A Lefkada kayak tour paddles past the white cliffs, sea caves and green islets of Lefkada. Its routes suit both beginners and experienced paddlers. It is one of the sea kayaking tours in Greece.
Each section ends with a Lefkada kayak tour or boat trip. Each one can be booked online.
What does a Lefkada kayak tour include?
A Lefkada kayak tour is a sea kayak outing along the coast of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. An instructor gives a safety briefing first. Then the instructor leads the group past cliffs and bays, with swim stops on the way. The island is seen from the water.
Lefkada sits on the west coast of Greece. The sea around the island is the Ionian Sea. This sea is a long bay, an arm of the wider Mediterranean.
Southern Albania forms the northern edge of this bay. The western coast of Greece forms its eastern edge. A Lefkada kayak tour paddles on that eastern side, close to the Greek coast.
The island measures 35 kilometres from north to south. From east to west, it measures 15 kilometres. Its total area is about 302 square kilometres of land.
The coast is compact, so each Lefkada kayak tour covers one stretch of it. The instructor sets both the route and the pace. The group stays close to the land along the way.
The safety briefing takes place on land, before any kayak enters the water. It explains the equipment that each paddler uses. It also sets out the rules that the group follows on a Lefkada kayak tour.
A Lefkada kayak tour moves by muscle power along the shore. It asks for steady paddling, not racing speed. A Lefkada boat tour, by contrast, moves by engine.
Paddling keeps a Lefkada kayak tour low on the water and close to the rock. Swim stops break up the paddling and give the arms a rest.
A Lefkada kayak tour makes each swim stop by the shore. There, the group slips into the water right beside the kayaks.
Beyond the bays that a Lefkada kayak tour follows, the open sea grows deep. Calypso Deep lies in this same sea. At 5,109 metres, it is the deepest point in the whole Mediterranean.
- Names: The island is also known as Lefkas, Leukas and Leucadia.
- Region: Lefkada belongs to the regional unit of Lefkada.
- Municipality: The municipal area covers 333.58 square kilometres, more than the island itself.
Which kayaks does a Lefkada kayak tour use?
A Lefkada kayak tour uses sea kayaks, in single or double versions. The boats are either sit-on-top or sit-in, with a cockpit. Each paddler takes a double-bladed paddle and a buoyancy aid. The sit-in boats add a spray skirt around the waist.
A kayak is a small, narrow boat moved by human power alone, with no sail or engine. A long paddle with a blade at each end drives it.
The word comes from qajaq in Inuktitut, a language of the Inuit people. The first kayaks served Aleut, Inuit and Yupik hunters in the subarctic regions of the world. A Lefkada kayak tour uses the modern descendant of that boat.
Sea kayaks turn less quickly than whitewater kayaks, which are built for fast rivers. In return, sea kayaks cruise faster and carry more cargo. They also hold a straighter course and stay comfortable on long journeys.
A traditional kayak has a closed top, called an enclosed deck, with one or more cockpits. A cockpit is the opening where a paddler sits, and each one seats one paddler.
A sit-on-top kayak has no enclosed cockpit. It keeps the basic shape of a kayak’s hull, the body of the boat. The paddler sits in an open, shallow dip on the deck, above the water.
Water that splashes onto a sit-on-top drains away through scupper holes. These are tubes that run from the cockpit to the bottom of the hull. A Lefkada kayak tour can use either type of boat.
Solo sea kayaks measure 3.0 to 5.5 metres in length. Double kayaks, called tandem kayaks, reach up to 8 metres.
As a class, sea kayaks carry one to three paddlers. A Lefkada kayak tour matches the single or the double boat to the group.
A sit-on-top tends to be wider and slower than a traditional kayak of the same length. Its seat sits above the water, which lifts the paddler’s centre of gravity. This is the point where the body’s weight balances.
On a Lefkada kayak tour, each paddler holds the paddle from the middle of its shaft. The shaft is the pole between the two blades.
Feathered paddles twist one blade against the other, at 30, 45 or even 90 degrees. Unfeathered paddles keep both blades flat in the same plane.
Aluminium shafts are the heavier choice, while fibreglass or carbon fibre shafts weigh less. The instructor of a Lefkada kayak tour matches the paddle to the paddler and the boat. A longer paddle suits stronger people, taller people and wider kayaks.
- Spray skirt: A flexible waterproof cover around the waist, held on the cockpit rim by an elastic rand.
- Materials: Neoprene skirts fit snug, while nylon skirts attach and remove easily and suit warmer conditions.
- Grab loop: A loop at the front lets the paddler pull the skirt free of the cockpit.
- Buoyancy aid: A foam buoyancy aid gives the buoyancy needed while leaving the arms free to move.
Which paddling skills does a Lefkada kayak tour teach?
A Lefkada kayak tour teaches the basic paddling skills. These are the forward stroke and sweep strokes for turning. It also covers stopping, reversing, getting in and out of the kayak, and paddling as a pair. The instructor shows each skill at the start of the outing.
The forward stroke feels natural in kayaking, yet good technique still matters. A Lefkada kayak tour teaches this stroke first. The sweep stroke starts from the same position, so it builds on the forward stroke.
The stroke begins with the catch, the moment the blade first grips the water. The paddler winds the upper body towards one side. The blade then goes in forward, down by the toes.
