Last updated: July 2026
Pantelleria, the volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia, has almost no beaches in the sandy sense. What it has is 51 km of lava coastline broken by coves, sea caves, arches and stacks — and a good half of it can only be reached from the water. That is why nearly everyone ends up on a boat at some point, either on the classic island circuit with a skipper or in a small self-drive rental.
This page covers both: the operators who run the guided tour, the ones who rent you a boat to take out yourself, and what you need to know about wind, licences and booking. Contacts were verified in July 2026 from each operator’s own site or from public business listings.
Boat operators and rentals
- The island tour — the guided circumnavigation, and who runs it
- La Rosa dei Venti — rentals with and without a licence, plus a group tour
- Nautilus Boat — the island’s longest-running rental
- DadiGan Tour — full-day island tour with lunch aboard
- Barca Sant’Allegria — private tours on a traditional gozzo
- Noleggio Butterfly — small fleet at Molo Wojtyla
- RIB and small-boat rental — the other operators on the island
- Click&Boat — booking platform for private charters
The island tour: what the circumnavigation involves
The giro dell’isola is a full day, not an hour’s cruise. Boats leave the harbour in Pantelleria Town mid-morning, work their way around the coast with seven or eight swimming stops, and come back late afternoon or early evening — on a calm day, as late as seven. Most operators include lunch aboard and an aperitivo at the first and last stop.
What you see from the water you cannot see any other way: the Arco dell’Elefante from below, the stacks off Cala Levante and Cala Tramontana, the wind-cut inlet of Cala Cinque Denti, and the cliffs above Balata dei Turchi, which is punishing to reach by road. Several boats also stop at the Laghetto delle Ondine and at Cala Gadir.
Three operators on this page run the guided version: DadiGan Tour and La Rosa dei Venti as a shared group tour, and Barca Sant’Allegria as a private charter. Book at least a few days ahead in July and August.
La Rosa dei Venti
Based on Via Don Alonzo Errera in Pantelleria Town, La Rosa dei Venti covers both halves of the market. For self-drive there is the BluLine 550 — 40 hp, up to seven people, no licence required — and the larger BluLine 21 FT Open with a 250 hp Yamaha and eight seats, for which you do need a boat licence. Both come with a sunshade and a freshwater shower.
They also run a skippered island tour aboard Twin Peaks, capped at fifteen people. The operation has been going since the mid-2000s and has a long public review history.
Contact. Via Don Alonzo Errera, 91017 Pantelleria (TP) · +39 338 458 0897 · [email protected] · open daily 09:00–20:00 · larosadeiventipantelleria.it ↗
Nautilus Boat
The longest-established rental on the island — Nautilus has been going for more than twenty years, run by Salvatore Valenza from Via Firenze. Boats go out either self-drive or with a skipper, which is the sensible option if you have never handled a boat in open water.
The fleet runs from the Acquaviva speedboats for up to four people, through the Bluline 19 Open for six, to the Coverline 700WA for seven — the one to take if you are a group and want room to move.
Contact. Via Firenze 10, 91017 Pantelleria (TP) · +39 338 485 8918 · [email protected] · nautilusboat.it ↗
DadiGan Tour
A family-run operation with two boats carrying fifteen and fourteen passengers, running the island tour every day of the week. Their format is the fullest on the island: departure around 10:00 from the harbour, roughly seven or eight swimming stops, no fixed return time — on good days they come back around seven in the evening.
Lunch aboard is included, along with a welcome aperitivo at the first stop and another at the last. They also rent RIBs, with and without a licence, and run shorter sunset trips with a skipper.
Contact. Porto di Pantelleria · dadigantour.it ↗ · Instagram ↗ · Facebook ↗
Barca Sant’Allegria
A traditional wooden gozzo skippered by Peppino Bencivenga, working out of Pantelleria Town under the name Aura Pantesca. This is the private end of the market: the boat goes where you want it to, with stops and timings agreed rather than fixed, which suits couples, small groups and anyone who would rather not share a deck with fourteen strangers.
Alongside the island circuit they run sunset trips, picnics aboard, guided snorkelling and SUP hire, and the boat is sometimes hired as a set for photo and video shoots. Booking is handled through WhatsApp from their site rather than a phone line.
Contact. Pantelleria Town · booking via WhatsApp on their site · barcasantallegria.it ↗ · Instagram ↗
Noleggio Butterfly
Started in 2020 and based at Molo Wojtyla in the harbour, Butterfly runs a small, uniform fleet: four Blumax 19s and one RIB. Boats come with a sunshade, a freshwater shower and, on request, a cool box with ice — the three things that actually matter on a July day off this coast.
