Strictly speaking the Agriates are not part of Cap Corse — they face it across the Gulf of Saint-Florent — but almost everyone who tours the cape ends up here, and with good reason. This “desert” is not sand but some 15,000 hectares of uninhabited, sun-baked maquis and rock, protected from development by the coastal conservation agency, with a shoreline of coves and beaches that no public road has ever reached.
The two famous ones are Lotu (also written Loto), a crescent of fine pale sand, and Saleccia, about a kilometre of white sand shelving into water of an improbable turquoise, with a pine wood behind. Scenes of the Normandy landings in the 1962 film The Longest Day were shot at Saleccia. Both are wild beaches: little shade, few or no facilities, cattle wandering through — and unforgettable.
Top things to do: Saleccia & Lotu
Take the boat to Lotu
The simplest way in. Shuttle boats run from the port of Saint-Florent to a jetty at Lotu from about late spring to early autumn, taking around 30 minutes. You choose your return sailing when you buy the ticket. Lotu beach is a couple of minutes from the landing.
Walk from Lotu to Saleccia
From Lotu there are two paths to Saleccia: an inland track of about 45 minutes, and the coastal sentier des douaniers, which takes roughly an hour and a quarter and passes small coves. Go one way and come back the other, keeping an eye on the time of your return boat.
Go by 4x4
A 12 km track leads to Saleccia from the D81 at Casta. It is rough, rutted and slow — the better part of an hour — and is not suitable for normal cars; hire agreements generally forbid it. Local operators run 4x4 shuttles and guided excursions, some combining the drive with the coast walk between the two beaches. Compare them on our tours page.
See it all from a day cruise
Half-day and full-day boat trips from Saint-Florent anchor off the beaches for swimming and snorkelling and often add the cliffs below Nonza. Less beach time, more coastline.
Look for the Mortella tower
On the way out of the gulf, boats pass the ruined Torra di Mortella. In 1794 this Genoese tower held off two British warships so effectively that the British copied the design — and the garbled name — for the “Martello towers” they later built along their own coasts.
How to get to Saleccia & Lotu
- By boat: from the harbour at Saint-Florent, in season. Prices change yearly; expect a return ticket to cost roughly the price of a simple restaurant meal, and check current rates at the kiosks on the quay.
- By 4x4: from Casta, on the D81 about 12 km west of Saint-Florent, with an operator.
- On foot: the coastal path from Saint-Florent to Lotu takes around five hours one way — a serious, shadeless hike for cool days only. Many walkers go out on foot and return by boat.
Insider tips
- Bring everything: at least 1.5 litres of water each, food, a hat, a beach umbrella if you have one, and footwear for the paths. In summer there may be a simple snack bar near Saleccia, but do not count on it.
- Boats are cancelled in strong wind. If the forecast is doubtful, go on the first calm day rather than waiting for the end of your stay.
- Fires are strictly forbidden, as is wild camping. There is a campsite set back from Saleccia beach.
- May, June and September give you the same water colour with a fraction of the August crowds.
Best tours & boat trips for Saleccia & Lotu
These experiences pair well with a visit to Saleccia & Lotu:
4x4 & hike from €65 Saint-Florent 4x4: Saleccia and Lotu Beaches with Sentier des Douaniers Hike
The rough track into the Agriates is closed to ordinary hire cars, which is why this package exists: a 4x4 takes you in and out, you walk the coastal customs path between the two beaches (roughly an hour and a quarter) and you have free time to swim at both. A full day; bring water, a hat and your own picnic unless the listing says otherwise.
- Return 4x4 transfer across the Agriates track
- About 1 hour 15 minutes on foot along the coast path
- Free time on both Saleccia and Lotu
4x4 excursion from €65 Saint-Florent: 4WD Agriates Desert Adventure to Saleccia or Lotu Beach
A driver takes you over the Agriates track in a 4x4, stopping for views and explaining the landscape on the way, and leaves you on your chosen beach — Saleccia or Lotu — for the day before bringing you back. Simpler than the hiking version: one beach, more time on the sand.
- 4x4 with driver across the Agriates
- Choose Saleccia or Lotu for your beach day
- Commentary and viewpoint stops on the way
Boat tour from €110 From Saint-Florent: Cap Corse and Agriates Desert Boat Tour
The one trip that joins both sides of the Gulf of Saint-Florent: north along the cliffs of Cap Corse towards Nonza, then across to the Agriates for the beaches of Saleccia and Lotu and a sea cave reached only by boat. Paddleboards and snorkelling equipment are carried on board and lunch is part of the day. Rated 4.7 by more than 200 guests, it is the most-booked Cap Corse experience on GetYourGuide.
- The west coast of Cap Corse and Nonza seen from the sea
- Swimming stops, paddleboards and snorkelling gear on board
- Beach time on the white sand of Saleccia, with lunch
Boat tour from €65 Cap Corse & Agriates Desert Half-Day Boat Trip
A shorter, cheaper version of the day cruise: four hours on a 12-seater boat out of Saint-Florent, with coves that have no road, swimming stops, paddleboards and snorkelling. With close to 250 reviews it has the largest number of ratings of any trip in the area — a good choice if you want a morning or an afternoon at sea rather than a whole day.
- Small group on a 12-seat boat
- Hidden coves and beaches of the Agriates coast
- Paddleboarding and snorkelling stops