The whole face of the blade sits under the water at the catch. The power stroke, the part that drives the boat ahead, begins as the upper body unwinds.
A sweep stroke turns the kayak. The blade enters the water at a distance from the hull. It then travels backward in a wide arc, which steers the boat away from the paddling side.
In a forward sweep, the blade starts by the toes, as in the forward stroke. The upper hand drops from face height to the biceps, the muscle of the upper arm. This lays the paddle flatter.
The back sweep is the forward sweep in reverse. It moves the blade from the stern to the bow in a half circle. The stern is the back of the boat, and the bow is the front.
A Lefkada kayak tour uses sweep strokes to round a point of rock. The reverse stroke repeats the forward stroke in the opposite direction, using the back face of the blade.
The reverse stroke moves the kayak backwards or brings it to a stop. A Lefkada kayak tour uses it to halt beside a cliff or before a swim stop.
On a Lefkada kayak tour, getting in and out of the kayak is a skill of its own. A sit-on-top lets the paddler enter and leave the water easily and change seating positions. A sit-in boat has a cockpit, which the paddler enters and then seals with the spray skirt.
A double kayak on a Lefkada kayak tour puts two paddlers in one hull. The pair must paddle as one crew. Very long kayaks are easier to paddle straight but harder to turn.
This trait suits the long double kayak, which holds a course well and turns slowly. On a Lefkada kayak tour, the two paddlers keep the same rhythm. The instructor tells them when to turn.
Dynamic balance, core stability and rhythm count among the key qualities in paddling sports. Dynamic balance means staying steady while the boat moves. Core stability means a firm trunk, the body from the hips to the shoulders.
- Grip: The arms and the paddle form a box, with 90 degree angles at the elbows and wrists.
- Hand height: The upper hand stays at shoulder height and pushes the paddle in the stroke’s direction.
- Energy: The core gives 60% of the power, the arms 30%, the leg against the foot peg 10%.
What does a Lefkada kayak tour see on the west coast cliffs?
A Lefkada kayak tour sees the white cliffs of the west coast from sea level. Here the rock runs straight down to the water. Porto Katsiki, Egremni and Cape Lefkatas with its lighthouse are the main landmarks. They line the steep western edge of the island.
The white cliffs begin at the south-western cape of Lefkada. A Lefkada kayak tour sees them from the foot of the rock. No road reaches that spot.
An ancient cult of Apollo Leucatos stood on that cape. Apollo was a god of the ancient Greeks. The cult is one explanation for the name of the island.
The regional authority describes the peninsula of Lefkata as the place where the steep west coasts begin. There, wild white rocks meet rough waves along the shore.
Porto Katsiki lies 35 km from Lefkada town, near the village of Athani. The beach sits at the bottom of a pale cliff that curves inward. This cliff rises 100 metres above the shore.
Parking and canteens, which are small snack bars, sit above the beach. The beach has no lodging, and camping is prohibited. Walkers reach the sand by a stairway from the cliff top.
A Lefkada kayak tour reaches the same beach across the water. From the sea, the full height of the curved rock fits in a single view.
A Lefkada kayak tour also passes Egremni, a remote beach on the south-western coast. It is known for white pebbles below its own cliffs. From above, a steep path of steps leads down to it.
An earthquake struck on 17 November 2015. Landslides changed the landscape and left much of the beach under rubble. A Lefkada kayak tour sees the cliffs as they stand after that day.
Cliffs like these keep shifting. So a Lefkada kayak tour keeps a little distance from the foot of the wall. This coast is a working coastline, not a fixed picture.
After the earthquake, geologists estimated that the beach at Porto Katsiki will be restored naturally. So every Lefkada kayak tour sees a shore in the middle of slow repair.
Cape Lefkatas closes the island at its southern end. Lighthouse records list it as Cape Doukato. The lighthouse on the cape was built in 1890.
Its tower stands 14 metres high. The light shines 70 metres above the sea. A Lefkada kayak tour passes beneath the tower at the foot of the cape.
The cape is also the setting of the Sappho legend. In this story, the poet Sappho leapt from the cliffs. She jumped out of despair over Phaon.
- Goat port: The name Porto Katsiki recalls that only goats once reached the spot.
- Blue water: Egremni is known for the clear, striking blue of its sea.
- Lighthouse record: Dark in the war, the light reopened after 1945 and has run on electricity since 1982.
- Cliff height: The cliffs of the Sappho legend stand 30 metres high.
Which sea caves does a Lefkada kayak tour enter?
A Lefkada kayak tour enters the sea caves of Meganisi. The main one is the Papanikolis cave, at the south-western tip of the island. It can be reached only by sea. A kayak crosses its entrance at water level, with the rock rising overhead.
The Papanikolis cave lies a short distance from the coast of Lefkada. The Greek National Tourism Organisation gives its size. The cave is 120 metres long and 60 metres wide, with a depth of up to 30 metres.
Shafts of sunlight fall into the cave. They lay colour and reflections over the deep-blue water. A Lefkada kayak tour paddles through changing light from the entrance to the back of the chamber.
The cave takes its name from a submarine called Papanikolis. Local tradition says the submarine used the cave as a base and shelter in the Second World War. The huge entrance and vast interior let the vessel vanish from enemy sight.
Three Hellenic Navy submarines carry that name. All of them honour Dimitrios Papanikolis, a naval hero. In 1821, he was the first to destroy an Ottoman ship of the line with a fireship.
