Excursion to Kuriat Island by Yacht
Description
The excursion to the Kuriat Islands on Lake Maggiore Yacht is an essential activity in Monastir, combining discovery, relaxation and nature. The programme includes a visit to a sea bream aquaculture farm, offering an overview of this innovative project, as well as dolphin watching in their natural habitat. Participants enjoy a swim in the turquoise waters surrounding the island and a moment of relaxation on its unspoilt beach. A presentation of local biodiversity is provided by the association Notre Grand Bleu, committed to the protection of marine turtles and island ecosystems. A traditional Tunisian lunch is served on the island. A guided walk to the archaeological sites also allows you to discover its rich historical heritage. For optimal comfort, the Yacht Lake Maggiore is a luxury air-conditioned boat, equipped with all the necessary amenities.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit the fish farms at the sea of the Kuriat Islands and observe the Dolphins
A beautiful beach for Snorkeling and Things to do on site like Kayaking and Paddle. a service by the association "Our Big Blue" for the presentation of species and animals and especially sea turtles with a possibility to see baby sea turtles especially during the season (July - September)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up your hotels in the area covered by our service, you will be informed by SMS the day before the activity compared to the schedule
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(90)
Very bad experience. The water was dirty, with a greenish color, a foul odor, and the significant presence of algae made the place unpleasant, if not sickening. The boat trip is very long, especially considering the quality of the excursion. The boat is also very basic and poorly equipped, which does not make the trip comfortable. Honestly, we were very disappointed with this excursion and we do not recommend it. The ratio between the time spent, the conditions, and the experience offered is really bad.
Great one-day tour, we saw dolphins and the meal, guide, and activities offered are awesome.
We had the most incredible day on this private boat trip and honestly, it was so much better than any other boat trip we’ve been on, especially the typical pirate-ship style trips! The trip was completely tailored to us from start to finish. We were able to choose how long we wanted to spend at each stop, whether we wanted to swim for longer, leave somewhere earlier, or just take our time and enjoy the surroundings. Our sailor even asked us how deep we wanted to swim and would take us to the perfect spot — whether that was 1m, 2m etc., which was such a thoughtful touch. We saw dolphins around the fish farm, which was absolutely amazing, and stopped at some beautiful swim spots with the most incredible turquoise water. We were also taken to a shipwreck where we could snorkel, and there were so many fish around it — it was one of our favourite parts of the day! We then headed to Kuriat Island, where we had delicious food and drinks, before stopping at another beautiful swimming spot just around the corner from the harbour. The rocks and scenery there were absolutely stunning. The boat was stocked with cold bottled water and fizzy drinks, which was perfect, especially in the heat. We also had our 5-month-old baby with us, and the crew were incredibly accommodating. There was plenty of space, shade and everything we needed to keep him comfortable throughout the day. We never felt like having a baby restricted what we could do — they were really understanding and flexible. Overall, this was genuinely one of the best experiences of our holiday. The personalisation, flexibility, beautiful locations and friendly service made such a difference. It felt like a proper private experience rather than being rushed around with a big group. Absolutely worth the price and would 100% recommend this trip to anyone visiting the area. We would definitely do it again! 🌊🐬🤿☀️
Island with wonderful sea, good food, recommended
Grazie mille per la vostra recensione! Siamo felici che abbiate apprezzato la bellezza dell’isola, il mare e la qualità del cibo. Grazie anche per aver consigliato la nostra escursione! Saremo lieti di accogliervi nuovamente per un’altra splendida giornata a Kuriat. 🌊☀️
Great excursion, the staff was very caring and very friendly. Magnificent island to visit! I recommend it 100%.
