Lefkada and Zakynthos: two of the most beautiful islands in Greece

As the winter is approaching for the countries on the north side of the Equator let’s have a final look back to the summer destinations. Greece has 13,676 km coastline and a large number of islands (~6000). It is not surprising that it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. I am not exactly the “lying the whole day on the beach” person and my trips to Greece are usually connected with kayaking and snorkeling. If you as well like to do more activities while on a seaside, you can find here some ideas what to do and where to go. Two of my favorite islands in Greece are Lefkada and Zakynthos and you can find below information and pictures of both of them for an inspiration (:.

The two of the islands are located in the Ionian Sea, not far from each other. There is an underwater tunnel going to Lefkada which makes it pretty easy to be reached from the mainland. Zakynthos, however, can be reached only by a ferry from Kyllini for about one hour or a flight from Athens also almost hour long. There are also charter flights from some European capitals during summertime. If you are planning to visit both islands you can as well just take a ferry between the two of them.

I have been to many places in Greece but the water of the Ionian sea is just amazing. It differs from the Mediterranean Sea, although it is still very salty. That is on one side very good quality - you can float in the water without putting too much effort on it. If you have snorkeling mask and fins you don’t even need to move, just enjoy the underwater universe. On the other side the salt will make your skin very sensitive, so do not forget to put sunscreen and wash with fresh water whenever there is an option to do so. The islands are mountainous and the combination of the sea and mountain creates a really impressive landscape. Vertical cliffs make the scenery dramatic and give you prospect. Rocks are everywhere and in the water close to the islands you can find plenty of them surrounded by fishes. Sea stars are there as well. Both of the islands have beaches full of stones which for beach lovers could be a little disappointing, but for snorkeling is perfect as there are plenty interesting things than just a sand you can see underwater.

Greece is super clean country and you will very rarely see some trash around. If you do it is probably because someone dropped it by mistake. That is a positive side of the country that shouldn’t be overlooked. It happens very often that people travel to some exotic destinations looking to see the beaches from the wallpapers. But in reality, most of those places don’t look that way. Or if it does look the same it is only the part which is in the private 7-star hotel area. Greece won’t disappoint you on that one. It looks like the pictures and there won’t be a huge difference in terms of wealthy people staying in a thousand of dollars accommodation resort and just of few meters away shack of a people who live in poverty.

Lefkada and Zakynthos have the best weather in June and end of August the beginning of September. At that time it is not as hot as it will be in July and mid-August where temperatures can reach 40 degrees. If you visit in September it is guaranteed there won’t be so many people around and the prices of the accommodation will be more reasonable.

Lefkada’s most popular beach is Porto Katsiki. It is quite a remote beach and you will have to drive not less than an hour from everywhere else on the island, but it is totally worth it. I am still not sure which is better watching it from above, where you can enjoy nice frappe in some of the cafes, or jumping in the surreal blue water from the rocks. Whatever you chose to do, plan to spend at least 5 hours.

On the way to it, you will pass another famous beach Vasiliki which will be your spot if you like windsurfing. We were camping in Desimi – a really beautiful and quiet place. If you would like to do some kayaking you can go to Meganisi (the neighbor island) and have lunch there like we did. The town of Spartochori is very traditional and you will feel authentic Greek atmosphere. Watch out to not mistaken it with the other island Scorpios which is close by and belongs to the very famous billionaire Onassis. It looks like they don’t like visitors there as it is guarded by men with guns. So, make sure you reach the right shore (:.

Zakynthos has one of the famous beaches in the world - Navagio beach. It is the site of a famed 1980 shipwreck. It looks really intriguing and romantic, although the story behind the ship is not so fascinating. It was used to transfer illegal cigarettes and after the accident, the locals had collected every single pack of them.

The more interesting part for me is the turtles that can be seen around the island. You can see them from the main land although locals will tell you that you need to go to a smaller island nearby where the small turtles are being hatched. It is very interesting that the island looks like a turtle as seen from above. The turtles are quite huge and used to tourist so, you can swim around without worries. Check Caretta-Caretta which is their species. It was raining the day we went to see them and we couldn’t swim with them, as there were a lot of waves. Still, we have encountered one turtle on the port coming back from a turtle observation journey. So, don’t go too far, turtles are waiting for you (:.

Thank you very much for reading and upvoting. Let me know if you need more information about the islands. Cheers, Eva (:

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