A fireship is a vessel set on fire and steered into enemy ships. A ship of the line was a large warship. A Lefkada kayak tour enters a cave whose name leads back to that hero.
A second local tradition is older than the submarine story. It says the cave hid a priest and his pupils from pirate raids during Ottoman rule.
The entrance is wide enough for sailing boats and large caiques to shelter safely from bad weather. A caique is a traditional Greek wooden boat. So a Lefkada kayak tour has plenty of room at the mouth of the cave.
Rock in a sea cave breaks away piece by piece. That leaves the walls rough and chunky. Waves also hit hard inside such a closed space.
Part of that force comes from the waves squeezing the air inside. So the swell at the mouth of a cave matters to a Lefkada kayak tour. Caves that face the main direction of the swell grow largest.
Caves in sheltered bays stay smaller. A Lefkada kayak tour therefore judges each entrance by the water in front of it. The group also keeps clear of the walls.
The Greek National Tourism Organisation calls Meganisi an island of caves that embrace the sea. For a Lefkada kayak tour, every one of them begins and ends at the waterline.
- Interior: Stone icicles called stalactites hang from the roof. A small sandy beach lies at the back of the cave.
- Giovani cave: The regional authority lists it beside the Papanikolis cave as a sea attraction, reached by water.
- Cave of the Demon: The same authority counts it among the interesting caves of the island.
What does a Lefkada kayak tour see around Meganisi?
A Lefkada kayak tour around Meganisi sees a green island of coves. It lies 4 nautical miles south-east of Lefkada. Its three villages are Katomeri, Vathy and Spartochori. Olive groves reach almost to the sea, so the paddle follows a shore of trees.
Meganisi is a Greek island and municipality in the Ionian Sea. A narrow strait, a thin channel of sea, separates it from Lefkada. The municipality covers 22.356 square kilometres.
Its highest point stands at 309 metres. Meganisi is one of two municipalities in the regional unit of Lefkada. In 2021 it counted 926 residents, down from 1,246 in 1991.
A Lefkada kayak tour also sees small neighbouring islands in the same group. Among them are Skorpidi, Thilia and Kithros. Together, these islands form the district called Tilevoides.
The three villages keep a traditional look. The Greek National Tourism Organisation describes stone-carved houses, narrow lanes and courtyards full of flowers. Churches and public squares complete each village.
The regional authority adds a detail about the rural stone houses. They were built with wells. People pumped the little water that existed from these wells.
A Lefkada kayak tour meets the two port villages from the water. The third village, Katomeri, sits further inland, in the middle of the island.
A Lefkada kayak tour follows a coastline rich in coves and natural harbours. The Greek National Tourism Organisation lists limestone rocks along it. It also lists small beaches with turquoise water.
Named beaches include Aghios Ioannis, Spilia, Pasoumaki, Ampelakia, Atherinos and Faros. Limonari, Elia, Loutrolimni and Bereta are named too. Each beach gives a Lefkada kayak tour a short stop beside the rock.
The same body calls the island a favourite stop for sailors. Even so, Meganisi keeps a sense of seclusion, a feeling of being far from crowds.
Meganisi also carries an old literary claim. The researcher Wilhelm Dörpfeld proposed that it was Krocylea. Krocylea is an island in the poems of Homer, part of the kingdom of Odysseus.
A Lefkada kayak tour paddles between Meganisi and Lefkada, so that old idea sits on the route. Daily life on Meganisi centres on fishing, the land and traditions such as weaving.
The island produces olive oil, wine and fresh seafood. Gentle hills and green slopes rise behind its shore, with villages above the water. Meganisi gives a Lefkada kayak tour a green contrast to the white west coast.
- Katomeri: The seat of the municipality of Meganisi, its centre of local government.
- Vathy: A port of 177 residents, whose bay is called one of the largest natural harbours on earth.
- Spartochori: The second port, which shares a car ferry service to Lefkada with Vathy.
- Atheni Bay: A harbour used mainly by fishing boats.
What does a Lefkada kayak tour see from Nydri and the inner islands?
A Lefkada kayak tour from Nydri sees a sheltered stretch of the east coast. The forested islet of Madouri and the islet of Sparti lie in view across the water. So do the private island of Skorpios and the Greek mainland shore.
A Lefkada kayak tour on the east coast meets Nydri. It is a town and a community, the smallest unit of local government. Nydri sits in the municipal unit of Ellomenos, a wider local district.
The community also includes the small village of Rachi, and Greek National Road 42 passes through the town. Nydri is the largest resort, or holiday town, on the island. Its sheltered location suits a Lefkada kayak tour on calmer days.
Nydri also gives a Lefkada kayak tour a link to Homer. The German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld studied the places described in the Iliad and the Odyssey. These are the two long poems of Homer.
Dörpfeld believed that Lefkada was the Ithaca of Homer, the home island of Odysseus. He carried out large digs, called excavations, at Nydri. There he uncovered Mycenaean tombs, walls, ruins and artefacts.
Mycenaean means from the Bronze Age world of Mycenae, an ancient Greek city. Artefacts are objects made by people long ago. Dörpfeld spent the last years of his life in Nydri and lies buried there.
A Lefkada kayak tour that leaves the beach paddles away from the place where that theory was tested. Madouri is a small island in the Ionian Sea. Nobody lives on it.
