Elafonisos

Elafonisos is nineteen square kilometres of low scrub and dunes separated from the Peloponnese by a strait only 570 metres wide, and it built its reputation on Simos, a double beach where two crescents of fine white sand meet at a sandy isthmus with juniper-covered dunes behind. The water is shallow, pale turquoise over white sand, and unusually clear even by Greek standards. The island's single village has a working fishing harbour and a row of tavernas, and the population of a few hundred multiplies in August. Other beaches, Panagia, Lefki, Kalogeras, are emptier. The dunes are protected habitat, and the wreck-strewn seabed off the north coast includes the submerged prehistoric settlement of Pavlopetri, visible from the mainland shore.

History

In antiquity Elafonisos was not an island but a peninsula, called by Pausanias Onou Gnathos, "donkey's jawbone". Just off its coast lies Pavlopetri, a sunken town dating to the early 3rd millennium BC, thought to have been taken by the sea around 1000 BC (Wikipedia, Elafonisos).

What's there

• Simos beach - twin crescents of white sand meeting at an isthmus.
• The juniper dunes - protected dune habitat behind the beaches.
• The fishing harbour - the village port and its tavernas.
• The quiet beaches - Panagia and Lefki on the far side of the island.

When to go

June and September for warm water and space; August is genuinely crowded, with camping pressure on the dunes and a queue for the ferry. Spring is beautiful but the water is cold and services limited.

Before you go

The island is flat, dry and short on shade; bring an umbrella. Facilities are basic and cash is useful. Dune camping is restricted to protect the habitat, and the authorities enforce it. Ferry queues in August can be long for cars.

Nearby

Pavlopetri lies just off the mainland shore opposite; Neapoli and the road to Monemvasia are north.

Key facts