Zakynthos Island
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Zakynthos Island
Zákynthos (Zante) is a verdant island endowed with fertile valleys and a temperate climate . Its landscape diversity has resulted in different types of beaches: there are sandy beaches in secluded coves where the tranquil waters are deep blue on the island’s southeastern part; yet, if rugged cliffs and an interesting underwater world are to your liking, try the western part of the island.
The Venetian architectural influence has left its stamp on Zante despite the damage sustained due to the seismic activity in the area. After the ravaging 1953 earthquake and the ensuing fire, a number of historical buildings and churches burned to the ground. Consequently, the significant treasures these buildings were housing perished. The town was rebuilt according to a plan where strict anti-seismic specifications applied and, to a large extent, respecting the town’s former architectural structure.
Suggested Tours
Tour 1 : Smugglers Cove
You will be picked up and transferred to the main harbour of Zante town, where you will join the cruise boat for an unforgettable experience cruising to the North of the Island and back.
There will be a guide/escort on board. The boat will cruise past the residential area of Krioneri, the resort
areas of Tsilivi, Alykanas and Alykes, up to Skinari, the most northern part of the island, where you can see the lighthouse. Also,just off the port of Agios Nicholas at Skinari there is a small island in the shape of a turtle, officially belonging to the Vatican as it was not ceded to Greece along with the rest of the Ionian Islands in the 18th
Century. From this point our closest neighbor, Kefalonia, can be seen.
Continuing, the boat sails fairly close to the famous Blue Caves discovered in 1897. The name comes from the colour of the water, a mixture of aquamarine and turquoise. This area is also the deepest part of the Mediterranean called the Well of Ionysos, which is about 4,500 meters deep.
Heading onto Smugglers Cove, where the wreck of the ship “Panayiotis” can be seen, and a stop for a wonderful swim in the lovely blue waters. Those strong swimmers wanting to swim ashore can do so with the captain’s permission, as there is no dock. The beach is not sandy, it has small white pebbles. Smugglers cove is only accessible by the sea. (Docking and swimming is weather permitting)
The boat will now turn around and will cruise around the north coast and the captain will make other swim stop(s) during the afternoon before arriving back at the port in town at about 16:00 .
- Zakynthos, Greece