A Lefkada kayak tour finds Madouri 700 m off the east coast of Lefkada, opposite Nydri. The island measures about 400 metres across and is heavily forested. The Valaoritis family owns it privately.
The 19th-century poet Aristotelis Valaoritis grew up there. The villa on Madouri was the main location of Fedora, a film from 1978. Billy Wilder directed that film.
Skorpios lies just east of Lefkada and covers 83.2 hectares. A hectare is a square of land 100 metres on each side. Skorpios measures about 1,500 m along one main axis and 1,000 m along the other.
The island was once nearly barren, which means almost bare of plants. Aristotle Onassis imported over 200 varieties of tree, and they now cover it. The sand on East Beach was brought from Salamis.
Skorpios and the smaller islet of Sparti both belong to the municipality of Meganisi. A Lefkada kayak tour on this side passes the Prigiponisia, or the Prince Islands. The Regional Unit of Lefkada lists this group as Madouri, Skorpios, Skorpidi, Sparti and Cheloni.
- Buildings: Skorpios holds three residences, a helicopter pad and a boat quay.
- Protection: Skorpios is a protected area where no more than 5% of the land can be built on.
- Owners: The writer Nanos Valaoritis was the last owner of Madouri.
Why does a Lefkada kayak tour paddle in the bay of Vasiliki?
A Lefkada kayak tour paddles in the bay of Vasiliki before the local thermal wind rises. That wind comes up in the afternoon. After that, the bay on the south coast of the island fills with windsurfers and other sailing craft.
Vasiliki is a town in the municipal unit of Apollonioi. It stands 4 km south of Agios Petros and 20 km south of Nydri. In summer, the water in front of the town is a well-known windsurfing spot.
Windsurfers ride a board fitted with a sail. A Lefkada kayak tour in the bay of Vasiliki works on a different side of the island. The islets and sheltered bays off Nydri belong to another stretch of coast.
The bay is known for a local thermal wind. Windsurfers call it Eric. A thermal wind comes from heat, so it rises as the land nearby warms up under the sun.
The order of the day for a Lefkada kayak tour follows from that. The hours before the land warms are the calm ones. The hours after it belong to the sails.
A Lefkada kayak tour that sets out early meets the bay at its stillest. Over a hundred windsurfers can share the bay at one time. The area also draws mountain bikers.
Holiday operators in the town provide windsurfing and sailing equipment to their guests. The Greek National Tourism Organisation calls the beach a place of thrills for yachtsmen and surfers. It also notes the shallow waters there.
A Lefkada kayak tour keeps to the quiet hours and so stays clear of that traffic. A boat from the town reaches Agiofylli. This is a small sheltered cove, or little bay, with white pebbles.
Lefkada is known as a hotspot for lovers of extreme sports, which are fast and risky. The island has become a favourite spot for windsurfers, with Vasiliki named in that role. A Lefkada kayak tour is the quiet activity in this busy water sports centre.
- Residents: The town counted 407 residents in 2021.
- Former name: The town was called Voivoida before it became Vasiliki.
- Ferries: Ferries to Kefalonia leave from the town.
What does a Lefkada kayak tour find in the lagoon of Lefkada Town?
A Lefkada kayak tour in the lagoon of Lefkada Town finds a protected wetland. Herons, swans, gulls, ducks and geese use it. The tour also passes the old saltpans, the floating bridge and the canal. The castle of Agia Mavra stands on its long spit.
A wetland is land that stays wet, like a marsh. The lagoon belongs to the Natura 2000 network, a set of protected sites across Europe. So a Lefkada kayak tour paddles through a protected area of great value for nature.
The Ramsar treaty, a world agreement on wetlands, names it a wildlife sanctuary of international interest. The regional authority calls it a migration station, a resting place for birds on long journeys. The gulls that a Lefkada kayak tour meets there come in a variety of kinds.
A narrow lane of white sand named Gira embraces the lagoon on the north side. This strip is 7 km long. A Lefkada kayak tour paddles in the water it encloses.
Salt pans are shallow pools where sea water dries and leaves salt behind. The Franks built the first salt pans here in the early 15th century. There were 26 pans in that first set.
The Venetians built a second set of 34 pans in 1684. The salt works stopped in 1947, and the pans are now part of the history of the land. A Lefkada kayak tour in the lagoon of Lefkada Town passes the ground where that industry ended.
The floating bridge that a Lefkada kayak tour passes joins a long causeway, a raised road across water. Together they connect Lefkada to the mainland. The national road crosses the water on a drawbridge, a bridge that can lift.
The national tourism organisation says the lagoon and the channel around it offer scenes of rare serenity. In the 7th century BC, the Corinthians dug a trench on the same isthmus.
An isthmus is a narrow neck of land between two waters. Long ago, a bridge there was the longest stone bridge in ancient Greece. A Lefkada kayak tour in the lagoon of Lefkada Town paddles beside this long record of crossings.
In the lagoon, a Lefkada kayak tour has the castle of Agia Mavra as its landmark. The castle stands at the entrance to the island. Its spit, a thin strip of land, points toward the mainland coast of Epirus.
The origins of the castle go back to 1302. That year, Ioannis Orsini created it as a modest military outpost. After the Battle of Lepanto, the Ottoman admiral Kılıç Ali Pasha rebuilt it in 1572–1574.
