Recently Viewed
Island Hopping from Lefkada
4.6
17 Ratings
Nidri
Explore historic caves, swim in crystal waters, and visit traditional villages on a private island-hopping adventure from Lefkada. Limited to 40 guests.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Papanikolis Cave - Papanikolis sea cave: Archaeologists believe that the Cave of Papanikolis used to be the hideaway of a submarine. It is replete with many caves. Papanakolis Cave is ideally located on the island of Meganisi, which is a mere 12 nautical miles from Nydri village, Lefkada. The best way to reach the cave is by a boat cruise from Nidri and it takes approximately 45 minutes to reach the cave.
This cave shot into prominence during World War II by virtue of being a secret hideaway for the submarine Papanikolis. The sheer magnitude of The cave is astounding. It is believed that the Papanikolis submarine would tuck up inside this mammoth cave after its blitzkrieg on the Italian armada. First-time visitors will live an awesome experience.
The remarkable Papanikolis Cave is actually the second largest cave in Greece. It is not an authentic sea cave, but a karst cave, and is presently partially inundated by the sea. This cave was much preferred by the ships that would drop anchor inside the cave during spells of inclement weather. This cave could easily accommodate even large shipping vessels with their flagstaff.
What's Included
- Lunch
- Drinks during Lunch
What's Not Included
- Transfer from Hotel to Nidri Port and from Nidri Port to Hotel
- Extra drinks apart from lunch time
Additional Information
First, we will visit the historic CAVE of PAPANIKOLIS. Our boat will go right inside the cave and stop at GIOVANNI’S CAVE where we have the chance to swim on the crystal waters. Then we stop to one of the most traditional villages on Meganisi island SPARTOCHORI, for a stroll around and coffee . Then we stop at a fantastic beach of LAKKA for a wonderful swim and we enjoy our lunch on board. Later we enjoy an afternoon swim, on the island of the Onasis family SCORPIOS .Finally sightseeing the islands: Scorpios – Scorpidi – Maddouri – Sparti. Tour guiding is included. The boat offers comfort as it takes capacity maximum up to 40 persons, so it’s a kind of private boat trip
Location
Santa Maura Travel
Eparchiaki Odos Lefkas - Vasilikis
Next to cafe Presto in Nidri
Departure time 09:15
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(17 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Penny_v
Aug 29, 2023
Papanikolis boat is the best - The one I went on was the papanikolis cruise boat they only take 20 people provide a great lunch family owned business. The cruise starts at 10 am if you choose the earlier you are on a boat with 100 others.
Review provided by Viator
Louise_a
Aug 13, 2023
Best day of the holiday - Such a fabulous trip thoroughly recommend it, very nice family run business such great hosts and the lunch was really tasty lots to go around and plenty to drink if wanted it beautiful trip lots to see and many chances for swims from the boat
Review provided by Viator
Trina1909
Aug 5, 2023
Beautiful excursion island hopping on the Ionian in Lefkatha - Beautiful sail in a smaller private family owned charter boat Cassie the mom and her two sons. Cave diving and swimming holes all along the Ionian A nice Greek BBQ with home made tzatziki sauce souvlaki salad watermelon refreshing and sweet after a salty swim, access to Jackie Onassis beach on Skorpios island bi lingual narration it was a trip to remember for lifetime memories unforgettable!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elenanu9166qw
Jul 22, 2023
Amazing tour - Amazing tour and what a great family operating the tour. Stopped at some gorgeous coves for swimming and the homemade lunch was amazing, best tsatsiki I have ever had. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefanosp810
Sep 20, 2022
Recommended to anyone who wants to check local nature and enjoy a boat trip - Friendly and experienced crew , it was a 7 hour cruise but didn't feel long or getting tired. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroline_m
Aug 29, 2022
Fabulous Ocean swims around Lefkada - A fabulous day sailing from Nidri, with swim stops at the Cave of Papanikolis, Lakka beach & the private island of Onassis. With a cafe/village stop on Meganissi too.
Diving into the cool blue Ionian ocean & floating above feeding fish was a true highlight of our holiday so far.
The crew were great, and homemade lunch was really tasty. The boat was at capacity of 40 people, but still space to sit comfortably.
A very relaxing & chilled trip, with history of the islands learnt as we sailed around, visiting some places only accessible by boat.
We took water with us. But you can buy this & other chilled drinks on board.
Review provided by Viator
Exoticshangrila
Aug 8, 2022
Fun day out with perfect timings - Had a fun day out with my 8 year old. We both loved the experience of island hopping on the beautiful nearby islands. The boat wasn’t one of those huge excursion type boats which I appreciated. The lunch was delicious and Casey, her sons Harris and Spyros were so warm and fun! The end of the day was marred by bad weather but we had a fun ride with big splashes from the waves back to Nydri. Fully recommend over the big excursion type boats if you prefer a more personable approach.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrea_h
Aug 2, 2022
Must try - This was the best trip I attended while I was in Lefkada. The landscape is mesmerizing so the boat trip is very enjoyable. The boat wasn’t crowded at all we were about 30 people I think. We had such a delicious lunch on the boat! The swim stops were long enough. The tour is operated by a greek family. :)
Review provided by Viator
Davethetraveller47
Sep 22, 2022
Great day out for sun and surf. - We had a great relaxing day cruising around the islands of Lefkada. Setting out from Nidri harbour after being being picked up from our accommodation, we visited a cave where you could go for a swim. Stopped on Meganisi for a walk up to Spartochori village then off to a beach for lunch. Swam in in the sea on several occasions to cool off.
BBQ lunch (included in the price) was great with a portion of souvlaki ,Greek salad, tzatziki, bread and wine. Second helpings if you wanted it but the portions were large anyway. The crew on board were very friendly and told us about the different islands we passed.
The boat and facilities were good and wasn't as big as some we have been on, which was a bonus. There is plenty of areas on board for keeping out of the sun if you get too hot. Overall, a great day out and would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mareike
Aug 16, 2022
Too little space, too little shade, uncomfortable to sit on. Nice landscape though. - Probably the right tour for you if you want to party and want to swim, and don’t mind lots of sun, loud music, and very little space.
The boat was uncomfortable to sit on (sideways, people having to push past each other to get across the boat, and if you are unlucky like us there is almost no shade for 7h)
The crew drove the boat quite aggressively toward other boats, we felt second hand embarrassment a couple of times and felt bad for intruding with loud honking, loud music, and loud clattering anchor chains while being told “this is a very quiet beach, like paradise!”
While I think the owner meant well, we were asked multiple times to justify our answers when asked
whether we wanted to go swim, have more food, etc. Feels really silly to do so as a grown adult.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
