Santa Maria di Leuca: 3-Hour Boat Tour & Cave Swimming

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/29

Duration3h

GroupUp to 12

Mobile ticketAccepted

Swim Inside Caves Where Two Seas Meet Off Lecce's Southern Coast

You board a small boat at Santa Maria di Leuca and spend three hours swimming in sea caves on both sides of Salento's southern point, with snorkel gear, life jackets, and an aperitif included. The boat holds only 12 people and has shade, cushions, and a shower on board. You return to the same marina by early afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Boat tour of Santa Maria di Leuca caves

Meet captain at Leuca Tourist Port
Board comfortable 9m boat
Sail along Santa Maria di Leuca coast
Use provided snorkel equipment
Swim in Adriatic caves
Swim in Ionian caves
Stop and swim at Grotta del Soffio
Swim in three-creek cave on Ionian side
Pass by coastal village villas
Pass by Monumental Waterfall
Pass by Santa Maria di Leuca Lighthouse
Visit Punta Ristola promontory
Visit Punta Meliso resort
Return to port

The Experience

You board at the Marina of Santa Maria di Leuca, where Captain Mino greets you on a 9-meter boat built for comfort—wide solarium, cushioned seating, a tent for shade when you need it. The boat holds a maximum of 12 people, which means no crowding, no shouting over a hundred voices. Once everyone's settled, you push off toward the caves that line both the Adriatic and Ionian sides of this southern tip of Puglia.

The three-hour boat tour takes you past limestone cliffs carved into dozens of sea caves, each one named and each one worth stopping for. On the Adriatic side you'll see Terradico, Gabbiano, Verdusella, and the Cathedral cave—so called because of how the light falls inside. The Ionian side has its own collection: Devil's Cave, Three Doors Cave, Giants' Cave, and others with names that stick with you. You stop near Grotta del Soffio, the Breath Cave, and swim inside it—the water is clear enough to see the rock formations below. Snorkel gear is provided, and life jackets too if you want them. The crew hands you fins and a mask, and you slip into water that feels colder and cleaner than you expected.

Between the caves, you pass the Monumental Waterfall carved entirely into rock—the end point of the Apulian aqueduct—and the lighthouse at Punta Meliso, which stands 47 meters high and is one of Europe's tallest. The boat slows near Punta Ristola, a rocky point that catches the light differently depending on the hour. All of this happens while you're sitting down, aperitif in hand, with a hand shower on board if you want to rinse off salt water. The boat returns to the same pier where you started, and the whole thing takes three hours flat.

What’s included

Your three-hour boat tour includes pickup at the Marina of Santa Maria di Leuca, snorkel masks and fins, life jackets on request, an aperitif served on board, and a hand shower to rinse off.
The boat has a large solarium area with cushions, a shade tent, a music system, and a minibar.
Swimming stops are made at multiple caves on both the Adriatic and Ionian sides.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Leuca Explorer

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the caves and swim without arranging your own boat or timing multiple stops—the fixed three-hour loop handles the route, the stops, and the gear, and the small group size means you're not jostling for space or waiting for others to finish.