Navagio Beach (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Παραλία
Ναυάγιο, ), or Shipwreck Beach, is an exposed
cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...
, sometimes referred to as "Smugglers Cove", on the coast of
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...
, in the
Ionian Islands of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Navagio Beach was originally known as Agios Georgios.
In popular culture
The location was prominently featured in the hit
Korean drama
Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea.
They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...
''
Descendants of the Sun'', leading to a surge of interest among Chinese and Korean tourists.
History and namesake
On 2 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. After the captain alerted the authorities, 29 locals were convicted of looting the cargo and valuable equipment from the wrecked ship. 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 2018, the beach was named as the world's best beach in a poll by over 1,000 travel journalists and professionals.
Gallery
Cyclades navagio greece.jpg
Coast of Zakynthos, in the Ionian Islands of Greece (45556873925).jpg
Amazing beach on the island Zakynthos Greece (44652933410).jpg
Navagio "Shipwreck" Beach (46418951552).jpg
Navagio "Shipwreck" Beach aerial (44653856390).jpg
Navagio Beach aerial Zakynthos Greece (46470564281).jpg
Panagiotis wreck.jpg
Amazing beach on the island Zakynthos Greece aerial (46419566792).jpg
Navaggio 7 - panoramio.jpg
Elation 290 91, Greece - panoramio (39).jpg
Navagio Beach.jpg
Navagio, Zakyntos island, Greece.jpg
References
{{Commons category
Beaches of Greece
Landforms of Zakynthos
Tourist attractions in the Ionian Islands (region)
Landforms of the Ionian Islands (region)