What Happens on a Cyclops Islands Boat Trip?

The route: Ognina, Ulysses’ Caves and Aci Castello Castle

The stretch of coast every Cyclops Islands trip covers is the same one Homer’s Odyssey has been mapped onto for centuries, and the boats sail it in roughly the same order. On the Catania-port trip, the itinerary runs like this: about 45 minutes of sailing to Ognina, then a 30-minute guided stop there, then 20 minutes passing the Ulysses Caves, then 10 minutes on the approach to Aci Castello, before around 100 minutes at Aci Trezza for the swim and snorkel stop, an hour for the aperitif, and a final 45-minute sail back. Ognina is the small harbour local tradition identifies as Homer’s “Porto di Ulisse,” a Greek-founded port dating to the 8th century BC whose ancient structure is now largely buried under Catania’s modern coastline after an old lava flow reached the sea there. The Ulysses Caves further along are sea caves and rock arches cut where old Etna lava met the water, a passage several operators build directly into the route.

Aci Castello’s Norman castle comes next on the Catania-port sailings, both the Boat Trip with Aperitif, Prosecco and Snorkeling and the Sail Tour of Cyclops Coast with Sicilian Aperitif, which list a close pass of the castle among their highlights. It sits on a black, basalt lava outcrop that’s been dated to roughly 500,000 years old. Historians don’t agree on the castle’s exact construction date; it’s usually placed somewhere in the 1070s to 1080s, on the foundations of an earlier Byzantine fortification. The trip that departs from Aci Castello itself starts right beside the castle rather than sailing up to it, and instead heads south toward the Cyclops Islands Marine Protected Area and the separate La Timpa Nature Reserve, covering nearly 20 km of volcanic coastline in total.

The swim and snorkel stop at the Faraglioni and Lachea

The swim stop happens at Aci Trezza, in the water around the Faraglioni dei Ciclopi, the columnar basalt stacks local tradition casts as the rocks Polyphemus hurled at Odysseus’s fleeing ship, and near Isola Lachea, the largest islet of the group. On the Catania-port trip this stop runs about 100 minutes and includes both guided snorkelling and stand-up paddleboarding, with equipment for both provided. Snorkelling gear is included on the Aci Castello departure as well, with a marine biologist or underwater guide giving tips before you go in, useful if you haven’t snorkelled before.

Isola Lachea itself sits inside a strictly protected zone of the Cyclops Islands Marine Protected Area, and you shouldn’t expect to land on it freely: access is only via authorised guided routes, to protect the ecosystem, and swimming in that zone is limited to two marked areas near the cliffs. Anchoring is prohibited there too, so boats hold position rather than mooring. None of this changes what the swim stop feels like from the water, but it explains why your guide steers rather than lets the group wander.

What’s served on board

Every trip in this group serves some version of a Sicilian aperitif, usually seated, usually after the swim stop. On the Catania-port sailing, that’s a glass of prosecco with local snacks; on the Aci Castello trip, it’s aperitifs, fruit and bottled water, not a sit-down meal. For a full lunch, look at one of the longer sailing trips from Catania’s main port instead, since none of the shorter Cyclops Islands trips include one.

What to bring

Pack light and plan for the water. Swimwear and a towel are constants across every operator; sunscreen is a good idea whichever trip you book, since most of the day is spent on open water with limited shade. The Catania-port trip’s packing list adds sunscreen explicitly; the Aci Castello trip’s list is shorter, just a camera, swimwear and a towel. Bring a change of clothes for the ride back, and cash for the fees covered below.

Seasickness, sea conditions and who the trip doesn’t suit

These are open-sea trips, and the operators are upfront about who they don’t suit. The Aci Castello departure lists wheelchair users and people prone to seasickness, and notes that the exact snorkelling stops can vary with the day’s conditions on this open-sea route. The Catania-port sailing isn’t suited to wheelchair users or children under five, since boarding is directly onto the boat rather than via a ramp. There’s no reliable, route-specific data on how often passengers get seasick on this stretch of coast, so treat the usual general advice, watching the horizon, skipping a heavy meal beforehand, as a sensible precaution, not a guarantee.

