A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is a six to nine hour day boat from Corfu, Lefkimmi, Kavos or Sivota itself to the shallow turquoise channel between the Bella Vraka sandbar and the islet of Agios Nikolaos, with two or three swim stops and lunch on board or in the village. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the day in full: where the lagoon is, which ports the boats leave from, the caves and coves on the route, the price bands, the vessels including the glass-bottom option, the season and the wind, who the day suits, and how to book a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise.
What is the Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise?
The sivota blue lagoon cruise is a six to nine hour day boat running from Corfu or Sivota harbour to the shallow turquoise channel between Agios Nikolaos and Mavro Oros islets, with two or three swim stops and a barbecue or taverna lunch.
The format is fixed across the Thesprotia operators. Departure falls between 08:30 and 10:00, the vessel crosses to the mainland coast opposite Corfu, anchors in the channel for 60 to 90 minutes of swimming, then moves to a second anchorage at Pisina or Bella Vraka. Lunch is served on board from a stern grill or ashore at a Sivota waterfront taverna. Return to the departure port lands between 16:30 and 18:00. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise operators state this at booking. This is what a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise delivers on the water.
Boats carrying 60 passengers and above cook chicken, pork souvlaki, Greek salad and bread on board, with water and soft drinks included and wine or beer charged separately at 3 to 6 euros. Smaller craft carrying eight to twelve stop at Sivota village instead, where lunch runs 15 to 25 euros per head at the harbour tavernas facing Mourtos. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise price reflects it.
Swim time totals two to three hours across the day. The lagoon anchorage sits over white sand at one to three metres, so masks and snorkels are handed out on most vessels at no extra charge. Water shoes matter at the Bella Vraka sandbar, where the seabed hardens into gravel near the Agios Nikolaos shoreline. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is sold on that.
The route is distinct from the Paxos and Antipaxos runs that leave the same Corfu quays. Those head 40 km south to Ionian caves and deep blue water; the Sivota crossing works the mainland shelf, where sand and low islets create the pale colour. Travellers comparing both formats read the wider Corfu boat tours options before committing to a departure port. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise route is set by it.
Where exactly is the Blue Lagoon at Sivota, and what makes the water that colour?
The lagoon is the channel between the Bella Vraka sandbar, Agios Nikolaos islet and the Thesprotia mainland, roughly 25 km south of the Corfu channel. Depth holds at one to three metres over pure white sand, which reflects light back as pale turquoise.
Sivota village, also written Syvota and known locally as Mourtos, sits on the Epirus coast in the Thesprotia prefecture, 22 km north of Parga and 32 km south of Igoumenitsa. Three islets shelter the bay: Agios Nikolaos, Mavro Oros and Bella Vraka. The sandbar linking Bella Vraka beach to Agios Nikolaos dries to ankle depth in calm morning conditions, and walkers cross it on foot in 4 to 6 minutes. Every Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is timed against it. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise leaves the quay with this settled.
Colour comes from geology rather than mineral content. The seabed here is crushed shell and quartz sand with no seagrass cover in the shallowest section, so sunlight passes down, strikes white grains and returns through only two metres of water. Beyond the sandbar the floor drops to seven metres and the tone shifts to deep blue within 30 metres of shoreline. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fills first on that count in August.
Boats anchor on the seaward side because the channel itself is too shallow for keels. Passengers swim 60 to 120 metres to reach the sandbar. Wind from the north-west stirs sand into suspension after 14:00 in July and August, which dulls the clarity, and this is the practical reason morning departures reach the anchorage first. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fleet is fitted for it.
Land access exists through Sivota village: a 2 km drive south to Bella Vraka car park, then a 300 metre walk. The sivota blue lagoon cruise reaches the same water from the sea side, which removes the parking constraint that fills the Bella Vraka lot by 10:30 in August. Passengers on a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise read it from the deck.
Where do the boats leave from, and how long is each crossing?
Departures run from Corfu Town, Benitses, Messonghi, Petriti, Lefkimmi and Kavos on Corfu, and from Sivota harbour on the mainland. Crossing time spans 25 minutes from Sivota quay to two hours from Corfu Town’s old port.
