Experience · Zakynthos, Greece

Loggerhead turtles

Laganas Bay is one of the Mediterranean's great loggerhead nesting grounds, and glass-bottomed boat trips from Zakynthos town give children an eye-to-eye encounter without disturbing anyone's morning.

Best forFamilies · Wildlife & nature · Couples
In October23°C · 6 rainy days
Ideal stayA day within a week on Zakynthos
Approx. flying time~13h 40m from Los Angeles

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Happens around Zakynthos, Greece — nearest airport Zakynthos (ZTH), about 9km away.

CurrencyEUREuro
LanguageGreek
Local time13:332h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+30

The experience

Laganas Bay holds some of the Mediterranean's most important loggerhead nesting beaches, protected within a national marine park since 1999. Females come ashore between late May and August to lay above the tideline, and hatchlings emerge from July into October, heading for the water at night. Boat trips in the bay give a decent chance of seeing adults in the water, often resting close to the surface in the early morning.

The park sits at the southern end of Zakynthos, and most visitors base themselves nearby or in the main town, twenty minutes away. Combine it with the west coast cliffs and the sea caves at the northern tip for a full week. Nesting season overlaps with peak summer, which means busy beaches and strict rules on them. Anyone hoping to watch a hatching should know sightings are chance, not schedule.

Ideal stay: A day within a week on Zakynthos
The vibe: Careful, sun-struck, genuinely wild

From our guides

Skip the beach at peak season and visit the sea turtle rescue and information centres instead, where the conservation story lands properly. Choose operators flying the licensed national-park flag — smaller boats that keep respectful distances get better sightings anyway.

Featured in Ten wildlife holidays that beat any screen

Make a trip of it

Boat trips in Laganas Bay

Licensed vessels operate under national park rules on speed and distance. Smaller boats and calm mornings give the best chance of a sighting.
The nesting beaches

Sekania, Daphni, Gerakas and Kalamaki are the main nesting sites. Several close overnight in season, with restrictions on umbrellas and digging.
Rescue and information centres

Volunteer-run centres explain the nesting cycle, the threats and the tagging work, and are the better option with younger children.
Gerakas beach

A sheltered, sandy beach at the eastern edge of the park below clay cliffs, closed to visitors from sunset to sunrise in nesting season.
Marathonisi

The small uninhabited island in the bay, turtle-shaped by coincidence, with a nesting beach and a sea cave. Most boat trips call there.

Getting there

Fly to
Zakynthos (ZTH)

Nearest airport to Zakynthos, about 9km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Zakynthos Town

Zakynthos airport (ZTH) is about ten to fifteen minutes by taxi from Zakynthos town and only a few minutes from Laganas. Ferries also cross from Kyllini on the mainland in around an hour.
On the ground
Getting around

Glass-bottomed boat trips into Laganas Bay leave from the harbour in Zakynthos town and from Laganas beach itself, taking a couple of hours. Buses and taxis link the two, about fifteen minutes apart.

Public transport: Island buses run from Zakynthos town to Laganas and the main resorts in season, though a hire car helps for the quieter west coast.

Flights

Los Angeles Zakynthos, Greece

Flying from

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Roughly 13h 40m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

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Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 14°C in January to 29°C in August. Driest in June and July; wettest in January, with rain on about 14 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October23° · rain 6 daysMild with the odd shower.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis). Highlighted months are warm and mostly dry — May to October.

Where to base yourself

Small resort hotels and self-catering apartments, family-run studios in the villages and a few boutique properties out at Vasilikos. Large all-inclusives cluster around Laganas.

Best base overall
Zakynthos Town

The island capital and port, where the glass-bottomed boat trips and the turtle information centres are, with real Greek restaurants rather than resort menus. The town beach is unremarkable.
Find stays in Zakynthos Town
Best with children
Kalamaki

A low-key resort on a nesting beach with shallow water and strict night-time rules that children find genuinely interesting. Flight paths overhead are close, so it is not silent.
Find stays in Kalamaki
Best for nightlife
Laganas

The big, brash strip at the centre of the bay, where the bars run all night in season. The beach closes after dark for the turtles, which many visitors ignore and should not.
Find stays in Laganas
Quietest
Vasilikos

The long peninsula out towards Gerakas, with spread-out hotels, olive groves and the most protected nesting beach on the island. You will want a car for everything.
Find stays in Vasilikos

Worth knowing before you book: Nesting season runs June to August, which is also the busiest and priciest time. Choose licensed national-park boat operators, and expect nesting beaches to close between dusk and dawn.

Search everything else in Zakynthos Town by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

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Good to know

Timing: Nesting runs from late May to August and hatching from July to October. June and July give the best chance of seeing adults in the water.
Etiquette: Never touch, chase or use flash on turtles, in or out of the water. Umbrellas and digging are banned on nesting beaches for good reason.
Choosing a boat: Look for the national marine park licence displayed on board. Unlicensed boats travel faster and get closer than they should.
At night: Several beaches close from sunset to sunrise, and light from the shore disorients hatchlings. Keep torches and phone screens off near the sand.
Crowds: Laganas itself is a busy package resort. The eastern end of the bay and the beaches around Gerakas are considerably calmer.