Navagio Beach ( Greek: Παραλία Ναυάγιο, ), or Shipwreck Beach, is an exposed

cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

, sometimes referred to as "Smugglers Cove", on the coast of

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...

, in the Ionian Islands of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Navagio Beach was originally known as Agios Georgios.

In popular culture

The location was prominently featured in the hit Korean drama '' Descendants of the Sun'', leading to a surge of interest among Chinese and Korean tourists.

History and namesake

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 Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

; 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.

Gallery

Navagio Beach and Shipwreck of the Panagiotis at 'Smugglers Cove' Zakynthos.JPG, Navagio Beach Navagio,_Zante_02.jpg, View from a drone (2024) 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 Navagio_Bay,_Zakynthos,_Greece.JPG

References

{{Commons category Beaches of Greece Landforms of Zakynthos Tourist attractions in the Ionian Islands (region) Landforms of the Ionian Islands (region)