Things to do by boat

The following are a few suggestions of places to visit by boat on Zakynthos during your stay –

Navagio Bay/Shipwreck Cove or Pirates Bay

This is one of the most photographed beaches in the world.

The wreck on the beach is a freighter called Panagiotis and ran aground or was scuttled on 1st October 1980, the Panagiotis is was being chased by the Customs boat as it was believed to have a cargo of alcohol, cigarettes and women. The ship caught fire and the crew abandoned ship taking as much cargo as possible through the night from the wreck. Over the course of the next five years the beautiful beach you see on the photo below built up around the wreck. Aquamarine waters have made this a lovely place to visit although currently for safety reasons you cannot go on the beach, it is a wonderful place to visit for photographs and then visit another equally as beautiful beach to swim.

Boat trips go twice a day. Trip is for 3 hours with two swim stops, a visit to the Blue Caves and costs approximately €18.

We recommend ABBA Travel or Nefis Travel.

The Blue Caves

Situated on the rocky west coast of Zakynthos in the Volimes area. The Blue Caves are a natural geological phenomena, as seen on the photos below the water is a very unusual stunningly beautiful blue. The distinct blue colour is caused by sunlight leaking through the porous rocks of the hillside and hitting the seabed within the caves. The seabed has a lot of calcium carbonate content in this area which is white in colour and consequently the light is reflected up into the water resulting in this amazing colour. If you swim in the caves and only your head is above the water then the rest of your body will appear to be the colour blue. You are left with the impression that the sea is lit with LED lights.

You can visit the caves in a number of ways:-

The tour to Navagio Bay includes 2 swim stops and the caves. We would recommend that when booking you ask the Tour operator does your boat go INSIDE the cave as some boats are too big. Tour cost approximately €25-27 depending on operator.

You can also just visit the caves, the trip takes approximately one hour cost €18

Or You can hire a boat and go on your own.

In all the resorts in Zante you will see many excursion shops offering private boat rental.

Marine law limits the size of the engine on a boat if you do not have a marine licence. That is a good thing, if you think of it in the terms of giving a Provisional Driving Licence holder on his first lesson a Ferrari to drive then you are setting them up to fail or worse, so what that means is the speed is limited. What it does NOT mean is that you are not going to be going fast and feeling the wind in your hair and the roar of the engine because believe me – you will.

All of our excursion and rental places owners want our guests to be safe and importantly have an amazing experience that they cannot wait to come back and do again.

So costs – once again these figures are subject to change and will depend on a number of things:-

Size of party – how many people are going? The bigger the boat the higher the cost.

Rental Time – how long do you want the boat for?

Fuel – Is it included or do you pay for the fuel you have used when you return the boat.

The amount of fuel you use will depend on how far you are going, how fast you are going and weather conditions. If the sea is choppy you will use more fuel as the engine is working harder.

Captain/No Captain ?

You can take the boat yourself and will be given instructions on how it works, the things you need to be aware of, like where do you drop anchor or how to contact in an emergency. Just like when you hire a car. You are responsible for that boat, on your return it will be checked for damage to the outside, inside and equipment- it is an expensive bit of kit, just like that Ferrari.

If you decide to hire a Captain (approximately €50 extra) the Captain is responsible for the boat! You still get to drive and he knows the best places to go and how to make the most of the fuel. You can tell him where you want to go and he will probably also suggest hidden beaches, quieter blue caves where you will be able to swim inside the cave, places that are fantastic for the children, somewhere good to have lunch and where the turtles swim or maybe you want to do sunset or sunrise. The Captain can leave you in privacy on a beach where you are likely to be alone and one of the best things is he knows where to drop anchor so you don’t get it stuck!

Total peace of mind!

True luxury

So, costs – I had a chat this morning with Pavlos at ABBA Travel in Tsilivi(there is a Facebook page and a website)

All day hire – boat for 6 people WITHOUT Captain €200 plus fuel (depending on the above mentioned variables) approx €100

All day hire (10-6) WITH Captain €250.

If you take the Captain you must remember that a boat for 6 is 5 guests plus Captain.

I have lots of sailing and boating experience but if I want to have a brilliant laid back fun filled day enjoying fantastic food and chilled wine I hire the Captain, he is worth his weight in gold.

In all the resorts in Zante you will see many excursion shops offering private boat rental.

Marine law limits the size of the engine on a boat if you do not have a marine licence. That is a good thing, if you think of it in the terms of giving a Provisional Driving Licence holder on his first lesson a Ferrari to drive then you are setting them up to fail or worse, so what that means is the speed is limited. What it does NOT mean is that you are not going to be going fast and feeling the wind in your hair and the roar of the engine because believe me – you will.

All of our excursion and rental places owners want our guests to be safe and importantly have an amazing experience that they cannot wait to come back and do again.

So costs – once again these figures are subject to change and will depend on a number of things:-

Size of party – how many people are going? The bigger the boat the higher the cost.

Rental Time – how long do you want the boat for?

Fuel – Is it included or do you pay for the fuel you have used when you return the boat.

The amount of fuel you use will depend on how far you are going, how fast you are going and weather conditions. If the sea is choppy you will use more fuel as the engine is working harder.

Captain/No Captain ?

You can take the boat yourself and will be given instructions on how it works, the things you need to be aware of, like where do you drop anchor or how to contact in an emergency. Just like when you hire a car. You are responsible for that boat, on your return it will be checked for damage to the outside, inside and equipment- it is an expensive bit of kit, just like that Ferrari.

If you decide to hire a Captain (approximately €50 extra) the Captain is responsible for the boat! You still get to drive and he knows the best places to go and how to make the most of the fuel. You can tell him where you want to go and he will probably also suggest hidden beaches, quieter blue caves where you will be able to swim inside the cave, places that are fantastic for the children, somewhere good to have lunch and where the turtles swim or maybe you want to do sunset or sunrise. The Captain can leave you in privacy on a beach where you are likely to be alone and one of the best things is he knows where to drop anchor so you don’t get it stuck!

Total peace of mind!

True luxury

So, costs – I had a chat this morning with Pavlos at ABBA Travel in Tsilivi(there is a Facebook page and a website)

All day hire – boat for 6 people WITHOUT Captain €200 plus fuel (depending on the above mentioned variables) approx €100

All day hire (10-6) WITH Captain €250.

If you take the Captain you must remember that a boat for 6 is 5 guests plus Captain.

I have lots of sailing and boating experience but if I want to have a brilliant laid back fun filled day enjoying fantastic food and chilled wine I hire the Captain, he is worth his weight in gold.

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