Such a
beautiful place that pictures just don't do it justice. Ironically, even if
pictures can't completely reflect its beauty, it still is one of those that
don't need filters, photo shops or special effects. It speaks for itself.
My Mom and I
weren’t very impressed with the San Vito Lo Capo beaches because we grew up in
Palawan, Philippines, one of the best Destination Islands in the world, where
beaches are composed of powdery, white sand shores, clear cool waters, and sea
floors teeming with coral reefs and colorful aquatic creatures. So needless to
say, we are somewhat of a snob when it comes to beaches that offer anything
less than what we are used to all our lives unless there are waves enough do
body boarding. So when we say this
Zingaro is amazing, we have credentials to say it. ;D Even my friend,
April, who was born and raised in Hawaii, loved this place and raved about
it. So that makes it three of us
self-proclaimed beach snobs who gave Zingaro two-thumbs up! I will even say
that it’s so much better than Cassibile beaches. Why? Well, I will not reveal
that part. That, my friend, is for you
to find out! I truly believe that
Zingaro is something you should experience for yourself. =)
If you do
decide to go, here are a few things you need to know or bring with you so you
can enjoy the trip even more. Thanks to my friend, April, for the heads up, we
came prepared and were able to stay and swim in the deep cool waters to our
hearts’ content for 5 hours.
1. ZINGARO
FYI:
•
Zingaro
Natural Reserve is about 20minutes away from San Vito Lo Capo. The drive involves a bit of winding, narrow
roads, with a few hairpin curves. If you are staying in Scopello, there’s also
an entrance from that side, but I don’t know how long the hike is.
•
Entrance
Fee to the reserve is 5 euros for individuals 12 and up. Children 11 and under
are free.
2. HIKING
FYI: Hiking is involved to get to any of the bays. So bring hiking shoes or
good sneakers.
•
The
hike is about 15-20 minutes for the first bay, and 30-45 minutes for the second
bay depending on how fast you walk, or if you have children or older people in
your group that requires frequent stops.
•
Leave
as early as you can so the hike won’t be too hot and the coves won't be too
crowded. We arrived at the parking lot
around 9:30am. After gathering our beach necessities and purchasing our
tickets, we started our 45 minute hike to the second bay close to 10am. The sun was beating down on us at this point.
The hike should have only lasted about 30 mins but because we had to stop
frequently to allow our 5, 7, 8 and 60 year old companions to get some shade,
breathe and drink water, it took us a while. Also, all 4 of us able-bodied
adults had things to carry so we very much welcomed the R&Rs in between the
up hills. =)
•
The
hike will involve up hills and down hills, some rocky areas and some steep
slopes. NOT STROLLER FRIENDLY.
•
My
Mom is 60 years old and she did fine. But she is very healthy and has no
existing physical pains or sickness. So she endured it quite well and had
plenty of energy to swim. The kids whined a bit when they got thirsty, but for
the most part, they did really well and enjoyed the hike.
•
The
soil is red. So wear hiking clothes, shoes and socks that you wouldn’t have any
qualms getting dirty in. Clay is hard to
wash off.
3. ABOUT THE
BAYS:
•
BAY
1 has a bathroom, BAY 2 has none.
Because this is a protected area, there are no vendors at the coves. The
last chance you can buy food is at the entrance, where a food truck serves some
Panini and other tavola calda, drinks and coffee.
•
BAY
1 tends to have more people because it is closer. BAY 2 is less crowded but
more beautiful (the picture I have here shows Bay 2)
• There
are excursion boats that come from San Vito Lo Capo (for people who do not want
to hike or have bad knees). I don’t know
how much it costs to do one of those excursions. But if you do this, know three
things: a.) The boat will drop you off far from the cove. You will have to be a
good swimmer or need to be confident enough to swim in the deep waters towards
the beach with floatation devices. b.) You will NOT be able to bring anything
to the shore except for yourself, your snorkel gear and maybe an underwater
camera. Your base will be the boat. c.) Your excursion time is limited. So you
won’t be able to stay for as long as you want.
·
We
had some Jellyfish sightings and a couple people were stung (they are very tiny
jellyfishes, about a couple inches in diameter, but they can still sting). I’m
glad we brought our first aid kit so I was able to give the girl a topical pain
reliever. Don’t let this discourage you, though. Out of the entire 5 hours we
were there, we only saw 3 but were not stung. The older gentlemen took the
jellyfishes out using their snorkel masks and laid the jellyfishes out in the
sun far from the water. Just pay
attention whenever you are in the water. The jellyfishes we saw were
brownish/reddish so it was very clear and easy to see the jellyfish even from
afar. So just make sure you don’t leave the kids unattended in the water.
4. WHAT TO
BRING:
·
Beach
shoes or reef sandals. You’ll thank me later! =)
·
Portable
beach tent, half-dome or umbrella that’s light enough to be carried. You will
need shade there.
·
Beach mat or large towels.
·
First
aid kit.
·
Lots
of cold water, Gatorade and plenty of lunch and snacks for everyone. Trust me. After hiking for 45mins and seeing
the beautiful cove, you wouldn’t want to leave just to hike back and get food.
·
Snorkel
gear: mask, snorkel and fins or just goggles if you are a strong swimmer. You
will love the schools of fish swimming everywhere!
·
Lots
of sunscreen!
·
Book
to read if you want to chill and take a break in between swims.
·
Swim suit and change of clothes
·
Underwater camera
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