by Paddle Logger Ambassador Nicola Volani

Last year my friends and I of the Sup Club Riva del Garda did a small tour here on Garda, a magnificent lake located in northern Italy.

The landscape is wonderful, the water meets the rocks of the mountains, the meadows of the mountain pastures fade into the beaches of small stones around the lake. On clear winter days, from the tops of the mountains it is possible to see up to Venice, looking east!

The tour starts from the port of San Nicolò, located in the town of Riva del Garda north of the lake. The wind is favorable and we leave at 9.00 in the morning. The temperature in June is very high and it is better to leave early. This lake is famous for its regular winds, hence the nickname "windsurf house". So in the morning we start heading towards the town of Torbole, and then go along the lake to the lizard beach.

Taking advantage of the wind called "Peler" that blows from north to south, we arrive in about 1 hour to the beach of the lizards without particular effort. The heat is felt, but with a short dip in the water halfway along the route and with adequate protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and shirt) the difficulty is not high.

The show when we arrive at the beach of the lizards is majestic, in fact this place is also famous for climbing. Many people from all over Europe come to Garda for the famous climbs (as well as for SUP, windsurfing and cycling) and this is one of ‘the’ places to go. At the base of the spur of rock there are often camps of people attempting the climb. The water is very clear and of course it is natural for us to dive to cool off and to fully enjoy the fantastic landscape.

After a short break it's time to return to the base, so we gather to continue our fantastic journey. This time, having arrived close to midday, the wind changes from north-south to south-north. The so-called "Ora del Garda" rises, the famous wind that is used by windsurfers and kitesurfers. The breeze pushes us quickly towards Riva del Garda and in less than half an hour we are at the destination.

Happy after a great paddle, we gather our boards and rehydrate ourselves with a well-earned aperitif!