A skipper can be arranged on request, and they answer seven days a week from 8:00 to 20:00.
Contact. Molo Wojtyla, 91017 Pantelleria (TP) · +39 320 275 2465 · [email protected] · noleggiobutterfly.com ↗
RIB and small-boat rental: the other operators
Beyond the names above, several smaller outfits rent RIBs, gozzi and motorboats, mostly from the harbour front. They tend not to have websites — you phone, you agree a price, you go. Details below are from public business listings.
- La Tortuga — Lungomare, Pantelleria Town. Gozzi, motorboats and RIBs. +39 333 675 0836
- Navigando — Via Gadir 22. RIBs and boats out of Gadir, with a skipper if you want one. +39 0923 691 135 · +39 333 215 9012
- Zagaria — Via Messina 2. RIBs. +39 0923 911 067 · +39 338 905 4230
- Volare sull’Acqua — RIB rental. +39 393 517 1478 · +39 0923 911 859 · volaresullacqua.it ↗
- Brignone — Via Galileo Galilei 4. Cars, scooters and boats from one desk. +39 347 105 3892 · autonoleggiobrignone.it ↗
Click&Boat
The international peer-to-peer charter platform, useful if you want to compare boats and prices before you land, or if you are after something larger than the island rentals offer — a sailing yacht, a cabin cruiser, a boat with a professional skipper for several days.
Prices and availability shift constantly, so check the platform directly. For a single day on the water, booking with one of the island operators above is usually simpler and cheaper.
Do you need a licence to rent a boat in Pantelleria?
Not for the small ones. Under Italian rules a boat with an engine up to 40 hp can be taken out without a licence, and most island operators keep exactly that class in their fleet — La Rosa dei Venti’s BluLine 550 is a typical example. Anything more powerful, and you need a patente nautica.
You will be asked for ID and usually a deposit. If you have never driven a boat, take the skippered option on your first day: the coast here is rock, not sand, and there is nowhere forgiving to run aground.
The wind decides everything
Pantelleria takes its name, in one reading, from the wind, and boat days are cancelled here more often than anywhere else in Sicily. Operators call it on the morning, not the night before. If your trip is short, book the island tour for your first available day rather than your last — that way a blow-out still leaves you a second chance.
The same wind decides the route. With the north-west maestrale the boats work the sheltered east and south; with a scirocco from the south-east they go the other way. A skipper who changes the plan is reading the sea correctly, not cutting the trip short.
What to bring, and where to eat after
Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a towel and more water than you think. There is no shade on a small boat beyond the sunshade, the reflection off black lava is fierce, and nowhere to buy anything once you are out. Bring shoes you can get wet if you plan to land anywhere.
Coming back into the harbour in the evening, Trattoria da Pina is a short walk away, and Il Principe e Il Pirata sits out on the coast if you still have the car. A glass of Passito di Pantelleria is the traditional way to end the day.
If the sea is what you came for, the island’s dive centres — among them Green Divers and TGI Diving — run their own boats out to the walls and the archaeological sites. On a windy day when the boats stay in, swap the sea for the thermal water at Lago di Venere, Cala Nikà or Sataria Cave, or climb the Montagna Grande Trail. Arriving by sea yourself, the Trapani hydrofoil docks in the same harbour, and guests at the island’s larger hotels can usually have a boat day arranged for them.
Boat trips in Pantelleria: questions answered
A full day. Boats leave the harbour in Pantelleria Town around 10:00, make seven or eight swimming stops around the coast, and return late afternoon or early evening — on a calm day as late as 19:00. Most operators include lunch aboard and an aperitivo at the first and last stop.
Not for the small ones. Italian rules allow boats with engines up to 40 hp to be taken out without a licence, and most island operators keep that class in their fleet. Anything more powerful requires a patente nautica. Expect to show ID and leave a deposit either way.
A few days ahead in July and August, and book it for early in your stay rather than the last day. Wind cancels boat days here more often than elsewhere in Sicily, and operators decide on the morning — booking early leaves you a second chance if the first one blows out.
The Arco dell’Elefante from below, the stacks off Cala Levante and Cala Tramontana, the wind-cut inlet at Cala Cinque Denti, and the cliffs above Balata dei Turchi, which is rough to reach by road. Much of the island’s 51 km of lava coastline has no road access at all.
Rent if you are confident on the water and want your own timings; join a group tour if you are not, or if you would rather someone else read the wind. A skippered private gozzo sits between the two. First-timers should take the skippered option: this coast is rock, with nowhere forgiving to run aground.