Lefkada Island is perfectly centered in the Ionian Sea and has many large islands surrounded by small islands all around. This leads to many hours of enjoyment for those who simply wish to relax and enjoy all that the water has to offer. Explore dramatic coastal cliffs, fascinating sea caves, unspoiled beaches and turquoise bays of sparsely inhabited isles. Sleep on the beach and paddle along the 117 km. coastline of Lefkada. Site-seeing by kayak is an intimate and tranquil way to explore the less commercial and culturally rich Ionian Islands.
Lefkada island is very enjoyable even in high season and even then are there still magnificent opportunities for free camping. If you then board the kayak and move away from the most popular sites, you can reach vast deserted beaches and pristine coves and cliffs where nature is still wild.
Lefkada means "white" in Greek.
Lefkada-West Coast.
White cliffs. White beaches. Turquoise water. Free camping on the virgin beaches. The coastline is rugged and steep. Stunning beaches with long shores, covered mainly with small pebbles and featuring crystal-clear waters that are unique to the Ionian islands.
Despite its amazing beach, astonishingly little tourist development has taken place here, being limited to a handful of properties scattered amongst the olive groves that border the coastline and a few places to eat and drink along its shore. The beach itself stretches for miles and ranges from glorious golden sands at its western end to wild windswept sand dunes dotted with old windmills - once powered by the steady winds that are a trademark of Lefkas.
This is a terrific spot for watersports. There is a local watersports centre which offers windsurfing and the increasingly popular kitesurfing.
Pefkoulia Beach.
A popular free camping spot for many Greeks. The north end of the beach is full of tents and temporary camp grounds that are easily reached from the main road. With the exception of a few rocky sections, the beach stretches all the way south to Agh. Nikitas.
Amenities: R=restaurant (on the beach); B=bar (on the beach); C=cantina (on the beach); O=organized beach; CA= free camping on the beach
Milos Beach is a beautiful beach situated over the headland immediately to the south of Agios Nikitas Village. The beach is sandy/shingly, more pebbly towards the southern end, and steeply shelving. It catches the sun all day from mid-morning. There are no facilities, so bring water and food.
The footpath to the beach begins behind one of the taverns on the main street. It is steep and takes about 20 minutes to walk to its end. Parts of the path above the beach are slippery and at one point you have to climb down some rocks, so this not for people who have difficulty walking, They are building a road to the beach, but it has a long way to go still. At the top of the path there is an abandoned windmill. The view is spectacular.
It is very popular, equipped with a large dirt parking lot and some loud beach bars. You can rent umbrellas.
The coast south of Kathisma Beach
Kalamitsi beaches
South of Kathisma there are several beaches that can be reached by walking south along the shoreline. All of them are relatively remote and without facilities but make a fine route for walkers. Of note are the tiny coves at GIADOROS and THEOTOKOS, a mixture of sand and shingle shaded by pine trees, and the beach at STOUS PILOUS where several small coves are linked in a chain of beaches that are normally deserted. There is also a small and attractive beach about 3 kmл from Kalamitsi village down a dirt track. The sharp sand beach is noted for the large rocks along the shoreline. There is also a cantina and a few sunbeds in high summer.
Wonderful Gialos beach is a small bay with calm and crystal clear waters. It is anideal beach when it is windy as it is almost never wavy. It's worth it! There are a few sunbeds near the cantinas but little else. Another cantina can sometimes be found tucked away on a dirt track to the north. Gialos beach is in shadow until noon. The Beach is a great place for free camping. Many young people are camping out "alternative" mainly coming from Eastern European countries.
Egremni Beach, one of the world’s best. A superb long and deserted sand beach with fine small pebbles. It is so long that it would take thousands of people to make it feel crowded. The landscape is a unique combination of pine trees and turquoise water. The crystal sea waters are some of the best for swimming but are usually wavy in the afternoon. Nudists often make their appearance there. Topless swimming is also very common. Getting down to Egremni beach is not easy. Although marked as a metalled road on the map, the way to Egremni Beach is actually a gravelled road, most of which is not accessible by car. At the end of the road there are some 325 steps down to the beach!
The south-west coast of Lefkada
Porto Katsiki Beach is considered one of the best beaches in the Mediterranean Sea. It is voted every year as the most beautiful beach in Greece. It is sandy and is always crowded during the summer. If you like noisy beaches, this should definitely be your first choice. Bare in mind that topless swimming is quite common. There are no toilet facilities on the crowded beach. When you get there, it could be so crowded that in fact late arrivals will struggle to find a spot. Porto Katsiki beach is also a heat trap in the afternoon, with little or no shade. There are other small coves along this stretch of coast but they are unsignposted, difficult to reach on foot, and there are no facilities.
Cape Lefkas
Cliffs drop abruptly 70 odd metres into the sea. Locals call it Lady's Cape, and lunatics and criminals were once thrown from the cliffs to cure them of their evil ways - often with living birds attached to slow their descent. Followers of local cults also made sea plunges from the spot. It's a weird world.
The lighthouse on Cape Doukato (also called the head Kavos Kiras), far south of Lefkada Island.
Lefkada - South Coast
The south coast of Lefkada is a jigsaw of long inlets and sheltered harbours and beaches nestling beneath the pine carpeted hills. To the east is Sivota, a favourite port of call for yachting flotillas, and to the west is Vassiliki, host to the world windsurfing championships. Beyond Vassiliki is the wild, windswept peninsula that ends at Cape Lefkas. A good road runs down the east coat to provide easy access, but the south-west resorts are more tricky as the roads get steadily worse as you head south.
Vassiliki Town
Vassiliki is popular with package tourists and is known for good windsurfing in its sheltered bay. Vassiliki Bay is often calm in the mornings and windy in the afternoons. Vassiliki is surrounded by green valleys and fabulous beaches. A short walk south along the coastal path brings you to a small and attractive beach at Aghiofili which has no facilities but is a regular port of call for day trip boats, so it can get busy sometimes.
Aghiofili Beach -SE to Vassiliki.
Location: 38° 36' 20.76" N 20° 36' 43.74" E
Lefkada - East coast
Leukada’s eastern coast is a cosmopolitan kind of place with a couple of good sized marinas that pull in the European yachting crowd all year round. The towns of Nikiana and Nydri are bustling places full of restaurants and bars with the expected crush of tourists in the summer months. Amazingly, there are no good beaches to swim near Nidri. A few kilometers south of Nidri are Desimi and Mikros Gialos, but these beaches are nothing compared to the beaches of western Lefkas. Boats may be taken from Nydri to tour the smaller Prince islands opposite of Leukada, which include Sparti, Heloni, Madouri, Skorpidi, Skorpios, and Meganisi.
Nydri
Nydri is a busy and commercial town. Beaches are found to the north of Nidri. They have great settings and terrific views but are a little disappointing - long, narrow, crowded and the roads are mostly rough pebble, although lorry loads of sand have been dumped here and there. The large number of boats ensure that the sea is not the cleanest, but it is shallow and calm. Noisy jet skis and screaming teenagers won't make for a quiet holiday.
Nidri is a major yachting centre and boats always seem to fill the bay, with the annual Ionian Regatta in late September being one of the highlights of the Mediterranean year. Ferries leave Nidri daily for tours of the local islets and to the many secluded bays that lie along this part of the coast. There are also early-morning boats to Ithaca and Kefalonia.
Lefkada - Wave Forecast
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар