Marathonisi (Turtle Island)

Marathonisi — "Turtle Island" in informal English — is the small uninhabited islet at the south-western corner of Laganas Bay. It is one of the principal nesting sites of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean and the centrepiece of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos.

Small motorboats from the harbours at Agios Sostis, Laganas and Limni Keri make the trip across in twenty to thirty minutes through summer. Most trips combine a swim stop at the south side of the island (where access is permitted) with a slow run through the protected waters of the bay looking for turtles surfacing — sightings are reasonably common. The north beach is a marked turtle-nesting strip and is closed to visitors. No infrastructure of any kind on the island; bring your own water and shade.

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Marathonisi is uninhabited and used by *Caretta caretta* — the loggerhead sea turtle — as a major nesting site. Females come ashore at night between May and August to lay around 100 eggs per nest, which hatch about 60 days later. The hatchlings make their way to the sea on their own; tourist access to the southern half of the beach is restricted to protect the nests.