Asinara

Asinara held a quarantine station from 1885 and then a prison, which meant the island was closed to outsiders for more than a century; the effect was that fifty-two square kilometres of coast were never built on. The prison closed in 1998 and the island became a national park. Its emblem is a population of small white albino donkeys, found only here, alongside mouflon and wild boar. Prison buildings remain across the island in various states. Access is regulated: private boats and cars are not allowed, and visits are by organised boat with jeep, bicycle or guided walking on set routes.

What you actually see

• The white donkeys - an albino population found only on this island.
• The prison buildings - abandoned facilities across the island.
• The undeveloped coast - fifty-two square kilometres never built on.
• The regulated visits - jeep, bicycle or walking on set routes.

When to go

May to September; boats run in season and are cancelled in rough weather. Numbers and routes are controlled and booking is necessary.

Honest expectations

No private cars or boats are permitted and everything is on organised transport. Some zones are closed entirely. There is little shade and few facilities.

Nearby

Stintino and La Pelosa beach lie opposite; Castelsardo is east.