A Zakynthos turtle spotting cruise runs three to five hours across Laganas bay to look for loggerhead turtles in the water, calling at Marathonisi island and the Keri caves on a glass-bottom boat, a caique or a speedboat. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the trip: which turtles live in the bay, the marine park rules, what it costs, where the boat goes, when the turtles are easiest to see, what to bring, Marathonisi and the Keri caves, and how to book.
What is a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise?
A three to five hour boat trip across Laganas bay to look for loggerhead turtles in the water, calling at Marathonisi island and the Keri caves, on a glass-bottom boat, a caique or a speedboat with a guide aboard.
Laganas bay holds the largest loggerhead nesting population in the Mediterranean, and the whole bay has been the National Marine Park of Zakynthos since 1999. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the voucher.
The turtles are wild and nobody guarantees a sighting, though the operators working the bay in June and July report them on the great majority of trips. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise fills first on that count in July and August.
The boats run from Laganas, Keri, Agios Sostis, Limni Keriou and Porto Koukla, and the bay is small enough that every departure covers the same water. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise fleet runs for it from May to September.
The glass-bottom versions add a viewing panel in the hull, which works in the shallow sandy sections rather than in the deeper channel.
Which turtles live in Laganas bay?
Caretta caretta, the loggerhead sea turtle, a species that reaches 90 centimetres of shell and 130 kilos, nests on six beaches in the bay and lays about 1,000 nests a season.
Females return to the beach where they hatched, coming ashore at night from late May to early August and laying around 120 eggs per nest. Every zakynthos turtle spotting cruise is planned around it before the boat leaves the quay.
Incubation runs 50 to 60 days and the sand temperature decides the sex of the hatchlings, with warmer nests producing females. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise route is set by it more than by distance.
Hatchlings emerge from late July into October and head for the brightest horizon, which is why beach lighting is regulated inside the park. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise starts with this settled at the gangway.
Adults feed on jellyfish, crabs and molluscs in the bay through the summer, which is what keeps them within reach of a boat.
What are the marine park rules?
The bay is divided into three maritime zones. Zone A bans all vessels, Zone B allows them at 6 knots, Zone C at 6 knots with anchoring permitted. Nobody touches, feeds or chases a turtle, and boats keep a distance.
The speed limit is what makes the trips slow and it is the single most important rule, because propeller strikes are a leading cause of injury to adults. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
Licensed operators carry a marine park permit and a guide briefed on the protocol, and the park wardens patrol the bay in season. Passengers on a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise meet it in the first half hour.
Swimming with turtles is not part of a licensed trip. The boats stop, the engines idle and the passengers watch from the deck. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
Nesting beaches including Sekania are closed to landing entirely, and Sekania alone carries about half the nests in the bay.
What does a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise cost?
From 20 to 35 euros a head for a two to three hour glass-bottom trip, 35 to 60 euros for a four to five hour cruise with Keri caves and swim stops, and 250 to 500 euros for a private boat for up to eight.
The short version leaves from Laganas or Agios Sostis and stays inside the bay, which is the cheapest way to see the turtles. This is what a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise delivers inside Laganas bay.
The longer version adds the Keri caves on the south-west headland and one or two swim stops, and it is the one most visitors book. That is the zakynthos turtle spotting cruise difference against a beach day.
Speedboat tours at 45 to 75 euros cover the same ground faster and reach Mizithres and the Eros cave beyond Keri. Guides brief it on deck before a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise sets off.
Nothing else is charged inside the bay, and the marine park itself takes no entry fee from passengers.
Where does the boat go?
Out from Laganas or Keri across the bay to Marathonisi, called Turtle Island for its shape, then south-west to the Keri caves and the Mizithres rocks, with swim stops on the longer trips.
Marathonisi is uninhabited, has two beaches and is a nesting site, so landing is restricted to the sandy west side and only where the wardens allow. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise fleet runs for it from May to September.
The Keri caves are a line of sea arches and grottoes under the cliffs on the south-west corner, entered slowly by small boats when the water is calm. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise carries the shade and the water for it.
Mizithres are two conical rocks off Keri that give the postcard view of the south-west coast, and the sunset trips turn here. It decides which zakynthos turtle spotting cruise format fits the party.
Cameo island near Agios Sostis is a small rock joined to the shore by a wooden footbridge and appears on many itineraries as a photo stop.
When are the turtles easiest to see?
