Zakynthos Island
Charming, small, greek island of Zakynthos is an amazing place to visit. It is quite well known because all the travel agencies bombard us with stunning pictures of Shipwreck Bay trying to persuade us to book their package holiday. We just had to finally check the place ourselves. We booked last minute cheap flights thanks to holidaypirates.com. Early september is a great time to visit Greece. There are less and less tourists, weather is still great and all the attractions are available. One of them is a combined cruise to the famous bay and Blue Caves.
Navajo Beach
Accommodation
If you have not been to Zakynthos yet, you should give a thought to your accommodation. During our “do it yourself holiday” we booked a stay through booking.com and found a well rated place in Agios Nikolaos. It turned out that the place is located in a more quiet part of the island, far away from the big resorts. The bus gets there only twice a week and taxi from the airport is 50€. That makes it worth it to rent a car straight away when you land, therefore you have all the freedom you need to explore the island.
Agios Nikolaos – Shipwreck Bay departure port
From Agios Nikolaos you can venture on the boat tour to the Shipwreck Bay and the Blue Caves. The cruise takes around 40 minutes to the famous beach, where we had 1,5h for ourselves and than, on our way back, we stopped at the Blue Caves for a refreshing swim and snorkel. From Agios Nikolaos you can catch a ferry to Kefalonia as well which makes it a good location if you are planning to do some island hopping. Northern parts of Zakynthos are more rocky and the beaches are mostly gravel with small stones. In the south you can find nice, wide, sandy beaches and some good nightlife options.
Zakynthos million dollar view – Navajo Beach
Navajo Beach is located in the north-west end of the island. It is surrounded by majestic, white clifs and the waters are crystal blue. There is a shipwreck stranded on the sand which is an additional attraction.
The place is truly incredible! We made our first visit by the boat. The trip took 3 hours and cost 15€ per person. On the Navajo Beach we had 1,5 hour to enjoy the scenery. As we were approaching the bay we were mesmerized by the beauty of the location. The sun was high enought to illuminate the white sand and the blue waters. It was hard to believe that these colours are real. We felt like we had just arraved to heaven.
The supreme mood was quickly changed by the reality. The beach was besiged by “billions” of tourists. 11:15 am was a great time to go as the sun was shinning above the huge clifs, but it was also the most popular time to go. Going earlier would not make much sense as the bay would be entirely in the shade. It was very challenging to take a romantic couple picture as there were crowds everywhere. Furthermore, it was even hard to find a place for your towel on the beach! The last 30 minutes of our stay were slightly better as a fair bit of people had already left. We even managed to have a swim without hitting anyone with every move!
Summing up the cruise:
Best time to go sun-wise is around midday. Than, you can surely enjoy the greek sun, lazure water and white sand at its best. However, this is also the peak time and you have to be aware of the crowd, especially during the high season summer months.
Want to see more of the natural beauty?
You need to visit the Shipwreck Bay at least twice. Well, according to us three times would be the best!
First time – take a bout tour from Agios Nikolaos. The 2nd and 3rd time would be the best to explore on your own, using a rental car. It will give you freedom and as much time as you need in one of the most picturesque places on our planet! Once you get to the viewing platform overlooking the beach, you will be able to take a lovely walk just on the edge of the cliff. You can stop at any place you like and take some great photos and it’s not as crowded as at the top, next to the parking lot. Walk at least to the point with the Greek Flag. It’s also worth going to the very end of the path if you’re seeking more privacy. The views are stunning!
Just around midday and for the next 2 hours, the beach is in full sun and the water deeply blue. This colour is very special, we have never seen water so blue anywhere in the world, yet! We think it might be the cliffs around the bay that make the colour of the water so vibrant and intense. Even if there’s some fog above the horizon, the bay will still remain beautifully blue, how cool is that! At that time of the day, the Shipwreck Beach will be probably crowded with a lot of tourists out on the sand. There will be also some noise from the vessels, ships or even the Titanic Soundtrack easily hearable.
The view on the Shipwreck Bay and the beach itself is just breathtaking! Topaz-blue waters will stay in your heart forever!
Sunset visit to the Shipwreck Beach
If you can, try visiting the place for the 3rd time, just around the sunset time. The Navajo Beach will now be completely empty, and the cliffs around will become gold from the soft, magical light of the setting sun. This will be the perfect time to take some postcard-like pictures. Zakynthos in its glory!
The Shipwreck Beach cliff area offer a nice and free parking lot. What’s more, you can also try some local food and beverages, especially greek sweets on your way to the viewing platform. If you love olives, almonds or sesame seeds covered in carmel, then it’s also a place to take some stuff back home, as souvenirs!
