Nature And Outdoors in Zakinthos

The main natural story of Zakynthos is turtles. Laganas bay in the south remains one of the few places in the Mediterranean where loggerheads come ashore to lay, and a marine national park exists for them: boat speeds are limited, some beaches close at night, umbrellas are cleared away. Boat trips to Marathonisi, known as Turtle Island, run with glass bottoms and a rule about distance — you may see the animal, you may not chase it.

The second subject is the geology of the west coast. There the land drops into the sea as a wall, and water has cut galleries into the limestone: the Blue Caves at Cape Skinari are lit from below, and the colour inside holds brighter than seems plausible. Navagio lies alongside — a bay with no way down, entered only from the sea. From land the same places are reached by jeep routes: dirt tracks along the ridge, platforms above the drops, the village of Kambi with its cross on the rock.

The rest is water and a slow pace. Eco-fishing goes out with locals on a traditional boat, with swimming stops and lunch made from the catch. Pilates on the beach and evening runs to Keri, where the Mizithres rocks stand straight out of the sea, close the day without hurry. Distances here are short: from the southern bay to the northern cape is under an hour, so a day can be built from two completely different halves.