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| Navagio |
The temperate climate; the deep and cool sea waters; the mountains; the lush vegetation; the cultural heritage; and the cheerfulness of the inhabitants, make the Ionian Islands the ideal place for a holiday as well as rest and relaxation. Zakynthos is the southern and third biggest island belonging to the Ionian group of islands.
Zankynthos is a land of music, dance and poetry. Dionysios Solomos, Greek national modern poet, and Andreas Kalvos, another master Greek poet, were born there. The National Anthem of Greece consists of the first two verses of the “Hymn to Freedom”, written by the poet Dionysios Solomos.
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| Zakynthos town |
The Island is 406 square kilometres and has a population of over 39000 inhabitants. It is situated 8.5 nautical miles south of Kefalonia, 9.5 nautical miles west of the Peloponnese and approximately 300 kilometers west of the capital of Greece, Athens.
Zakynthos benefits from a Mediterranean temperate climate with mild winters and cool summers; the generous winter rains favour the growth of thick vegetation and assure a remarkable water reserve. That is why the island is very “green” and in the past both Homer and the Venetian rulers used to call it “wooded” and “The flower of the Levant”.
The very warm waters that wash the coast favour a particularly long tourist season (from May till the end of October). In the southern part of the island the caretta-caretta turtles have chosen some of its magnificent beaches to lay their eggs on..
Along the rocky, western coasts the monk seals (Monachus Monachus) breed too.
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| Gerakas |
The beaches of Zakynthos are famous for their unspoilt beauty and their mirror-like emerald waters. The most famous beach and one of the most photographed beaches in the world is the wonderful 'Navagio Beach' (Shipwreck), which has soft white sand, turquoise waters and impressive cliffs around it. Other great beaches are: Gerakas, Porto Roma, Argasi, Bouka, Marathia, Alykes and Alykanas and many others.
In addition to the wonderful natural landscape, Zakynthos offers the possibility to visit numerous deserted small islands that surround it. Two small and isolated islands, known as Strofadia or Strofades, emerge from the waters of the Ionian Sea at 45 km SW of Zakynthos and 78 km to the west of cape Katakolo of the Peloponnese. During the ancient times they were known as “Plota Nisia” (floating islands), because it really looks as if they were floating. The bigger of the two is known as Stamfani, while the smaller one is Arpyia (Arpina). A ledge links the two islets together. In Arpyia you will find the majestic Metamorfoseos monastery (13th century) surrounded by high walls. The patron-saint of Zakynthos Aghios Dionysios lived here.
source: visitgreece
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