Merci beaucoup pour votre superbe retour ! Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez apprécié l’excursion, l’accueil et la gentillesse de notre équipe. Nous sommes également heureux que la beauté de l’île vous ait plu et que vous recommandiez cette expérience à 100 %. Votre satisfaction est notre plus belle récompense. Nous espérons avoir le plaisir de vous accueillir à nouveau prochainement pour une nouvelle aventure en mer ! 🌊🐢
Taxi picked us up from our hotel and driver walked us down to the boat. The boat was very busy but did manage to get seats. Boat journey itself was ok, but unlike some reviews it didn't slow down to watch dolphins. Once near the island we were transported into a smaller boat which to us to shore, however we had to wade through thick foul smelling seaweed, the smell was rancid. There was a hut that we were taken to hoping to see turtles, but there wasn't any which was disappointing. If you need the toilet, then my advice is to hold it until you get back as the toilet didn't flush and you were greeted by what others had left in there. Beach was dirty, lots of plastic waste. Only positive was the lunch which was lovely. Not the experience we were hoping for.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are pleased to hear that you appreciated the transfer and enjoyed the lunch, but we would like to clarify several points regarding the excursion. Kuriat Island is a protected, natural island, not a developed beach resort. Access to the island is therefore dependent on the sea, tides, currents and weather conditions. The seaweed and natural material along the shoreline can accumulate according to these conditions, and its presence and smell can unfortunately vary from one day to another. It is not an indication of poor maintenance of the lagoon itself. Regarding the dolphins, sightings are wildlife encounters and can never be guaranteed. When dolphins are spotted close enough to the boat and conditions allow, the crew will slow down or stop so guests can observe them. On your particular crossing, this was unfortunately not possible, and we understand your disappointment. The same applies to the turtles. They are protected wildlife, and seeing them is never guaranteed. The conservation area is not an attraction where turtles are kept on display for visitors. The purpose of the programme is precisely to protect them and, when circumstances allow, to educate visitors about their conservation. We do, however, take your comments regarding the condition of the toilet and the litter on the beach seriously. A protected natural environment should be treated with respect, and waste management is an area where we expect appropriate standards to be maintained. Your feedback will be shared with the team responsible for the site. We also want to be clear that this excursion should not be compared with a conventional beach-resort experience. Guests are visiting a natural and protected island, with basic facilities and conditions that can be affected by the environment. We believe this distinction is important when choosing the excursion. We regret that the day did not meet your expectations, but we are glad that the lunch was a positive part of your experience. We appreciate your feedback and will use the points raised to improve the aspects of the excursion that are within our control.
You have to walk through mud to get to the lagoon... You then have to wait on wooden chairs all day... The lounge chairs cost extra... I left a 5-star hotel to arrive at this swamp... Really disappointed... And yet I had booked through the service provider promo sejour... I should have been advised... The only positive points are the meal (indeed, it was good and hearty) and the boat ride (which is in no way luxurious... Do not be misled by the word yacht...). I do not understand how one can sell this type of service...
Merci d’avoir pris le temps de partager votre avis. Nous sommes désolés que l’expérience n’ait pas correspondu à vos attentes, mais nous souhaitons également apporter quelques précisions afin que les futurs participants aient une vision réaliste de l’excursion. Kuriat est une île naturelle et protégée, et non une station balnéaire ou une extension d’hôtel 5 étoiles. L’accès au lagon implique effectivement de traverser une zone de sable et de vase selon les conditions de la mer et de la marée. C’est précisément le caractère naturel et préservé du site qui fait partie de l’expérience. De même, notre bateau est présenté comme un yacht dans le cadre de l’excursion, mais il ne s’agit évidemment pas d’un yacht privé de luxe. Il s’agit d’une sortie en mer à bord d’un bateau permettant notamment d’observer les dauphins et de rejoindre l’île. Concernant les transats, nous prenons note de votre remarque. En revanche, nous ne pouvons pas laisser entendre que l’île devrait offrir les mêmes installations et le même niveau de confort qu’un hôtel 5 étoiles : ce sont deux expériences complètement différentes. Nous sommes néanmoins ravis que vous ayez apprécié le repas, que vous avez trouvé bon et copieux, ainsi que la promenade en bateau. Enfin, concernant votre réservation auprès de Promo Séjour, il est important de préciser que les attentes et la nature de l’excursion doivent être clairement communiquées au moment de la réservation. Nous allons donc également transmettre votre remarque afin de vérifier que la présentation de l’activité permet bien aux clients de comprendre qu’il s’agit d’une excursion sur une île naturelle et protégée, et non d’une journée dans un complexe hôtelier. Nous respectons votre déception, mais nous pensons également qu’il est important de ne pas comparer cette expérience directement avec un séjour dans un hôtel 5 étoiles : l’objectif de cette excursion est de découvrir un environnement naturel, la mer, la faune et la conservation, avec le confort correspondant à ce type d’activité.
