I’m writing this post on a day when the ferry hasn’t been for a couple of days due to adverse weather conditions. When the tramontana wind is in, the sea can be very rough. Sometimes, even when the weather looks decent enough from the islands, it can be bad on the mainland; or simply the issue may be that since the sea bed is shallow in Termoli, the boat may not want to risk hitting the bottom when there’s a bit of wave. Because when the main ferry is out of action…Houston, we have a problem! the substitute boat is and old metal shell which takes almost three hours to get from A to B. “It’s like going on a cruise!” some of the islanders joke.
The weather can change quite rapidly here on Tremiti, so my advice is: if, say, you know you have to be somewhere, are booked into a non-refundable hotel, or need to catch a plane or a train to go back home or continue your holiday…take the helicopter.
Definitely take the helicopter.
The only times the helicopter won’t take off or land is when visibility is low – and that is extremely rare. It is the most reliable way to get to and from Tremiti. In a year, the helicopter can skip 3, 4 trips at most. The ferry can skip 3 or 4 in a row, when the weather is bad! And to be honest…helicopter trips are the best. They are dirt-cheap for what they are (check out this article on The Times) so in low season you can get a return ticket for around £50 (double that in high season, which is still not much for what it is). In 20 minutes you reach your destination, after spending your whole trip oohing and aahing at the spectacular views offered by Capitanata, the Gargano, the Adriatic, and specially the islands from above.
And I mean, you get to tell all your friends that you went on holiday by helicopter. That’s priceless.
Book your cheap helicopter ride on the Alidaunia website – you’ll need to sign up, and be veeery patient with the temperamental website. It’s worth it, trust me.