The rebuilt fort had nine large round bastions for cannon. A bastion is a part of a fort wall that juts outward. The Venetians later added walls and platforms.
- Aqueduct: A 3 km aqueduct, a raised water channel of 1564, brought water to the town. A footpath on its top was the only way onto the island other than by sea.
- Earthquake: The earthquake of 1825 destroyed much of the town, including the aqueduct.
- Museum: The castle museum fills a gun position with an arched roof, built around 1720.
- Church: The small church of Agia Mavra, patron saint of Lefkada, was built in 1883.
Which wildlife does a Lefkada kayak tour see?
A Lefkada kayak tour paddles through waters used by the Mediterranean monk seal. Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and loggerhead sea turtles use them too, with seabirds overhead. All of these animals roam freely in open water, so no sighting can be promised on any paddle.
The Mediterranean monk seal is believed to be the rarest pinniped in the world. Pinnipeds are the seal family of sea mammals. The Ionian Sea holds one of its last remaining populations.
Researchers treat the Ionian Sea as part of the core habitat of the species. A habitat is the place where an animal lives. The seals are shy.
The seals rest and give birth in sea caves. These caves frequently have entrances under the water. Disturbance from boat tourism is a main threat to the seals in the Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago.
An archipelago is a group of islands. A Lefkada kayak tour makes no engine noise, which suits an animal that avoids human contact. Even so, a Lefkada kayak tour that spots a seal keeps well back.
The Ionian Dolphin Project has studied sea mammals in Ionian Greece since 1991. Its target species are the common bottlenose dolphin, the common dolphin and the monk seal.
The project maps where these animals live and how fishing affects them. In the archipelago, common dolphins declined sharply between 1995 and 2007. This drop is linked to overfishing, which means catching fish faster than they can breed.
Bottlenose dolphins live there in fairly small numbers, and their trend is stable. Researchers identified about 120 of them from photos. One quarter of these stayed loyal to the same area.
Loggerhead sea turtles use the Mediterranean as a nursery for their young. Adults are common there in spring and summer. The species lives in salt water.
Only females come ashore, and only briefly, to lay eggs. A female lays four groups of eggs, called clutches, on average. Then she rests for two to three years.
Greece is the leading nesting site in the Mediterranean, with more than 3,000 nests per year. Zakynthos, another Ionian island, hosts the largest Mediterranean nesting.
The Inner Ionian Sea marine protected area is the largest in Greece. That is a stretch of sea where the law protects nature. It belongs to the Natura 2000 network.
Respect decides what a Lefkada kayak tour sees. Paddlers never chase an animal and never enter a cave where a seal rests. Wildlife on a Lefkada kayak tour deserves the same care as the sea itself.
- Shearwater: Scopoli’s shearwater breeds on rocky islands and steep Mediterranean coasts and skims the sea for small fish.
- Falcon: Eleonora’s falcon nests on cliffs by the sea. Greece holds two-thirds of its world breeding population.
- Seal prey: The monk seal feeds on fish, octopus, squid, lobsters, mullets and eels.
- Boars: Wild boars roam the beaches of Atokos and sometimes swim in the sea.
How does a Lefkada kayak tour combine paddling with snorkelling?
A Lefkada kayak tour combines paddling with snorkelling. It stops over a sheltered patch of rock, sand or seagrass. There, paddlers slip from the kayak into the water with a mask and snorkel. They look at the seabed and climb back aboard.
Snorkelling on a Lefkada kayak tour needs little kit. A snorkel carries air to a swimmer who floats face-down. A diving mask gives clear sight by holding a pocket of air in front of the eyes.
Swimfins add thrust, or pushing power. A Lefkada kayak tour carries this kit inside the kayak. A dry hatch, a sealed storage space, keeps the equipment there.
A bright band at the top of a snorkel warns other water users that a swimmer is below. A Lefkada kayak tour can drift to a swim stop without stirring up the water.
Posidonia oceanica, known as Neptune grass, is a seagrass found only in the Mediterranean Sea. A seagrass is a grass-like plant that grows on the seabed.
It grows in dense meadows or along sandy channels. It lives at depths of 1 to 35 metres, depending on how clear the water is. Posidonia grows best in clean water, so a meadow marks a lack of pollution.
The plant covers about 3% of the Mediterranean basin and is in decline. On a Lefkada kayak tour, masses of dead leaves on a beach show that a meadow grows nearby.
A Lefkada kayak tour that floats above a meadow looks down on bright green leaves shaped like ribbons. Meadows of Posidonia suffer from rising temperatures and from anchor damage.
An anchor scar is a bare patch torn in a meadow. A kayak drops no anchor, so a Lefkada kayak tour leaves no such scar.
The sit-on-top kayak is the type that scuba divers and anglers favour. Anglers are people who fish with a rod. The open deck also gives easy access to hatches and storage wells, which are open spaces for gear.
Paddling and snorkelling suit each other because both work at the surface and take little effort. Snorkelling shows underwater life in its natural setting. It needs none of the complex equipment and training that scuba diving needs.
Snorkelling appeals to all ages. Scuba diving, by contrast, means breathing from an air tank deep under water. With a swim stop, a Lefkada kayak tour shows the view under the hull too.
- Mask: It has a lens, a soft rubber skirt that seals to the face and a head strap.
- Snorkel: A plain snorkel is a tube with a mouthpiece that sits between the lips.
- Fins: Human feet are too small and the wrong shape for much thrust, so swimfins work better.