Went with very few expectations, we just like to see different things and this trip seemed very reasonably priced. We hoped to see dolphins and kept everything crossed for turtles although it was made very clear this is not guaranteed obviously. Private pick up and return was excellent, lovely chatty taxi man with lots of information. Boarding boat was fine, although very full, but we still got seats on cushions at front. Cup of water was given to everyone. Crossing was lovely, and boat slowed and stopped to enable us to see quite a few dolphins! Time for video and photos. Kuriat Island was not what we thought, very basic, not inhabited and quite smelly with lots of seaweed! HOWEVER do not let this put you off! Once you walk past the clay sand in the sea, the smell goes and the water is crystal clear. Sadly we didn’t take snorkels with us, which I wish we had as feel that would have been amazing. We were very lucky and went on a day that some of the turtles nests had hatched the night before. As nature can be cruel, some babies don’t quite make it out of their shells or down to the sea. But as this is a conservation island that protects turtles, the staff nurture those ones left back to good health and strength and release just a couple for some groups to see, and to raise awareness with a talk after. To us the trip was worth every dinar it cost plus more just to see and learn what we were taught. The food was delicious and plenty of it (two of my daughters are fussy eaters, and even they liked it!) My only critism if I am being super fussy would be that they tried to charge us to use sun loungers which I don’t think was necessary and the man on the boat back was quite forceful when passing his tip pot around, and made it very difficult for some people who clearly didn’t want to or couldnt tip. An addition I feel that would benefit going forwards would be to have someone talking on a microphone on the way over to explain everything/what to expect/ timings/ dolphins sightings etc. Best part for us without a doubt was the turtles and the education that came with it. In my opinion everyone should have been a part of that talk, like it or not! Please don’t litter our beaches or seas!!!!
Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the trip overall, particularly the dolphin sightings, the beautiful waters around Kuriat Island, and, most importantly, the turtle conservation experience. We are especially pleased that the educational talk left such a positive impression and helped highlight the importance of protecting these incredible animals. We also appreciate your honest feedback regarding the sun loungers, the tipping experience, and the lack of information provided during the journey. Your suggestions are very valuable, and we will certainly take them into consideration as we continue to improve the experience for our guests. We agree that having information and updates provided during the crossing could make the journey even more enjoyable and informative. We are also pleased to hear that you enjoyed the food and that even your fussy eaters found something they liked! Thank you again for choosing to join us and for your kind words, constructive feedback, and support for our turtle conservation efforts. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you and your family back again in the future. And we completely agree with your final message: please don’t litter our beaches or seas. Protecting these beautiful places and the wildlife that depends on them is everyone’s responsibility
This Island trip was a bit of a let down unfortunately. After reading so many positive reviews and the odd negative one we thought we'd go ahead and see how it goes. Communication and pickup went smoothly, arrived at the Marina got on the yatch went up to the top deck where for our 6AM trip there was plenty of seating on beanbags to go around, everyone looked like they had enough room. The crossing was fine, saw dolphins for a brief moment and arrived at the Island where you then have to disembark from the main boat to get on to a smaller pontoon style boat. The crew transferred everyone quickly in fairly rocky conditions. It was quite a step down and you had to time your movement with the waves and the boats being at different heights but not too much of an issue. The pontoon boat then takes less than 5 mins to take you to shore where you have to step off in to the ankle deep sea and on to the island. This is where things started being not so great... perhaps we arrived on a particularly bad day but when I say the island had one of the most rancid smells I've