To the north of Bosa, along the rugged coastal area that leads to Alghero, a promontory emerges, volcanic in nature, around which there is a succession of reddish tuff rocks, coves and ravines. It is Capo Marrargiu, so inaccessible and secluded that, over the decades, it has welcomed majestic and extremely rare species of wildlife and, consequently, has become a bio-marine park. You can reach it via paths surrounded by Mediterranean scrub, amidst myrtles and lentisks, and you will find yourself in a timeless landscape: in the background, to the north, lies Capo Caccia with the islet of sa Pagliosa facing it, while to the south, you will see the white trachyte cliffs of Bosa. At the foot of the ‘cape’ there are a series of pebbly coves with some sandy stretches plunging into a sea of light and cobalt blue waters.
Peregrine falcons, golden eagles and Bonelli’s eagles nest in this area, but the great protagonist is another bird of prey and it’s no coincidence that it gives its name to this stretch of coastline: the griffon. The park is an irresistible attraction for birdwatchers and it is also a paradise for snorkelling and diving enthusiasts: appearing between the ravines and little caves, once landings for the ancient navigators of the Mediterranean, you will see lobsters, groupers, conger eels, morays, corbs, rays, breams, scorpion fish, tuna and above all corals, used by the goldsmiths of Bosa to create splendid jewellery. The nature reserve, which stretches for 160 hectares, also contains the world’s entire area of distribution of the limonium bosanum, a native plant species exclusive to the territory of Marghine-Planargia.
Near Capo Marrargiu, you will also find traces of industrial archaeology, with ruins of silver and manganese mines. By taking a boat trip, you will be able to see some tunnel entrances dug out along the coastline, used to load the minerals mined there. Travelling north along the ‘coast of the griffons’ – which stretches as far as the Coral Riviera - you will come across Poglina, known as the ‘coral beach’, half a kilometre of light sand with a bright blue sea in the territory of Villanova Monteleone. Then, proceeding south, you will find a series of enchanted coves, awarded Legambiente’s Five Blue Sails in 2020: Torre Argentina, with its basalt rocks that remind you of a lunar landscape, the beautiful Compoltitu and s’Abba Druche, characterised by flat rocks and blue-green waters. Around the medieval village of Bosa, you can relax on the coast of Bosa Marina or dive into the spectacular natural pool of Cane Malu.