- Vest: An inflatable snorkelling vest works as a buoyancy aid for safety on a Lefkada kayak tour.
What is a multi-day Lefkada kayak tour like?
A Lefkada kayak tour with nights ashore paddles from island to island in the Ionian Sea. It links Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos and Atokos. Sea kayaks carry the paddlers and all their supplies for the whole route. The nights are spent in island villages.
On a multi-day Lefkada kayak tour, the villages of Meganisi are the first stop. The crossing there is a short one. The name Meganisi means big island in Greek, and the island has an ATM, a cash machine.
Kalamos is a mountainous island east of Lefkada, near the mainland. Its highest point stands 754 m above sea level. Its port town, also called Kalamos, has 454 residents.
A regular ferry runs from there to Mytikas on the mainland. Kastos lies nearest to Kalamos, across a deep channel, a strip of deep water. Kastos is 7 km long and 800 m wide.
It has one village, on its east coast. The village has a mini-market, a small food shop, three bars and four restaurants, all open in summer. These two islands form the middle of the chain, and a Lefkada kayak tour reaches both by paddle.
Atokos ends the chain of a multi-day Lefkada kayak tour. It lies 8 km south-west of Kastos and 9 km north-east of Ithaca. Nobody lives on the island, and steep cliffs mark its south-western end.
Boats can tie up safely only in calm weather, at One House Bay on the east coast. The bay has a pebbled beach and shelter from the prevailing north-west winds. A short path leads from the beach to a small chapel with an open door.
The main shipping and ferry channel runs just south-west of the island. So a multi-day Lefkada kayak tour keeps this crossing for settled weather. Beyond the chain lies the rest of the Ionian archipelago.
Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands. A Kefalonia boat tour covers its coast by engine instead of paddle. A multi-day Lefkada kayak tour suits paddlers who want the islands one stroke at a time.
- Gear: Sea kayaks for a multi-day Lefkada kayak tour carry camping gear, food, water and other supplies.
- Load: Expedition kayaks, built for long trips, handle best when loaded.
- Storage: Sea kayaks store gear below deck, and modern models have two or more bulkheads, or inner walls.
- Dry bags: Waterproof dry bags keep important items dry in rain or after a capsize.
How safe is a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour stays safe through simple habits. Every paddler wears a buoyancy aid, and an instructor leads a small group. Paddlers keep close together. The route follows the wind and the heat of the day. Each habit covers one clear risk on the water.
The buoyancy aid comes first on every Lefkada kayak tour. It is a kind of personal flotation device, a vest or suit worn to prevent drowning. It keeps the wearer afloat, with the head and mouth above the surface.
Fit decides how well the aid works. A life jacket that is too loose does not give enough buoyancy in an emergency. Buoyancy is the upward push of water that keeps a body afloat.
So the instructor checks every strap before launch, when the kayaks go into the water. An instructor sets the safety rhythm of a Lefkada kayak tour. The instructor reads the sky and the water and counts the paddlers at every stop.
A small group lets one person, the instructor, keep every boat in view. A large group stretches along the coast until the last kayak sits far from help.
So paddlers stay close behind the instructor and within sight of each other. On a Lefkada kayak tour, the whole party moves at the pace of its slowest boat.
A capsize means the kayak turns over, and it has a practised answer on a Lefkada kayak tour. The spray skirt releases rapidly, which allows an easy wet exit, a quick escape from the upturned boat.
In open water, a paddle float helps the paddler climb back into the kayak. A paddle float is a buoyancy aid fitted to the paddle. The Eskimo rescue lets a capsized paddler grasp another kayak and pull upright again.
The instructor knows these methods, and the buoyancy aid keeps the swimmer afloat in the meantime. Summer sun adds heat to the effort of paddling, and a Lefkada kayak tour plans for it.
Heat exhaustion brings heavy sweating, rapid breathing and a fast, weak pulse, or heartbeat. It is a warning stage that comes before heat stroke. Heat stroke means a body temperature above 40 °C.
Drinking fluids, wearing suitable clothes and resting in shade prevent both conditions. So the instructor schedules shade stops and watches every paddler for the first signs of trouble. Each shade stop on a Lefkada kayak tour gives the group time to drink.
- Aid: The buoyancy aid is the specialist form of flotation that kayakers and canoeists wear.
- Life jacket: It gives more buoyancy than a foam aid and turns an unconscious wearer face-up.
- Rating: The minimum for adult offshore use is 34 pounds, which equals 150 newtons.
Which winds and sea conditions shape a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour follows the wind. The afternoon north-west wind known as the maestro shapes the later hours. Calm mornings give the easiest water. The sheltered east coast stays gentler than the west coast, which faces the open Ionian Sea.
In Greece, the maestro is also called maïstros or maïstráli. The name belongs to a summer wind that blows mainly from the north-west. It is a mild breeze from the sea to the coast.
It builds when the coast warms more than the sea. In south-western Crete, it is said to blow only in daytime. So a Lefkada kayak tour treats the afternoon as the windy part of the day.
A Lefkada kayak tour plans its open crossings for the hours before the afternoon. Later in the day, the group keeps the shore within reach. Similar winds blow across the Adriatic and Ionian regions.
The Greek etesian winds show this pattern. Etesian means yearly, as these winds come back every summer. They are strongest in the afternoon and die down at night.
