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Navagio Beach

Cove/beach on Zakynthos, Greece

Cove/beach on Zakynthos, Greece

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nameShipwreck Beachcoordinates =
pushpin_mapGreece

Navagio Beach (Greek: Παραλία Ναυάγιο, ), or Shipwreck Beach, is an exposed cove, sometimes referred to as "Smugglers Cove", on the coast of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Islands of Greece. It is one of the most famous and photographed beaches in the world.

History and namesake

The cove was originally known by the name Agios Georgios (St George).

On 5 October 1980, the coaster MV Panagiotis ran aground in the waters around Zakynthos Island on Navagio Beach during stormy weather and bad visibility. Some rumours claim the ship was smuggling contraband; however, official sources did not confirm this, and the captain was not convicted for such offences at the time. Recently released court documents and photos relating to the incident back up the smuggler story, suggesting that Panagiotis was allegedly making its way from Turkey with a freight of contraband cigarettes headed for Italy. Encountering stormy weather, the ship ran aground in the cove, where the crew abandoned her to evade the pursuing Navy. The ship was abandoned and still rests buried in the limestone gravel of the beach that now bears the nickname Shipwreck.

The beach was briefly closed in 2018, and swimming and boat anchoring were forbidden, after a cliff above the beach collapsed. The beach reopened and anchoring is permitted, but with restrictions out of concerns over future landslides.

In September 2022 another landslide occurred, after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake took place between Kefalonia and Zakynthos. After this the beach was closed to locals and visitors and will remain closed for the whole summer of 2023 till at least September. The decision to prohibit access to the Navagio beach was recommended by a team of experts from the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), following a visit to the site on March 8 2023, as part of a regular reassessment of its safety. Boats will be able to approach but swimming will not be allowed near the beach.

References

References

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2017/11/27/ranked-the-worlds-50-best-beaches/#2c0964175c29
  2. https://greekreporter.com/2024/10/19/restoration-works-announced-save-best-beach-world/
  3. https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/12/03/avagio-beach-paradise-greece/
  4. (26 March 2016). "Latest Drama Hit Creates New Travel Boom". The Korea Bizwire.
  5. (2020-06-14). "Η πραγματική ιστορία του Ναυαγίου της Ζακύνθου".
  6. "Navagio Beach History, Shipwreck and BASE Jumping".
  7. keeptalkinggreece. (2018-09-14). "Zakynthos Shipwreck beach closed until 'further notice'. What's next?".
  8. GCT. (2018-09-23). "Navagio Beach reopens to the public for first time since landslide – Greek City Times".
  9. (9 April 2023). "Zakynthos Shipwreck: The Famous Navagio Beach is Closed for the Whole Summer".
  10. (20 March 2023). "Controversy in Greece over Closure of Shipwreck Beach on Zakynthos | GTP Headlines". GTP Headlines.
  11. (16 March 2023). "Zakynthos: Famous Navagio Beach Will Remain Closed This Summer Due to Landslide Risk".
  12. (24 March 2023). "Famous shipwreck beach on Zakynthos to be closed this summer".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

beaches-of-greece landforms-of-zakynthos tourist-attractions-in-the-ionian-islands-(region) landforms-of-the-ionian-islands-(region)
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