June and July, when the adults are in the bay for the nesting season and the water is calm. May and August work, September is thinner, and outside those months the trips stop running.
Morning departures are the best water and the best light, because the bay is flat before the afternoon breeze and the surface glare is lower. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise starts with this settled at the gangway.
Cloud helps more than sun. A bright overcast cuts the reflection and makes a turtle at two metres far easier to pick out. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise season turns on this more than on the calendar.
The guides look for the head breaking the surface for air, which a loggerhead does every few minutes when active near the shore. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise price reflects it, hour by hour.
No operator guarantees a sighting, and the ones that promise one are worth avoiding on that basis alone.
What do you bring and expect?
Swimwear and a towel for the swim stops, a hat, sun cream, sunglasses with polarised lenses, water, and a camera. The boats have shade, seating and a toilet on the larger vessels.
Polarised sunglasses are the one piece of kit that changes the trip, because they cut the surface glare and let you see into the water. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
Children take to it and the boats carry life jackets in their sizes, with the glass-bottom versions holding attention best. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise operator states this at booking and prints it on the voucher.
Motion sickness is rare inside the bay because the water is sheltered, and it shows up on the speedboat trips beyond Keri. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise fills first on that count in July and August.
Feeding, touching or entering the water near a turtle is prohibited, and the guides say so at the start rather than after it happens.
How do you book a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise?
A day or two ahead from June to August and on the day outside it, stating the party size and the hotel for pickup where it is offered. Free cancellation to 24 hours is standard and the boats cap at 20 to 60 passengers.
Check the operator holds a marine park licence, because the unlicensed boats run the same route without the protocol. Guides brief it on deck before a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise sets off.
Ask whether the trip includes Keri caves and swim stops, since that is the difference between the two and the four hour versions. Every zakynthos turtle spotting cruise is planned around it before the boat leaves the quay.
Morning departures fill first in July and August, and the 09:00 and 10:00 slots are the ones worth asking for. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise route is set by it more than by distance.
Transfers from Laganas, Tsilivi and Argassi are included on some listings and 8 to 15 euros on others. The wider island sits at Zakynthos boat tours, and the species itself at Zakynthos sea turtles.
What is Marathonisi, the turtle island?
An uninhabited islet of 0.5 square kilometres in the middle of Laganas bay, shaped like a turtle from above, with a sandy beach on the west side, a pebble cove on the east and a sea cave at its southern end.
It is a nesting beach inside the marine park, so landing is restricted to the sandy section and the wardens close it when nests are active. It decides which zakynthos turtle spotting cruise format fits the party.
The shape is the reason for the name: seen from the Keri viewpoint or from a drone the island reads as a turtle with a distinct head and shell. A zakynthos turtle spotting cruise is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
The water off the west beach is shallow and pale over sand, which is where the boats anchor and where the swim stop happens.
The cave at the south end takes a small boat when the sea is flat, and the larger vessels pass it rather than enter.
Nothing is built on the island and nothing is sold there, so the boats bring their own water and take their rubbish back.
What are the Keri caves?
A line of sea arches, tunnels and grottoes cut into the limestone cliffs on the south-west corner of Zakynthos below the village of Keri, reached in 20 to 30 minutes from Laganas and entered slowly by small boats.
The rock is pale and the water under the arches turns an intense blue because the light enters from below rather than above. The zakynthos turtle spotting cruise price reflects it, hour by hour.
The largest arch takes a caique through it, and the smaller tunnels are for the speedboats and the private hires. This is what a zakynthos turtle spotting cruise delivers inside Laganas bay.
The Mizithres rocks stand just beyond, two white cones rising from deep water that mark the turn on most itineraries.
The Eros cave further round is a heart-shaped opening in the cliff that the speedboat trips include and the slower boats skip.
Swim stops happen here rather than in the nesting zone, because the water is deep, clear and outside the protected beaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Zakynthos turtle spotting cruise cost?
From 20 to 35 euros a head for a two to three hour glass-bottom trip, 35 to 60 euros for a four to five hour cruise with the Keri caves and swim stops, and 250 to 500 euros for a private boat for up to eight.
Are you guaranteed to see a turtle?
No. The loggerheads are wild and no licensed operator promises a sighting, though the boats working Laganas bay in June and July report them on the great majority of trips.
Can you swim with the turtles?
No. Laganas bay is the National Marine Park of Zakynthos and entering the water near a turtle is prohibited. The boats stop, the engines idle and passengers watch from the deck.