Yet a spell of etesian wind can last for days without a break. These winds arrive in clear weather without warning. They can reach force 7–8 on the Beaufort scale.
The hours before the afternoon peak hold the lighter wind. So a Lefkada kayak tour keeps its longest open stretches for the morning. Wind builds waves by blowing over open water.
The unbroken distance the wind travels over water is called fetch. Fetch matters as well as wind speed. Waves that leave the area of the wind become swells, which are long, smooth waves.
Swells can travel thousands of kilometres. The Ionian Sea is bounded by southern Italy and Sicily to the west. So on the west coast, a Lefkada kayak tour faces long open water.
For a Lefkada kayak tour, the Beaufort scale puts numbers on all of this. Francis Beaufort devised it in 1805. He was a hydrographer, a mapper of seas, and an officer in the British Royal Navy.
The scale is an empirical measure, which means it is based on what people observe. It links wind speed to the conditions seen at sea. Each force carries a name, a wind speed and a wave height.
The instructor of a Lefkada kayak tour reads the forecast in those terms. Low forces give the flat water that paddling needs, while higher forces build tiring waves. A change of plan in strong wind is routine on a Lefkada kayak tour, not a failure.
- Force 3: A gentle breeze of 7–10 knots (12–19 km/h) raises waves of 0.6–1.2 m.
- Force 4: A moderate breeze of 11–16 knots (20–28 km/h) raises waves of 1–2 m.
- Force 5: A fresh breeze of 17–21 knots (29–38 km/h) raises waves of 2–3 m.
What do paddlers wear and bring on a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour calls for swimwear under quick-dry clothes. A hat and sunscreen protect against the sun, and water shoes suit wet rocks. A dry bag holds phones, and water and snacks complete the kit. Each item answers one need: sun, wet footing, splashes or energy.
On a Lefkada kayak tour, swimwear forms the base of the outfit. Splashes and swim stops make wet clothes certain. A rash guard is a light athletic shirt that dries quickly.
It is made of spandex, a stretchy fabric, and nylon or polyester, both man-made fibres. Kayaking is among the water sports it serves. It protects against sunburn and against rashes from rubbing, called abrasion.
A fabric rated UPF 30 lets only 1 unit of UV in 30 pass through to the skin. UV is the invisible part of sunlight that harms skin. Wetting a fabric cuts its protection by as much as half.
On a Lefkada kayak tour, a sun hat shades the face and shoulders. Sunglasses protect the eyes, and sunscreen guards against sunburn. SPF 15 means that only 1/15 of the burning rays reach the skin.
That holds when the layer is even and thick, at 2 milligrams per square centimetre. Broad-spectrum products cover both UVB and UVA, the two kinds of UV. Putting sunscreen on again every two hours keeps the layer working after swimming or sweating.
This matters on open water, where the boat offers no cover. Water shoes are footwear for activities where the feet get wet, such as kayaking.
They are made of mesh, an open net-like fabric, with a hard sole. The sole prevents cuts and scrapes on wet, rocky ground. Tiny holes drain water, so the feet dry faster.
A dry bag is a flexible container that seals watertight, so no water gets in. Small sizes hold a smartphone, and the bag protects the phone from splashes.
On a Lefkada kayak tour, the shoes protect the feet at each landing, when the kayak comes ashore. Both the shoes and the bag stay light and small.
Paddling on a Lefkada kayak tour is steady exercise in the sun. A full water bottle and light snacks, like fruit or nuts, keep fluid and energy up between stops. The rest of the kit fits in the dry bag, which leaves the cockpit clear.
- Towel: A small towel dries paddlers after a swim stop on a Lefkada kayak tour.
- Dry top: A fresh shirt waits for the end of the day, after the wet clothes come off.
- Light layer: A thin windproof layer helps on a Lefkada kayak tour once the afternoon breeze builds.
Can children and beginners join a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour welcomes children and beginners on short, sheltered routes. Each child shares a double kayak with an adult. Swimming ability is judged in general terms. A vest sized to the body is fitted, and the first strokes are taught on land.
A child sits in a boat differently from an adult. Younger children have smaller, lighter bodies but heads of near adult size. So their centre of gravity sits higher.
A higher centre of gravity makes every boat feel tippier, or less steady. A wide hull is more stable than a narrow one. For that reason, the adult in a shared double kayak stays within reach of the child.
Age and swimming ability decide who joins a Lefkada kayak tour. Each tour sets its own age rule, and the booking page for the tour states that rule. The vest does much of the safety work.
Personal flotation devices come in different sizes for different body weights. Buoyancy aids for children and youth carry understraps between the legs. These straps stop the vest from riding up over the head.
A vest also lets a person who cannot swim enter the water safely. So a Lefkada kayak tour judges swimming ability by comfort in the water, not by speed.
Short routes keep the paddle gentle for beginners. Recreational kayaks, built for leisure, are a sub-type of sea kayak. They are made for a peaceful paddle on protected salt water, away from strong ocean waves.
These kayaks have a larger cockpit for easier entry and exit. They also have a wider beam, the width of the boat, for more stability. A beginner Lefkada kayak tour uses these boats along a sheltered stretch of coast.
Land stays within reach of every stroke on these routes. Canoe and kayak clubs offer first lessons in recreational boats. This shows that the type is made for first-timers, people new to paddling.
The first lesson happens on the beach, before any boat floats. The instructor sets the seat, the backrest and the footrests for each paddler. A kayaker must move the hull with the lower body, the hips and legs.
The paddler also braces the feet against the hull on each stroke, pressing them hard. So the footrests are set to the length of the legs.
Children and beginners practise sitting in the boat on sand. This makes the launch of a Lefkada kayak tour calmer. None of this asks for earlier experience.
- Seat: In the “L” position, the paddler sits with legs straight out in front, at a right angle.
- Footrests: Kayaks carry footrests and a backrest, and mass-produced boats have adjustable bracing points.
- Paddle: Paddles with a smaller shaft suit smaller hands, which helps children on a Lefkada kayak tour.
When is the best season for a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour suits the dry months from late spring to early autumn. In those months, the Ionian Islands have sunny weather and a warm sea. The weather station at Argostoli records 6.0 mm of rain in July. December brings 147.0 mm.
Lefkada has a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and cool winters. The Köppen system, a way of sorting climates, classes it as Csa. Csa means a mild climate with a hot, dry summer.
The Ionian Islands sit inside the zone of that same climate. Summer weather there is mainly sunny and dry, and any rain falls as showers or thunderstorms. Winters are wet.
So a Lefkada kayak tour belongs to the dry half of the year. The Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the Greek weather office, runs an Ionian station at Argostoli. The figures for Argostoli come from that station.
Argostoli lies on Kefalonia, an island further south in the same group. Summer is hot, yet the sea tempers it, or makes it milder. Heatwaves, runs of very hot days, are mild on the coast.
The cooler sea and the sea breeze keep the temperature down. At Argostoli, the mean, or average, for August is 26.3 degrees Celsius. The monthly maximum temperature reaches 29.9.
Rain falls on only 1.6 days of that month. The water warms to match. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research measured the surface of the western Ionian on 17 September.
It found 27 to 28 degrees, a level that suits a swim stop on a Lefkada kayak tour. Winter belongs to the rain. Argostoli receives 147.3 mm of rain in November and 113.3 mm in January.
In December, rain falls on 15.4 days. The western parts of the Greek Mediterranean climate zone get a fairly high amount of rain. So the dry days that a Lefkada kayak tour needs become rare.
Autumn adds a risk from the sea. Tropical-type storms, strong storms like those of hot tropical seas, are rare in the Mediterranean. Yet September to November is the usual window for them.
The storm Ianos cooled the surface of the western Ionian by 4 degrees on 18 September. A Lefkada kayak tour runs best from late spring to September.
June is already dry and warm, with a mean of 23.7 degrees Celsius and 8.6 mm of rain. Booking inside the dry months protects the paddle.
- Spring: April averages 15.6 degrees Celsius with 51.6 mm of rain. The month after it reaches 19.7 degrees with 17.2 mm.
- September: The mean is 23.4 degrees Celsius, and rain climbs to 46.5 mm. The sea still suits a Lefkada kayak tour.
- October: The mean drops to 19.8 degrees Celsius and rain climbs to 94.7 mm.
What do travelers ask about a Lefkada kayak tour?
A Lefkada kayak tour draws five questions from travelers. They ask about fitness and how a kayak compares with stand-up paddleboarding. They ask whether photos are possible and what to do about fear of deep water. A fifth covers pairing the paddle with a road tour.
How fit must a paddler be for a Lefkada kayak tour?
No athletic background is needed for a Lefkada kayak tour. Sea kayak designs suit a wide range of physical fitness. Paddling pushes force through the legs, one side after the other.
So sound knees and a steady back count for more than big arms. A shorter paddle puts less strain on the shoulder joints and suits weaker shoulders.
How does a Lefkada kayak tour compare with stand-up paddleboarding?
A paddleboarder stands on a floating board and uses a single-sided paddle, which has one blade. Riders also sit or kneel with a double-sided paddle, which has two blades. Boards of 10 to 12 feet are the usual size.
Wider boards give beginners better stability. A kayaker sits in the boat instead. So a Lefkada kayak tour keeps the body low and braced against the hull.
Can paddlers take photos on a Lefkada kayak tour?
Photography belongs to kayaking. Recreational kayaks suit casual paddlers interested in fishing or photography. So a Lefkada kayak tour allows a phone in a waterproof pouch, the simplest phone housing.
A pouch works best for photos in shallow water. A phone rated IP67, a dust and water rating, survives being under 1 metre of fresh water. The rating does not promise protection against salt water, so the pouch stays closed.
What if a paddler fears deep water on a Lefkada kayak tour?
Fear of deep water has a name, thalassophobia, from the Greek word for sea. It covers fear of the vast sea, of waves and of distance from land. Its causes vary from person to person.
So a Lefkada kayak tour treats each case on its own. A sit-on-top kayak can have a sealed hull, closed all round, a design called unsinkable. A nervous paddler can share a double kayak with a calm partner and warn the instructor.
Can a Lefkada kayak tour be combined with a tour of the island by road?
A Lefkada kayak tour covers the water, and a Lefkada island tour by road covers the land. Stavrota, the highest point at 1,158 metres, rises in the middle of the island.
Karya sits on the slopes of Pyrgos at 500 metres. Lefkada Town opened the first museum in Europe for Lafcadio Hearn. Hearn was born on the island and is named after it.
Featured photo: Lefkada blue cave kayak tour, via GetYourGuide.