Cash fees, tipping and reserve rules

Several of these trips add a mandatory cash fee on top of the ticket price, paid at the dock. The Catania-port Boat Trip with Aperitif, Prosecco and Snorkeling charges a €10 per-person skipper welcome fee; a similar sailing, the Sail Tour of Cyclops Coast with Sicilian Aperitif (our breakdown), charges a €20 per-person boarding fee. The Aci Castello departure lists no separate on-the-day fee beyond gratuities, but check your own confirmation, since these charges are common enough on this coast that carrying some cash is sensible regardless of operator. A small tip for the skipper, commonly cited as around €1–2 per person for a short group trip, is standard Italian practice, best handed over in cash directly at the end of the trip.

The cash fees are set by each operator; the reserve rules around Aci Trezza and Isola Lachea are set by the Cyclops Islands Marine Protected Area and apply to every boat there, tour or otherwise. Swimming inside the strictest zone, around Lachea and the largest stack, is limited to two marked areas, anchoring there is banned, and only authorised boats may stop briefly to land passengers on the island itself. Snorkelling in the surrounding buffer zone is only permitted as an authorised, guided activity. None of this is something you need to manage; it’s why your guide picks the spots they do.

What you might see underwater

Local dive and snorkel operators commonly describe underwater visibility around the Cyclops Isles as somewhere in the 15 to 20 metre range, an operator-reported figure that varies with the weather and the scirocco, not a guaranteed number. What’s down there is shaped by the same volcanic history as the coast above it: submerged lava seabeds, small underwater canyons, and columnar basalt structures continuing the pattern visible on Isola Lachea and the Faraglioni. Species commonly reported here include octopus, sea bream, salema, grouper and sponges, moving through meadows of Posidonia oceanica seagrass. Sightings aren’t guaranteed on any given day, as with any wild marine environment, so treat this as what’s commonly seen rather than what you’re owed.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Cyclops Islands boat trip really leave from Catania?

It depends on the trip. Some, like the sailing from Blu Marina, leave from inside Catania’s own harbour. Others, including the Boat Tour & Snorkeling at the Cyclops Islands with Aperitif, are branded as Catania trips but actually depart from Aci Castello, a few kilometres south. Check the meeting point on your confirmation rather than assuming.

How long is the swim or snorkel stop?

On the Catania-port sailing it’s built into a roughly 100-minute block that also covers stand-up paddleboarding. Trips departing from Aci Castello don’t publish an exact minute count for the stop itself, but snorkelling is guided throughout the water-based portion of the trip.

Is a full lunch included?

No, not on any of the shorter Cyclops Islands trips. What’s served is an aperitif, typically prosecco or wine with light snacks, sometimes just fruit and bottled water. Longer sailing trips from Catania’s main port are the better option if you want a proper lunch included.

Will I definitely see dolphins or specific fish while snorkelling?

No sighting is ever guaranteed on a wild stretch of coast. Operators report groupers, bream, octopus and sponges as commonly seen while snorkelling, and dolphins are occasionally spotted from some of these boats, but what you’ll actually see depends on the day.

Do I need cash for this trip?

Bring some regardless of which operator you’ve booked. Several nearby trips add a mandatory boarding or skipper fee of €10 to €20 per person, paid in cash at the dock, and a small cash tip for the skipper is standard practice on top of that.

For the fullest version of this route, the Boat Trip with Aperitif, Prosecco and Snorkeling (our breakdown) covers Ognina, the Ulysses Caves and Aci Castello in one five-hour sailing from Catania’s harbour. If you’re still deciding between departure points and formats, catania or Aci Trezza boat trip and which Catania boat trip is right for you cover that choice in more detail.