ever had the displeasure of smelling that is me putting it politely. I was heaving to the point of almost vomiting and I saw at least 2 other guests vomiting which I assume was due to the smell of the rotting seaweed that had washed ashore. The Island itself didnt have too much to offer, but then again it is a nature reserve so cant expect there to be lots of things to see and do. There was one toilet in a hut which on our visit wouldnt flush so that was also an experience seeing what people had left. Outside of the horrendous smell, the sea was great once you make your way past the seaweed. Very clear, plenty of fish swimming around and shallow waters for a good couple hundred metres. Lunch was pretty good too, nice bit of fish and chicken with rice and salad. We did find ourselves getting a bit bored as the hours went on. We didnt have any of the turtle experiences on our trip but perhaps it wasnt offered on the 6am - 1pm trip. I mean no discredit to the tour provider themselves, they did pretty much everything to a T. I think we were expecting a slightly different tour. Still fairly good value for money and perhaps we just went on a particularly smelly day.
Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review. We genuinely appreciate your balanced feedback and are pleased to hear that you found our communication, transfers, crew, and lunch to be well organized, and that you enjoyed the clear water and marine life. We're very sorry that your visit coincided with the presence of washed-up seaweed. As Île aux Cerfs is a protected natural environment, seaweed and changing coastal conditions are influenced by tides, currents, and weather, and unfortunately these are beyond our control. We understand that on some days the natural odor can be unpleasant, and we're sorry this affected your experience so significantly. Regarding the facilities, we appreciate you bringing the toilet issue to our attention. While the island facilities are managed by the island authorities rather than our team, we will certainly pass on your comments so they are aware of the problem. As for the turtle experience, this activity is only included on selected tours and is not part of the 6:00 AM–1:00 PM itinerary, which focuses on giving guests time to enjoy the island and lagoon. Thank you as well for recognizing the efforts of our crew. We're glad you felt the tour offered good value despite the circumstances. We hope you'll consider joining us again in the future, as conditions on the island can vary greatly from day to day, and we're confident your experience could be very different on another visit. We wish you all the best and thank you once again for your honest feedback
The taxi driver was brilliant there and back from the hotel, simply put if your English dont bother going we had zero information for the whole trip it smelled awful even on the island the only turtle you will see is a teenage mutant ninja turtle. I asked for a drink and waited over an hour for a can of pop, the island is scruffy and full of rubbish plastic bottles etc. save your money and do something different
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed your transfers and found your taxi driver to be excellent. We're genuinely sorry that the rest of the experience did not meet your expectations. We understand how disappointing it can be when a tour doesn't match what you were hoping for. Regarding the seaweed and its odor, this is a natural occurrence that can affect the island depending on the season, tides, and weather conditions. As the island is a protected natural environment, these conditions are unfortunately beyond our control, although they can vary significantly from one day to the next. We're also sorry to hear about the language barrier. Our tours welcome guests from many different countries, and while our crew always tries to assist everyone, we'll certainly take your comments on board as we continue to improve the experience for all our visitors. As for the turtles, we understand your disappointment. Turtle encounters are not included on every itinerary and, as with any wildlife, sightings can never be guaranteed. Finally, we're concerned by your comments about the wait for refreshments and the cleanliness of the island. The island itself is managed by the local authorities rather than our company, but we will pass your feedback on to them. We will also review the onboard service with our crew to ensure guests are attended to as promptly as possible. We appreciate your honest feedback, as it helps us improve, and we wish you all the best for the rest of your travels.
