Zakynthos Shipwreck beach

Navagio Beach, located on the Greek island of Zakynthos, is known for the iconic shipwreck of the MV Panagiotis. In October 1980, the cargo ship, believed to be smuggling cigarettes, ran aground in the bay due to bad weather and poor visibility. The crew abandoned the ship, which has since been beached and given its current name; previously it was known as Agios Georgios. The beach, surrounded by high limestone cliffs and clear blue waters, is only accessible by boat. However, due to safety risks from landslides and erosion of the surrounding cliffs, the Greek authorities have decided to close Navagio Beach to visitors until further notice. This measure was taken after incidents in 2018 and 2022 involving landslides, partly caused by earthquakes in the region. Visitors can still admire the beach and shipwreck from cliff-top viewpoints, but we were lucky because of our private catamaran to get real close to the beach and the shipwreck! We took our drone with us so we could film the shipwreck even closer.