Corfu Town’s new port sends the largest vessels at 09:00, sailing south along the east coast for 90 to 120 minutes before turning east into the Thesprotia bays. Benitses adds a pickup 12 km down the coast and cuts 20 minutes from the passage. Messonghi and Petriti, both fishing harbours on the south-east shore, put boats within 55 to 70 minutes of the lagoon. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is sold on that. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise timetable is built on it.
Lefkimmi and Kavos sit at the southern tip of Corfu and hold the shortest Corfu-side crossings at 45 to 60 minutes. Kavos departures at 09:30 and 10:30 target the summer resort market and return by 17:30. Lefkimmi canal berths take smaller craft, including RIBs for eight to twelve passengers, which cover the same water in 35 minutes at 22 knots. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise route is set by it.
Sivota harbour itself is the closest launch point. Local caiques leave the Mourtos waterfront every 60 minutes between 09:00 and 15:00 from mid-June to mid-September, reaching the lagoon in 12 to 25 minutes for 12 to 20 euros return. Self-drive rentals leave from the same quay. This is what a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise delivers on the water.
Hotel transfer coaches feed the Corfu ports from Sidari, Acharavi, Dassia, Gouvia and Moraitika at 5 to 15 euros per person. Pickup for a 09:00 Corfu Town sailing starts at 07:15 in the north of the island. Travellers on a sivota blue lagoon cruise from Sidari face a 14 hour day door to door. That is the Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise difference.
What else does the route take in besides the lagoon?
The itinerary adds the Papanikolis and Krouzeri sea caves on the Thesprotia coast, Bella Vraka beach, the Pisina cove, a sail past Mourtos and the three islets, and a lunch stop at Sivota village harbour.
Papanikolis cave sits north of Sivota and takes its name from the Greek submarine that sheltered under the cliff line during the war. Entry depends on swell: with the sea below Beaufort 3 a tender or a boat under 12 metres enters the mouth, and passengers see the roof rise 8 metres above the water. Krouzeri lies further along the same limestone wall and holds a narrow inner chamber. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fleet is fitted for it. Crews handle it before a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise casts off.
Pisina, meaning swimming pool, is a rock-walled cove north of Bella Vraka with water at four to eight metres and no beach. Boats hold position on engines for 30 to 40 minutes while passengers jump from the bow. Bella Vraka beach itself receives the second swim call, and the sandbar walk happens here. Passengers on a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise read it from the deck.
The sail past Mourtos threads between Agios Nikolaos, Mavro Oros and the smaller Prasoudi rock, with the village amphitheatre of white buildings on the port side. Sivota harbour holds 18 tavernas along the front, and lunch ashore runs 45 to 60 minutes. Grilled sardines, kolokithokeftedes and Epirus feta appear on most menus at 6 to 14 euros a plate. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise leaves the quay with this settled.
Longer versions of the sivota blue lagoon cruise continue 22 km south to Parga’s Venetian castle and the sea caves at Ai Giannakis, which converts the day into a nine hour run. That extension mirrors the standalone Parga day trip from Corfu and cuts lagoon swim time to 50 minutes. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise carries the gear for it.
What does a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise cost?
Shared day boats with lunch charge 35 to 70 euros per adult. Half-day and glass-bottom runs cost 25 to 45 euros. Private boats for eight to twelve passengers run 400 to 900 euros. Hotel transfers add 5 to 15 euros.
The 35 euro tier covers large-capacity vessels from Kavos and Lefkimmi with a barbecue lunch, one soft drink and snorkel loan. The 55 to 70 euro tier belongs to Corfu Town departures, where the price absorbs the longer passage, port fees and a second swim stop at Pisina. Children aged three to twelve pay 50 to 60 percent of the adult fare; infants under three travel free without a seat allocation. This is what a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise delivers on the water. It decides which Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise to take.
Semi-private RIB charters from Lefkimhi carrying eight passengers sit at 90 to 120 euros per head, fuel included, with lunch bought ashore. Sailing catamarans out of Gouvia marina charge 110 to 150 euros per person for a nine hour day with cooked lunch, wine and a maximum of twelve aboard. That is the Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise difference.
