Kayaking the Medes Islands

What are the Medes Islands?

A small, craggy group of seven islets off L'Estartit, in the municipality of Torroella de Montgrí. Meda Gran is the only one of any size, at 0.18 km², and has had a lighthouse since 1866.

Wikipedia lists them by name. After Meda Gran comes Meda Xica (Meda Petita on the boat listing), at 0.02 km², then five steep outcrops: Carall Bernat, Tascons Grossos, Medellot, Tascons Petits and Ferrenelles. The Estartit tourist office gives the whole group about 23 hectares. Geologically they are the submerged end of the Montgrí massif, which is why the rock is full of tunnels and caves below the waterline.

Small as they are, the islands have a long past:

• 15th century: the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem built a fortress on Meda Gran. Pirate raids damaged it in the 16th century.
• 18th century: the fortress served as a prison.
• 1811: Spanish and British forces took the fort the French had built during the Napoleonic Wars. The last garrison left in 1890.
• 1866: the lighthouse was built. It had a keeper until 1932, and today the light is automatic and solar-powered.

Nobody lives there now. You see the islands from the water, which is where they look their best anyway.

Sources: Wikipedia, Medes Islands; L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí official tourist office, Medes Islands.

Are the Medes Islands a protected marine reserve?

Yes. The Catalan government protected them in 1983, a marine reserve followed in 1990, and since 2010 they have been part of the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park.

The OECD's case study on the islands sets out the steps. A 1983 decree banned fishing and the taking of live marine resources in a zone of 75 meters round the islands. In 1990 a marine partial nature reserve prohibited all forms of fishing and harvesting. In 2010 the protection grew into a natural park that covers the islands, the Montgrí massif and the mouth of the Ter river.

• The size of the park: about 6,155 hectares of land and 2,037 hectares of sea, across eight municipalities including L'Escala, Torroella de Montgrí and Pals (Wikipedia).
• What the protection has done: "Twenty years of protection have brought about a spectacular recovery of the wealth of the seabed", in the words of the Estartit tourist office, which calls the islands one of the most important marine flora and fauna reserves in the western Mediterranean.

For a paddler this means one thing. The water you cross on a kayak tour is some of the best looked-after sea on the Costa Brava.

Sources: OECD, Marine protected areas of the Medes Islands (2020); Wikipedia, Medes Islands and Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park; L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí official tourist office.

What is the Medes Islands kayak tour like?

A 2.5-hour guided paddle from L'Estartit: a safety briefing, the crossing to the reserve, a loop round the seven islets and a swim before you head back, with a boat close by in case anyone needs a tow.

How it runs, per the listing:

1. Meet the team at the MEDAQUA Eco-caiac office in L'Estartit (Torroella de Montgrí). The guide hands out the kayak and the equipment.
2. Safety briefing and the basics of sea kayaking, explained by a multilingual guide.
3. Out to the reserve, following the guide across the bay.
4. Round the 7 islands, with views back over the whole bay and talk about the flora and fauna of the protected area.
5. A swim over the seabed before the paddle home.

Xavier, who had paddled with the team before: "We had time to fully enjoy the kayak, go around the island, and stop for two very welcome swimming breaks." (Jul 2026)

Two practical lines from the listing. Any equipment that gets broken, damaged or lost is paid for by the participant, and the tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments or wheelchair users. The crossing is open sea, so wind decides the day: operators move or cancel trips when it blows. Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before, so book and keep an eye on the forecast.

Sources: GetYourGuide listing.

Paddle from L'Estartit round the seven Medes Islands with a multilingual guide, then swim in the reserve. Bring your own mask.

★ 4.2 · 2.5 hours · from $32

Explore the Medes Islands kayak tour → Tour details

What can you see around the Medes Islands?

Clear water over rock and seagrass, the cliffs of the islets close up and, with a mask on at the swim stop, the fish of a reserve where fishing has been banned for decades.

What the official and reference pages describe:

• Seagrass meadows: large underwater meadows of Posidonia oceanica, per Wikipedia.
• Fish: the Estartit tourist office names grouper, sea bass, gilthead bream, dentex, sardine and bluefin tuna among the species of the reserve.
• Groupers: they breed in the underwater caves, per Wikipedia, and large dusky groupers are the signature sight for divers. Count one seen from a snorkel mask as a bonus.
• Birds: 189 bird species have been recorded in the natural park, per the tourist office.

Andrea, on the tour: "I did this activity because I love kayaking. The truth is that it's spectacular to be able to paddle in that area." (Aug 2026)

A calm day gives the clearest view. Ask the guide where the group will swim: it changes with the wind.

