The Lavezzi Islands are part of the Bouches de Bonifacio nature reserve, created by decree on 23 September 1999 and managed by the Office de l'environnement de la Corse. The Lavezzi plateau is both a strict protection zone and a no-take zone. You may land only on the beaches and marked paths of Lavezzu island, the Pyramid islet and Piana island; dogs, camping and all fishing are banned. Since 2023, northern Lavezzu and three islets have been closed to protect seabirds.
Key facts
- Landing only on the beaches and marked paths of Lavezzu, the Pyramid islet and Piana.
- No dogs, camping, bivouacking or fishing (including spearfishing) on the Lavezzi plateau.
- No anchoring in seagrass; sailing and anchoring banned in four seabird areas.
- A cap of 2,000 visitors a day is under discussion, not in force in June 2025.
The reserve in figures
| Key fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Created | decree of 23 September 1999 (Lavezzi had been a reserve since 1982) |
| Area | 79,460 ha, of which about 300 ha on land |
| Rank | largest nature reserve in mainland France |
| Manager | Office de l’environnement de la Corse |
| Owner of the islands | town of Bonifacio |
| Visitors | over 150,000 a year at Lavezzi (Wikipedia) |
What the 1999 decree says
The Lavezzi plateau is both a strict protection zone (article 1.2) and a no-take zone (article 1.3). What this means for visitors:
| Topic | Rule | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Landing and walking | banned, except on the beaches and marked paths of Lavezzu, the Pyramid islet and Piana | 26 |
| Dogs and pets | banned | 27 |
| Camping, tents, bivouacking | banned | 28 |
| Fishing, spearfishing, collecting | banned (no-take zone) | 22 and 30 |
| Scuba diving | individual authorisation required in no-take zones | 24 and 31 |
| Fires | banned if harmful to the environment | 11 |
| Flights below 150 m | prefect’s exemption required | 29 |
| Anchoring and boat access | regulated by the maritime prefect | 25 |
Visit Corsica adds the manager’s rules on the island: do not climb the rocks, no smoking, no drones, leave nothing behind.
Closed areas
An order of the maritime prefect, announced for summer 2023 and reported again by the boating press in April 2026, bans sailing, anchoring and stopping in four areas: the sea north of Lavezzu island and the waters around the Ratinu, Sperduti and Purragia islets. The northern land area of Lavezzu is also closed. These areas hold nesting, roosting and fledgling sites for protected seabirds; the reserve’s notable species include the European shag and Scopoli’s shearwater. Boaters are also strictly forbidden to drop anchor in seagrass meadows. See boat hire.
The quota under discussion
In 2023, the Office de l’environnement de la Corse and the town of Bonifacio announced a cap on access from 2024, with free access for Bonifacio residents. The scientific council recommended going from 300,000 to 200,000 visitors a year between 2022 and 2026, then 150,000 by 2030, with no more than 2,000 people on the land at any one time. In June 2025, France 2 reported that the principle had been voted but was not yet in force, with peaks of 4,500 people on the island at once still being reached. This page will be updated as soon as an order is published.
Why these rules
The Lavezzi seabed shelters species that are rare in the Mediterranean: dusky grouper, noble pen shell, ribbed Mediterranean limpet and seagrass meadows. Bottlenose dolphins, basking sharks and fin whales visit the strait. See snorkeling and diving to watch them without disturbing them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my dog to Lavezzi?
No. Article 27 of the 1999 decree bans dogs and pets from the strict protection zones, which include the Lavezzi plateau (except police, search or rescue dogs).
Can I fish at Lavezzi?
No. The Lavezzi plateau is a no-take zone: all fishing and collecting are banned (article 30).
Is diving allowed?
Diving is permitted in the strict protection zones subject to the maritime prefect's rules (article 24), but requires individual authorisation in no-take zones (article 31). The dive clubs of Bonifacio and Porto-Vecchio know the open sites.
Is there a visitor quota at Lavezzi?
The principle was voted by the Corsican Assembly in 2022 and the Office de l'environnement proposes 2,000 visitors a day, but putting it in place is up to the town of Bonifacio, which owns the islands. In June 2025, France 2 reported that it was not yet in force.
Can I fly a drone at Lavezzi?
No: Visit Corsica lists drones among the things banned on Lavezzu island, and the decree requires a prefect's exemption for any flight below 150 metres.
Sources
Information checked against the sources below. Timetables, prices and rules change: confirm before you go.
- Decree of 23 September 1999 creating the Bouches de Bonifacio nature reserve (AIDA, Ineris, in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Wikipedia (French), Bouches de Bonifacio nature reserve, accessed 9 November 2026
- Corse Net Infos, closure of northern Lavezzi and three islets (30 April 2023, in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Corse Net Infos, planned visitor cap at Lavezzi (26 June 2023, in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- France 2, Envoyé spécial: towards a 2,000-visitor daily cap at Lavezzi (26 June 2025, in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Visit Corsica, Lavezzu island trails: rules (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Visit Corsica, Lavezzu beaches: anchoring and seagrass (in French), accessed 9 November 2026
- Figaro Nautisme, Lavezzi: 4 areas closed to sailing and anchoring (19 April 2026, in French), accessed 9 November 2026