Private motor boats hired with skipper in Sivota harbour cost 400 euros for a 6.5 metre craft over six hours and up to 900 euros for a 10 metre vessel with fridge, sunshade and swim ladder. Fuel adds 60 to 140 euros depending on distance run. A full-week Sivota yacht charter starts near 2,400 euros for a bareboat monohull in low season. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise timetable is built on it.
Licence-free self-drive boats rated at 30 horsepower rent from the Mourtos quay at 90 to 160 euros per day for four to six people, fuel excluded. Port taxes of 1 to 3 euros per passenger apply at Corfu Town. A sivota blue lagoon cruise booked online three days ahead holds the same price as the quayside rate at most Kavos kiosks. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise season turns on this.
What boats run the route, and what does each one reach?
Four vessel classes work the route: large day boats for 60 to 150 passengers, glass-bottom craft, RIBs and catamarans for eight to twelve, and licence-free self-drive rentals from Sivota harbour. Draft and length decide which anchorages each reaches.
The large day boats measure 22 to 32 metres with two decks, a bar, toilets and a stern swim platform. They anchor 100 metres off the sandbar because a 1.8 metre draft blocks the channel, and they skip the sea caves entirely. In exchange they hold shade for 80 people, serve a cooked lunch and stay steady in Beaufort 4 chop that turns small craft uncomfortable. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise leaves the quay with this settled. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise price reflects it.
RIBs of 7 to 9 metres with twin outboards carry eight to twelve and enter Papanikolis cave, cross the sandbar shallows and change anchorage four times in a day. There is no toilet, no shade beyond a bimini and no galley. Sailing catamarans of 12 to 15 metres run from Gouvia and Benitses, cover the passage under engine in 90 minutes and offer trampoline nets, a cooked lunch and a maximum of twelve guests. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise carries the gear for it.
Glass-bottom vessels are steel or fibreglass hulls of 14 to 18 metres with a viewing well amidships. They stay in the shallow zone and rarely reach Pisina. Self-drive rentals of 4.5 to 5.5 metres carry four to six under a 30 horsepower limit that requires no licence, and the rental agreements at Mourtos restrict range to the bay between Plataria and Perdika. Crews handle it before a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise casts off.
Choice of hull sets the day. A sivota blue lagoon cruise on a 150-seat boat trades cave access for shade and lunch; the RIB trades comfort for six anchorages and photographs from inside the limestone. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise operators state this at booking.
What is the glass-bottom version of the trip?
Glass-bottom boats carry a sealed hull window over the seagrass meadows and rock ledges at three to eight metres between Sivota and Agios Nikolaos, showing bream, wrasse and sea urchins to passengers who stay dry. Runs last two to four hours.
The viewing well sits in the centre of the deck, measuring roughly 2 by 4 metres, with bench seating on both sides. Fifteen to thirty passengers rotate through it while the skipper holds 3 to 4 knots over the Posidonia beds south of Mavro Oros. Salema, saddled bream, damselfish and octopus appear in the ledges; clarity reaches 12 metres on windless mornings in June and September. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise timetable is built on it. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fills first on that count in August.
Fares run 25 to 45 euros for adults and 12 to 22 euros for children aged four to twelve. Departures leave Sivota harbour at 10:00, 12:30 and 15:00 from June through September, and Kavos at 10:30. The format suits non-swimmers, children under six and travellers uneasy in deep water, since the boat never anchors far from the shoreline. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise season turns on this.
One swim stop is still included on the four hour version, at Bella Vraka, with 45 minutes in the water and a ladder from the stern. Life jackets in child sizes hang on the rail. Toilets exist on the larger glass-bottom hulls; the 14 metre craft carry one. It decides which Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise to take.
A sunset departure at 18:30 covers the same water with the sun low behind Corfu, lasting two hours and costing 30 to 40 euros with a glass of wine. Underwater visibility drops after 19:15, so the late run trades marine life for the light on the Thesprotia cliffs and the Mourtos waterfront. Every Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is timed against it.