Sources: Wikipedia, Medes Islands; L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí official tourist office; GetYourGuide listing.

Do you need to bring your own snorkel?

Yes. The kayak tour lists snorkelling equipment under not included, so bring a mask, and a snorkel if you have one, for the swim.

This is the one big difference from the other kayak tours on this site: the sea caves tour from S'Agaró, the Sant Feliu tour and the Platja d'Aro tour all include snorkel gear, and the Tossa de Mar tour includes a mask. For the Medes, pack your own.

The listing's own packing list, plus what it leaves out:

• Bring: passport or ID card, sunglasses, a sun hat, swimwear, a towel and sunscreen.
• Not included: food and drinks, tips and snorkel equipment. Bring a bottle of water.
• Not allowed: pets.

A mask that seals well matters more than a fancy one. Try it on at home: press it to your face without the strap, breathe in through your nose, and it should stay put. Put a cord on your sunglasses and your phone in a small dry bag. Our guide to what to wear kayaking covers the rest.

Sources: GetYourGuide listings.

What are the rules for visiting the Medes Islands?

Official pages are clear on three points: fishing and harvesting are banned in the reserve, scuba diving needs a permit through an authorized dive center, and every activity must follow the natural park's regulations.

Where each rule comes from:

• No fishing or harvesting: the 1990 marine reserve prohibits all forms of fishing and marine resources harvesting, per the OECD case study.
• Diving by permit: every dive needs a permit arranged through an authorized dive center, a daily diver quota applies and a conservation briefing comes before guided dives (Wikipedia, citing the Generalitat de Catalunya).
• Everything else: "The wide range of water and underwater activities available must comply with the regulations that have enabled the preservation of this natural space", says the Estartit tourist office.

On a guided tour you don't need to learn the rulebook: the guide knows where kayaks may go and where the group can stop. Stay on their line. A few good habits on top, which cost nothing: take nothing from the water, leave plants and shells where they are, don't feed the fish and carry every wrapper back to the beach.

For the full regulations, check the natural park pages of the Generalitat de Catalunya before you go.

Sources: OECD, Marine protected areas of the Medes Islands (2020); Wikipedia, Medes Islands; L'Estartit and Torroella de Montgrí official tourist office.

Kayak or boat: which is better for the Medes Islands?

The kayak if you want to paddle the islands yourself in 2.5 hours. The boat if you would rather see more coast with masks and an aperitif provided, in 4 hours, without paddling.

Both leave from L'Estartit, and both cancel free up to 24 hours before. The boat trip is a new listing with no reviews yet. Per its listing, a 12-seat RIB reaches the islands in about ten minutes, circles them slowly between Meda Gran and Meda Petita, then runs north under the Montgrí cliffs to Cala Pedrosa, a cove you can only reach by sea, passes under the arch of Roca Foradada when the sea allows, and stops at Cala Ferriol for the aperitif. The two side by side:

The listing for the boat adds that sailing can be challenging depending on sea conditions. Paddle if you want the effort and the quiet; take the boat with young children (from age 4, per the listing) or if your arms would rather rest.

Sources: GetYourGuide listings.

Four hours by RIB from L'Estartit: the Medes reserve, Cala Pedrosa, Roca Foradada when the sea allows, three swims and a Catalan aperitif.

New · 4 hours · from $83

Explore the Medes Islands boat trip → Tour details

How do you get to L'Estartit?

L'Estartit is on the coast of Torroella de Montgrí, in the Baix Empordà. Most visitors drive; the nearest airport is Girona-Costa Brava, and no tour on this site includes transport from Barcelona.

Your options:

• By car: L'Estartit is the farthest tour start from Barcelona on this site, roughly 140 to 150 km by road. Leave early in summer and allow time to park before the meeting.
• By plane: Girona-Costa Brava Airport is 12.5 km south-west of Girona, and Wikipedia names L'Estartit among the resorts it serves.
• By coach: Sarfa, part of Moventis, runs the regional coaches in this part of the Costa Brava. Check routes and times to L'Estartit on moventis.es for your date.
• By train: there is no railway in L'Estartit. Our Barcelona day-trip guide covers the train and coach options.

Staying a night makes the morning far easier, and L'Estartit has a long beach right in front of the islands. Bring the ID card or passport the listing asks for.

Sources: Wikipedia, Girona-Costa Brava Airport; Palafrugell tourism office, How to get there; GetYourGuide listing.

Frequently asked questions