Trips out of Puerto de la Duquesa with one of our own at the helm. Heading west towards Punta Chullera, Sotogrande and the approach to the Strait.
Book a skippered trip10
seats on the Sea Ray 33
550€
for 2 hours, skipper included
12 m
in length
0€
in extra fuel
A skippered boat trip from Puerto de la Duquesa is an outing driven by a Solboat professional: you choose the length and the direction, they handle the route, the fuel and the manoeuvring. In Manilva we run it on the Sea Ray 33, 12 metres long and up to 10 passengers, from 550€ for 2 hours.
Manilva is our westernmost base, the last one before the province of Cádiz. That changes what you see from the water: here the seabed drops away quickly a short distance from the shore and the sea is already transitioning towards the Strait of Gibraltar, with everything that brings in wildlife and open horizon.
A skipper knows this stretch, knows what time the westerly light arrives and where the dolphin pods have been showing up that week. It is the difference between going for a ride and being taken to the right places. Meanwhile the whole group is free: nobody is stuck at the helm.
Twelve metres long, ten seats and a professional Solboat skipper on board from start to finish. From 550€ for two hours, with fuel, insurance and safety equipment already in the price: no refuelling on the way back and no deposit to block. It is the big boat at La Duquesa and the only one at this base that is never rented out for you to drive.
It has a music system and you are welcome to bring your own food and drink. What we do not offer, here or at any other base, is catering, an open bar, a DJ or a photographer: we would rather say so than let you assume otherwise. Decorations are welcome; confetti and glitter are not, because they end up in the water.
These are the three routes we usually run out of the La Duquesa harbour mouth. The final route is decided at the mooring depending on the time, the state of the sea and what you want to see.
You leave the harbour mouth and head west past the beach of San Luis de Sabinillas as far as Punta Chullera, already on the Cádiz border, and the Sotogrande marina. This is the stretch where the shelf ends soonest and the bottom falls to open-sea depths a short way from land. With the Rock of Gibraltar cut out on the horizon on clear days.
A short route eastwards, hugging the coast of Casares, with coves you can only reach by sea and anchorages for a swim with the engine off. The way back enters the harbour in front of the Castillo de la Duquesa, the 18th-century fort above the beach: the best view of the village, and one you only get from the water.
Book more hours and the skipper can run up to the Estepona coast along the whole line of beaches in the Manilva municipality. It is a half-day route with a swim stop along the way, leaving room to eat on board and come back with the sun already low.
Four plans that start from this marina and work better with one of our own at the helm.
Of our three bases this is the closest to the Strait of Gibraltar, and that widens the list: alongside the bottlenose dolphin you get here all year come large pods of striped dolphins, the occasional long-finned pilot whale in the deep water and, in high summer, a passing orca following the tuna. Never guaranteed, but this is one of the richest areas on the coast.
Being at the western end of the province, the sun here drops right behind the Rock of Gibraltar, and on clear days the African coast is outlined too. Going out late and coming back with the marina already lit is the plan people ask for most at this base.
The skipper stops the engine wherever the depth allows and you jump straight off the boat. You can add a paddle board, an inflatable ring, a wakeboard or a kneeboard to your booking and we will have them ready on board. On the Sea Ray 33 nobody has to stay behind watching the boat.
Ten people fit on the Sea Ray 33, and that is our real ceiling in Manilva. With the skipper included, the whole celebration stays on one boat and nobody has to skip a drink in order to drive. If there are eleven or more of you, it means two boats.
These are the skippered experiences in the Manilva catalogue: you pick the day and the time, we take care of the rest. From the shared dolphin-watching trip to the private tours to Sotogrande and the Strait of Gibraltar, or a wine tasting on board.
We work every day from 09:00 to 21:00. Early mornings bring the flattest sea and the best wildlife; the late afternoon slot is the sunset one and the first to fill up in July and August. The minimum trip is two hours, enough for the short route with a swim stop; from four hours on it starts to make sense to run up to Estepona or down to Sotogrande without rushing.
La Duquesa also has four boats you drive yourself: three 5-metre boats that need no licence and the Aqua 620, which does require a PER. They start at 180€ for 2 hours, with fuel paid separately and a deposit at pick-up.
See self-drive boat rental in ManilvaAbout skippered trips from Puerto de la Duquesa.
Tell us the day, the time and how many of you there are and we will confirm your trip from Puerto de la Duquesa, moorings 61-63.
Book a skippered trip
