacular panoramas. It could also be played in the day together at Itinerary Framura - Levanto described here .

Between Levanto and Monterosso, in the sea the imposing Mesco Punta . Between awesome cliffs, crystal clear water and wild nature, paid up to the actual tip of the promontory, where a series of rocks forms a natural pool in which to sulble awaiting better times ... which can hardly arrive, because what there is Is it better than solving in a clear sea in an unforgettable environment with canoeing or with the stand up paddle comfortably moored on a rock?
Even the last part of the itinerary is always pleasant and leads to Monterosso , the first of the Cinque Terre. It is also the most populous and that with larger beaches; The station is practically on the sea (ideal for those with canoe or inflatable sup) and summer weekends the walk is very crowded, but the historic center is always picturesque.

Monterosso - Riomaggiore
On a canoe day you can visit quite in depth all the five lands. Starting from Monterosso, you are immediately along one of the most beautiful stretches of coast, the one up to Vernazza . The cliffs and the higher the vineyards are a splendid show to which you are at KAYAK.
Vernazza is one of the symbols of the Cinque Terre, so it is really a mandatory parking canoe or stand up paddle on the beach at the bottom of the picturesque Marina and take a ride between the alleys of the village. Immediately east of Vernazza there is a stony beach partly created by the residues of the tremendous flood of 2011. Continuing to pay under the cliffs, you reach Corniglia , with its houses overlooking the sea. Even here you can dock with canoe, but to get to the village you need to make different ramps of stairs.

The section between Corniglia and Manarola is less attractive, but the last two of the Cinque Terre (precisely Manarola and the very close Riomaggiore ) are splendid; Riomaggiore is a good place to arrive or departure for those with inflatable canoe, with the picturesque marina where you can rinse kayak and station not too far away where most of the trains stops.

Riomaggiore - Portovenere
Leave the Cinque Terre, but actually the best is yet to come. From Riomaggiore, in fact a long sequence of increasingly high and spectacular cliffs under which can be paid in limpid waters. With SUP seems to fly. Not only: in some places, the wildest nature leaves room for cultivated terraces and some old farmhouse, giving this area a unique flavor of rurality and history. With canoe you can also stop in some isolates and deserted beaches of stones.
approaching Portovenere The red cliffs of sunsets and rocky pinnacles of the Muzzerone make the landscape increasingly extreme, preparing the canoeist at sight from the sea of the beautiful Portovenere with the castle and the church overlooking the sea.

(This part of the coast is also extraordinary on foot: try the Riomaggiore trail - Monesteroli - Portovenere ).
After passing the boss, you enter the Gulf of La Spezia, passing between Portovenere and the island of Palmaria . A really impressive entrance! Those who have the stand up paddle could have some small problems with wind and, if there is boat traffic, wave. The conclusion of the itinerary in Portovenere allows you to admire the typical Ligurian houses on the sea.
From here there are several ways to return to the base, for those who have inflatable canoe. Frequently frequent buses take near the La Spezia station (sometimes they are crowded and could be risky to move in the bus by waving the paddles!); The Cinque Terre ferry leads to Riomaggiore or Monterosso (from which you can resume the train, if necessary); A cheaper ferry leads to La Spezia, but from the port you have to walk for a couple of kilometers with canoe or sup inflatable shoulder to get to the station.

In conclusion ...
All these stretches of coast deserve in-depth visits and it is therefore appropriate to spend more days, possibly sleeping in tent Or Click here to compare Hotels and find the most convenient accommodation. To spend less you must obviously move inland.
Obviously, a good canoeist with a fast kayak could paddle from Levanto to Portovenere on a sporting day soooo intense, but The possibility would be lost with calm bays, countries, cliffs and beaches. The canoe and the stand up paddle are the ideal means to admire the beauty and peculiarities of every single inlet, so the advice is to do more stages to enjoy places with joyful calm.
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You can find many other images (at higher resolution) of all canoe trips in Liguria in this photo gallery: