Turtles, Marathonisi and Keri caves by speedboat
A small-group speedboat trip through the marine park in Laganas Bay, with turtle spotting, Cameo islet, the Keri caves and two or three swim stops. Bring your own food and drinks.
Will you see a turtle?
Will you see turtles on a Zakynthos boat trip, and which tours are turtle-friendly?
Often, but never for certain. The tour runs through the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, which was set up to protect loggerhead sea turtles, and the booking page lists turtle spotting as the first thing it does. Reviewers on that page report seeing one or several turtles, and others write that a sighting is not a given. The trip earns its place even on a day with no turtle, because it also visits Cameo islet, the Keri caves and arches, two or three swim stops and Marathonisi. A turtle-friendly tour is one whose captain keeps a slow, respectful distance and never lets anyone touch or feed an animal.
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Why no operator can promise one
A loggerhead is a wild animal that spends most of its time underwater: Wikipedia says the species can spend up to 85 per cent of a day beneath the surface. A sighting means arriving while one is up to breathe. The booking page itself says the turtles are met in their natural habitat, and a reviewer who sailed in October wrote that the season was over and the group still saw one.
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What turtle-friendly means
ARCHELON, the Greek sea turtle protection society, publishes a code for watching turtles from boats. It asks for a speed under 2 knots during observation, a distance of 15 metres, an approach from the side, no more than two vessels at one turtle and a silent watch that lasts no more than 10 minutes. It also asks people to avoid touching and feeding.
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What the trip gives you either way
The route on the booking page passes Cameo islet, reaches the caves and arches of the Keri coast, makes swim stops at a private beach and in the caves, and ends at Marathonisi, the islet locals call turtle island. Swimming and photography are the sure things; the turtle is the bonus.
Four facts for the trip
- Where
- The National Marine Park of Zakynthos, in Laganas Bay.
- The boat
- A semi-private speedboat with 8 to 14 people.
- The time
- About 3 hours, with two or three swim stops.
- The catch
- Turtle sightings are never guaranteed.
What the trip can include
The stops, from Laganas Bay to Marathonisi
Below are the places the booking page names, alongside what encyclopedias and conservation groups say about them. Because captains reroute for weather, read it as a map of possibilities rather than a running order.
The booking page says itineraries are subject to change and that captains may alter the route for weather and safety. Your confirmation holds the plan for your own date.
- The bay
Laganas Bay and the marine park
Wikipedia describes Laganas as a wide, shallow bay on the south-east side of Zakynthos, closed in by the Vasilikos and Marathia peninsulas. The National Marine Park of Zakynthos was founded in 1999 and covers 135 square kilometres, according to Wikipedia. ARCHELON calls the bay one of the most important areas for loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean and notes that it holds the islets of Marathonisi and Pelouso.
- The animal
The loggerhead, Caretta caretta
The name refers to the animal's large head. Adults weigh roughly 80 to 200 kilograms, says Wikipedia, which calls the loggerhead the world's largest hard-shelled turtle. Six beaches around the bay are its nesting grounds, and ARCHELON counts an average of 1,200 nests a year on them. The boat sees the turtles at the surface, not on land.
- The islet
Cameo islet
A photo stop on the route. The booking page presents Cameo islet as the work of an earthquake. It is a small wooded rock close to the shore, and in photographs a short footbridge links it to the land. The booking page names it as a quick look before the caves.
- The coast
The Keri caves and the Kamares arches
The booking page places the caves on the island's south-western coast and says the boat passes through arches it calls Kamares, then stops for a first swim at a private beach it names Oasis. A travel site puts the caves on the Keri coast between the Kapo Marathia and Mizithres rocks and says they can only be reached from the sea. It adds that some boats go in and that other entrances are too small for anything but a kayak.
- The island
Marathonisi, turtle island
Wikipedia calls Marathonisi an uninhabited islet in Laganas Bay and notes its turquoise water, beaches and sea caves. The Greek newspaper To Vima says locals call it turtle island because of its shape and that its sandy beach of about 150 metres is a loggerhead nesting site. The trip makes a swim stop here, the third and last of the day on the booking page, and the beach carries its own visitor rules.
- The seal
The monk seal, and why caves matter
The booking page names the Mediterranean monk seal beside the loggerhead as a species the park protects. Wikipedia says pregnant seals typically use inaccessible undersea caves when giving birth. That is one reason sea caves are treated with care. It is not a promise of a seal sighting.
Two ways to spend a boat day
The turtle trip and the Shipwreck Beach day, side by side
Question
Turtle speedboat trip
Shipwreck and Blue Caves day
Where
The south: Laganas Bay and the marine park, Cameo islet, the Keri caves and Marathonisi.
The north-west: Shipwreck Beach, which Wikipedia calls Navagio, and the Blue Caves around Cape Skinari.
Length
About 3 hours.
8 to 9 hours, on a land and sea tour.
The boat
A semi-private speedboat with 8 to 14 people.
A glass-bottom boat or a speedboat in a small group, says the booking page.
What you come for
A chance of turtles, sea caves and swim stops.
The shipwreck cove and the blue caves, with the island's best-known views.
Wildlife
Turtles are the reason, never guaranteed.
Scenery first; not a wildlife trip.
Traveller rating
4.6 across about 3,870 reviews.
4.8 across about 6,580 reviews.
Suits
A short sea outing with a turtle chance.
A full day built round the island's famous sights.
From booking to the harbour
From booking to the harbour
The voucher carries the exact steps for your date. This is the usual order the booking page describes.
- Book
Choose your option and a date
Open the calendar and pick a date to see which options are available. The booking page says payment can wait, and that a cancellation costs nothing up to a day before the start.
- Meet
Pickup or the harbour
Check whether your option includes pickup. If it does, the booking page says you are collected at your accommodation or at a point up to a five-minute walk away, and told the exact time and place within the 24 hours before the trip.
- Board
Find the boat at Agios Sostis
The booking page names Agios Sostis harbour as the boarding point and says the departure point carries two large blue flags and white umbrellas with the provider's logo. A semi-private speedboat takes 8 to 14 people.
- Cruise
Turtles, caves and swim stops
The captain heads into the marine park to look for turtles, then runs along the coast past Cameo islet to the Keri caves and arches, with two or three swim stops and a last stop at Marathonisi.
- Return
Back to the harbour
The tour ends at Agios Sostis harbour. If you chose a pickup option, the booking page says the driver takes you back to your accommodation.
The booking in plain words
The booking in eight lines
The details the booking page gives, and the ones it leaves out.
- Format
- A speedboat tour in the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, described as a semi-private premium small group of 8 to 14 people, lasting about 3 hours.
- Language
- English and Greek.
- Start
- Agios Sostis harbour, or a pickup if your option includes one. Pickup options appear once you check availability.
- Swim stops
- Two or three: a private beach, the Keri caves and Marathonisi.
- What to bring
- A hat, swimwear, a towel, a camera, sunscreen and water.
- Not suitable for
- Pregnant women, people with back problems, wheelchair users and people prone to seasickness.
- Weather
- The captains may change the itinerary for safety. If the tour is rescheduled for weather, the booking page says you are notified in advance.
- Not included
- Food and drinks. Whether pickup is included depends on the option, so the booking page shows what your date offers.
Photographs
From Laganas Bay to the Keri coast
A loggerhead at the surface, the islets and the pale cliffs of the south. Each photograph shows what its description says.
More boat days to book
The turtle trip, the Shipwreck Beach day and two shorter cruises
First the turtle trip itself, then the north-west day to Shipwreck Beach and two shorter cruises for a day when the south coast does not suit.
Shipwreck Beach and Blue Caves, land and sea
A full day to the north-west of the island, with the Shipwreck Beach viewpoint and a boat into the Blue Caves. Turtles are not the point of this one.
Porto Vromi cruise to Shipwreck and caves
A shorter cruise on the north-west coast that stops for a Shipwreck Beach photo, sea caves and swimming at a white beach.
Blue Caves and Navagio Bay swim cruise
A short boat trip from Agios Nikolaos harbour along the northern coast, with a swim in the Blue Caves and a look at Navagio Bay.
More to book across Zakynthos
Practical notes
Reaching Agios Sostis and planning the trip
- Where it starts
- The booking page names Agios Sostis harbour as the boarding point. Wikipedia describes Laganas as the island's largest resort, on the same bay as the marine park, and many people choose the pickup option instead of finding the harbour themselves.
- Pickup
- The booking page says pickup depends on the option, and that you are collected from your accommodation or from the nearest pickup point, up to a five-minute walk away. You receive your pickup time and place within 24 hours before the trip.
- What to bring
- The booking page lists a hat, swimwear, a towel, a camera, sunscreen and water. Nothing to eat or drink is provided, so carry water at least.
- Season
- Wikipedia says female loggerheads lay their eggs at night from May to August. That is the nesting season on land; the booking page does not name a season for seeing turtles at sea, and one reviewer who went in October still saw one.
- Weather
- The captains may change the itinerary for safety, and the booking page says you are notified in advance if the tour is rescheduled for weather.
- Who should pick something else
- The booking page lists the trip as unsuitable for pregnant women, people with back problems, wheelchair users and people prone to seasickness. A fast small boat on open sea moves a lot.
More reading
Six guides to the turtles and caves of Zakynthos
- 01 Start here
Will you see turtles on a Zakynthos boat trip?
Whether a boat trip in the marine park will show you a loggerhead, what turtle-friendly watching looks like, and what the three-hour speedboat tour gives you if none appears. Read the guide → - 02 Which boat day
Turtle trip or Shipwreck Beach: which Zakynthos boat day?
A three-hour speedboat trip on the south coast with a chance of turtles, or a full day on the north-west coast built round the shipwreck cove and the Blue Caves. What each is, what each is not, and who each suits. Read the guide → - 03 The animal
The loggerhead in Laganas Bay: nesting and what the park protects
What a loggerhead sea turtle is, why Laganas Bay matters to it and what the nesting season means for a visitor on a boat. Read the guide → - 04 The rules
Watching turtles responsibly on a Zakynthos boat
The distances, speeds and manners that protect loggerheads in the marine park, and how to tell whether your trip respects them. Read the guide → - 05 The stops
Keri caves, Cameo islet and Marathonisi explained
What the south-coast stops on the turtle trip are, what sources say about each and what the booking page says you do there. Read the guide → - 06 Practical
Getting to Agios Sostis, and what to bring
Where the turtle trip starts, how pickup works, how to find the boat and what to pack for a small speedboat. Read the guide →
FAQ
Questions before you book a boat
Will you see turtles on a Zakynthos boat trip?
Often, but never for certain. The tour goes through the marine park that protects loggerheads, and reviewers report seeing one or several, while others write that a sighting is not a given. Cameo islet, the Keri caves and the swim stops make the trip worthwhile on a day with no turtle.
Which Zakynthos tours are turtle-friendly?
Look for a boat that keeps its distance, approaches a turtle from the side, stays slow and never lets anyone touch or feed it. ARCHELON's code for watching turtles from boats asks for 15 metres, a speed under 2 knots and no more than two vessels at one animal.
Can you swim with the turtles or touch them?
No. The booking page offers swim stops at a beach and in caves, separate from turtle spotting. ARCHELON asks people to avoid touching and feeding turtles, and says feeding teaches people a wrong idea of wildlife.
What is Marathonisi, and can you land there?
Marathonisi is the islet locals call turtle island, and the trip makes a swim stop there. The newspaper To Vima reports that visitors may use its nesting beach in daylight only, must stay within about five metres of the water, and may not use umbrellas.
What can change the route?
Weather. The booking page says the captains may change the itinerary for safety and that you are notified in advance if the tour is rescheduled.
Who is the trip not for?
Pregnant women, people with back problems, wheelchair users and anyone prone to seasickness are told to choose something else. The boat is small and fast, and the sea can be lively.
What is included, and what is not?
The booking page lists the cruise, turtle spotting, visits to the caves, Cameo islet and Marathonisi, swim stops and a captain and crew. Food and drinks are not included, and pickup depends on the option you choose.
Turtle trip or Shipwreck Beach?
The turtle trip is a 3-hour outing on the south coast. The Shipwreck Beach tour is a full day on the north-west coast and does not centre on wildlife. The comparison guide lines them up.
Is this the operator's website?
No. These pages are an independent guide, with no tie to any boat company, tour operator or marine-park body. You book with GetYourGuide, which collects the payment and deals with any cancellation.
Will you see turtles off Zakynthos? What the marine-park speedboat trip involves, the rules that protect the animals and the plain terms before you book.
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