When does the sivota blue lagoon cruise season run, and how does weather affect it?
Boats run from early May to mid-October, with the fullest timetable between mid-June and mid-September. The north-west maistros builds after 13:00 in July and August, chopping the channel, so operators confirm sailings by telephone between 07:30 and 08:30.
May and early June deliver the calmest mornings and clearest water, with sea temperature at 19 to 22 degrees and 8 to 10 hours of usable sunlight. Departure frequency is thinner: Corfu Town runs three days a week, Sivota harbour daily. Crowds at Bella Vraka stay under 200 people, against 1,200 on an August Saturday. Crews handle it before a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise casts off. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise route is set by it.
July and August bring water at 24 to 26 degrees, air at 31 to 36 degrees and daily departures from every port listed. The trade-off is wind. The maistros reaches Beaufort 4 to 5 across the Corfu channel by early afternoon, which forces RIBs and self-drive rentals back to Mourtos by 15:00 and lifts sand into the lagoon shallows. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise operators state this at booking.
September holds sea temperature at 24 degrees through the month with lighter afternoon wind and reduced passenger numbers. Operators keep near-full schedules to 25 September, then drop to weekend sailings. October closes the season as the first depressions cross the Ionian; boats stop between 10 and 20 October. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise price reflects it.
Cancellation for weather affects the small craft first. A 30 metre day boat sails in Beaufort 5; an 8 metre RIB does not. Operators refund in full or transfer the booking when they cancel. Any sivota blue lagoon cruise leaving Corfu Town in a strong maistros arrives 25 to 40 minutes late and returns through a following sea that unsettles passengers prone to seasickness. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is sold on that.
Who does the sivota blue lagoon cruise suit, and how is it booked?
Large day boats suit families with children over three, RIBs suit couples and confident swimmers, and private charters suit groups of eight to twelve. Booking runs two to five days ahead in July and August, with free cancellation to 24 hours.
Families gain from the big vessels: shaded seating, toilets, a bar, a lunch already cooked and crew handing out child life jackets. Children under three travel free but hold no seat. Grandparents and anyone with limited mobility board more easily at Corfu Town’s new port, where the gangway is level, than at Petriti or Lefkimmi, where the step down to the deck reaches 60 cm. It decides which Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise to take.
Couples wanting the sea caves take the semi-private RIB from Lefkimmi at 90 to 120 euros each, which reaches Papanikolis, Krouzeri and four anchorages. Groups of eight fill a private 9 metre boat with skipper for 400 to 700 euros, splitting to 50 to 88 euros a head, and set their own timings and lunch stop in Mourtos. Every Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise is timed against it.
Reservations run through operator sites, Corfu port kiosks and hotel desks. From 10 July to 25 August the popular 09:00 Corfu Town sailings fill three to five days ahead; May, June and late September accept same-day walk-ups at the quay. Payment is card online or cash at the desk, and free cancellation to 24 hours before departure is standard. A Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fills first on that count in August.
Passengers bring a hat, reef-safe sunscreen at factor 30 or higher, water shoes for the Bella Vraka gravel, a towel, 30 to 50 euros in cash for drinks and taverna extras, and a dry bag for phones. A sivota blue lagoon cruise offers no shop between ports, and the nearest pharmacy sits in Sivota village. The Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise fleet is fitted for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Sivota Blue Lagoon cruise cost?
From 35 to 70 euros per person on the shared day boat with lunch, 25 to 45 euros for the half-day and glass-bottom runs, and 400 to 900 euros for a private boat carrying eight to twelve, with hotel transfer at 5 to 15 euros.
Where is the Blue Lagoon at Sivota?
In the channel between the Bella Vraka sandbar, the islet of Agios Nikolaos and the mainland shore of Thesprotia, where one to three metres of water over white sand gives the colour.
Where do Sivota Blue Lagoon cruises leave from?
From Corfu Town and Benitses, from Lefkimmi and Kavos in the south of Corfu, from Petriti and Messonghi, and from Sivota harbour itself, with crossings of 25 minutes to two hours.