Best of Zante · Agios Sostis, Laganas Bay
Best of Zante's slow boat has a glass floor, so you watch the seabed of Laganas Bay pass under your feet while the crew look for loggerheads at the surface. Pick it for families and for the beach: you get a full hour on Marathonisi, the longest stop of any short trip here.
Best of Zante keeps its own boat centre in Agios Sostis, and this is its classic trip: a white glass-bottom boat through the marine park, a short stop off Laganas, a look at Cameo Islet, a swim under the Keri arches and then a full hour on Marathonisi. Pickup covers anywhere within about 10 km of the port, which takes in Laganas, Kalamaki and Lithakia.
The glass floor is the point. Speedboats are fun, but a turtle that dives is gone in a second. Here the seabed stays in view, so even on a slow day the kids have fish, rocks and seagrass to look at. The listing calls the turtle spotting guaranteed. No boat can promise that, and you shouldn't book on that word. What guests report is more useful: one "saw turtles within 10 minutes of leaving the dock", another only "managed to see a turtle on the way back to port".
The hour on Marathonisi is the other reason to pick it. You swim off the golden beach, the one turtles nest on, and the park rules apply: stay within 5 m of the water, no umbrellas, and leave the caged nests alone. The trade-off is pace. It's 3 to 3.5 hours with a lot of sitting, and less adrenaline than the Zante Mare speedboat.
From your hotel, a meeting spot or the cruise terminal, within about 10 km of Agios Sostis.
The first look for turtles and a photo stop with the long beach behind you.
A quick photo stop at the islet with the wooden bridge.
Under the rock arches and into the water for a swim.
Swim, snorkel or sit by the water on Turtle Island's nesting beach.
A second chance for turtles on the way in, then drop-off at the boat centre or in Agrilia.
★★★★★saw turtles within 10 minutes of leaving the dock, the staff were really friendly
★★★★★Fantastic trip from start to finish. Thanos our captain lived upto the previous reviews.
★★★★★Amazing guide, the spots we visited were beautiful and so clean
★★★★★We had such an amazing time managed to see a turtle on the way back to port
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The listing says so, but no honest operator can promise a wild animal. Most trips see at least one turtle, guests report, sometimes within minutes of leaving, sometimes only on the way back. Our best-time guide covers the months that help.
Sometimes, when one swims under the boat, but most sightings are at the surface when a turtle comes up to breathe. The glass shows you the seabed, the fish and the seagrass in between.
One hour, the longest stop on any of the short trips. You swim off the nesting beach and keep within 5 m of the water, as the marine park requires.
The Best of Zante Boat Centre in Agios Sostis; look for the Best of Zante signs. Pickup is included within about 10 km of the port.
Ready to book
A glass-bottom boat with a full hour on the Marathonisi beach, Cameo and the Keri Caves. Pickup included.
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