Luxury yachts aren’t only for relaxation and enjoying the stunning amenities onboard. They can serve as a launch pad for an incredible range of water-based activities, provide passage to areas not accessible by land and enable you to explore a vast range of regions to experience nature at its best.
Discover the best of life on land and water with our guide to some of the top activities for your next yacht charter holiday.
To get a real sense of a region and its stunning flora and fauna, there is no better way to explore than by heading inland for a hiking adventure. Europe is blessed with coastal terrain that varies greatly from rocky coastlines and stunning beaches to verdant forests and volcanic activity, ensuring each time you venture to a new land, there is plenty of discovery to enjoy.
For a taste of the Italian Riviera, head along the Cinque Terre trail, taking you through the five picturesque fishing villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Depending on how much time you have and how challenging you want this journey to be, you can choose to walk along the coastline between towns for a morning walk, spend a full day exploring between the villages or take a couple of days to complete the walk in its entirety. Throughout your journey, you will be immersed in the famous pastel-coloured houses, stunning stretches of beaches and small bays to take a refreshing dip in and thrilling cliff jump hot spots.
To experience volcanic life head to Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano and a world heritage UNESCO site. Towering 3,337m at its highest point, the mountain is visible from almost all points throughout Sicily. Depending on where you begin your climb, the journey can take a full day from Rifugio Sapienza or around six hours if you take the cable car and bus to the highest point and then complete the summit hike.
Stromboli is another one of the most active volcanoes in the world, famous for its awe-inspiring glowing lava. Since it blew its top in 2009, it’s no longer possible to hike all the way up the volcano. However, you can take a two or three-hour guided tour, taking you very close and allowing you to enjoy this coveted destination in all her glory.
The Adriatic is home to impossibly blue waters, some of the most interesting seabeds below and aquatic life teeming with dolphins, sea turtles and various fish species to discover and explore. Vis and Omiš offer some of the best diving spots throughout Croatia which should be on every adventurer’s list of places to visit at some point in their life.
Beneath the surface of Vis lies the scattered remains of shipwrecks and planes from centuries past with excellent dive sites home to relics from Ancient Rome and ships and plane wreckages from World War II. The wooden remains of the 2nd century Romans ships are no longer, but there are a number of well-preserved amphorae – used as storage containers for wine and olive oil – that paint a picture of life from almost 2000 years ago. Exploring depths ranging from 9 to 35m, these amphorae can be found. For those wanting to discover wreckages up close and personal, there are a number of vessels from trawling ships and cargo ships to bombers, offering thrilling sites for exploration for skilled divers.
The Omiš Riviera offers a gorgeous coastline full of amazing beaches and coves, lending itself to some incredible underwater experiences, both snorkelling and scuba diving. The estuary of the river Cetina is made up of a rocky seabed, creating underground rivers and springs, teeming with aquatic life and corals. Here you also get a chance to experience impressive vertical walls towering beneath the surface and a bubble shape cave. A truly remarkable experience.
Discover uncharted areas through a coasteering adventure. Combining cliff-jumping, rock climbing, swimming and cave exploration, this activity offers high levels of adrenaline as you explore some of the wildest areas, pushing you outside of your comfort zone and reconnecting with nature at its best.
Mallorca, Cape Sounio, Crete, and Corsica offer rugged coastlines with towering cliffs and stunning azure waters below, creating an idyllic setting for adventure. This activity is tailored to those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty, climbing on all fours over tough terrain and wet from head to toe in salt water as you get roughed up by waves crashing against you. It’s certainly no walk in the park, but coasteering offers the chance to experience something very primal, and the highs are well worth the effort. With tours tailored for all skill levels, you can create an itinerary to suit everyone onboard.
Europe is home to some of the most prestigious rock-climbing destinations in the world, offering climbers a chance to experience thrilling adventures set amongst spectacular destinations.
Kalymnos in Greece features a stunning landscape full of wildflowers and is made up of 3,400 routes with over 80 crags of all-climber friendly limestone. For lush wild green valleys, the Italian town of Finale Ligure is home to adventurous climbing with white limestone slabs walls and overhangs across all grades. Sicily has over 1,000 single and multi-pitch routes that are suitable for all levels, consisting of slabs, roofs, chimneys and cracks across the island paradise.
Feel the ultimate freedom soaring through the sky, guided by the wind as you paraglide over stunning scenery with a birds eye view of your chosen destination. Although mountainous areas deep within the European mainland such as the Swiss Alps are considered the pinnacle of paragliding adventure, there are a number of stunning destinations dotted throughout the Mediterranean that offer equally impressive experiences. Kefalonia and Santorini in Greece along with Budva and Kotor Bay in Montenegro are wonderful places to tick off this bucket list item during your charter itinerary.
Water sports and yachting go hand-in-hand. Whether you enjoy exploring quiet bays and hidden gems via kayak or prefer the high-octane thrill of jet skis, a yacht charter serves all. Now more so than ever, charters are equipping their toybox with the latest in water sports technology, adding another dimension to the overall charter experience by prioritising time out on the water.
From Edmiston’s fleet, AHPO, PHOENIX 2, RESILIENCE and ARBEMA offer an unmatched on-water experience, home to almost every conceivable toy there is.
For traditional on-water action, sport tenders provide access to a range of waterskis, wakeboards, kneeboards and towable toys, allowing you to hone new skills and push that comfort zone. For those chasing that adrenaline kick, jet skis can rip through the water in speeds excess of 100km while pole skis allow you make sharp manoeuvres, riding over the wake or around obstacles.
In recent years, there has been growing demand and considerable developments across different types of boards, such as electric surfboards, flite boards and foil boards. These systems enable you to carve along the glassy water conditions, either through electric means or by pumping. With their self-propelling motion, this enables small breaks to be surfed and can be ideal for those who are learning to surf.
Kiteboarding and windsurfing makes for some of the best fun to be had on water, blending the lines between board sports and wind-based activities. Through chartering, you’re able to reach some of the best kiteboarding and windsurfing locations, such as the Dalmatian Coast, Sardina and Vassiliki allowing you to tick off those bucket list items.
To book your next action-packed yacht charter, please contact the Edmiston team today.