A captivating setting will appear before your eyes: a combination of the deep blue colour of the sea, the golden sand, the multi-coloured rocks and the green ‘carpet’ of Mediterranean scrub covering the hills in the background. You will reach Portu Maga, a tourist village in Arbus that emerged in the 1990s, as you travel along the coastal road from Piscinas towards Marina di Arbus, two of the most gleaming ‘pearls’ of the Costa Verde. It stands on a hillside overlooking the sea: from here, you can gaze freely at the spectacular views and sunsets. Its coastline stretches for three kilometres, with a large, relaxing beach, where short stretches of the sandy part are interrupted by flat rocks.

The warm, medium-grained golden sand is washed by the crystal clear water with its beautiful colours becoming more intense on calm days, thanks to the reflection of the sun on the shallow water and the sandy seabed. A few rocks emerge here and there, in an environment full of life, with fish, molluscs and marine flora, ideal for lovers of diving and recreational fishing. An unusual feature is the abundance of the famous Bolma rugosa shells, with their mother-of-pearl sheen, known as the ‘eyes of Saint Lucia’. The beach offers a large car park, plenty of refreshment areas, bathing equipment and boat rentals (canoes, pedaloes and rubber dinghies). In the surrounding village you will find accommodation facilities, holiday homes, a few restaurants, a shopping area and services, especially for families with children.

You will feel the wild and slightly retro charm typical of the area: along with Torre dei Corsari, another paradise shaped by the wind, further north you’ll find Portu Maga, the only tourist village on the Arbus coast. It is right in the centre of the splendid Costa Verde, almost 50 kilometres of long, wide beaches, true deserts with sand dunes - Torre dei Corsari, Piscinas and the ‘talking’ beach of Scivu -, interrupted by rocky coves and sheer cliffs overlooking the sea. The spectacular, wild sea is rarely calm, making it daunting and sometimes hostile. At the extreme tips of the coast, you’ll find Capo Pecora to the south, a popular destination for divers and fishermen, and other dunes to the north, the Golden Sands of Pistis. The wonders closest to Portu Maga are the beautiful Funtanazza, an innovative tourist resort, and Marina di Arbus, a large expanse of fine, golden sand, two kilometres long, surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation and junipers.

To get to Portu Maga, you can also take the provincial road SP 68 and, before diving into the sea, treat yourself to a look at the abandoned sites and uninhabited mining villages of Montevecchio (in Guspini) and Ingurtosu (Arbus), captivating examples of industrial archaeology.