The Ionian Islands are located off the west coast of Greece and stretch from the southern border of Albania to the southeast of the Peloponnese forming the jewel of the Mediterranean: The Ionian Sea.
Eptanisa Heptanêsos (7 islands in Greek), the local name of the archipelago, are islands stretching from north to south: Lefkada, Kefallonie, Zakynthos forming a natural rampart protecting the inland sea from the Mediterranean. In addition, there are four other islands: Kerkira (better known as Corfu), Paxos, Ithaca and Kythera.
The archipelago is covered with dense vegetation as the winter storms hit there first. Olive and lemon trees thrive as well as the vineyards that are the pride of the small wine producers!
The highest points on the islands are 1000 m with a mainly steep coastline of dramatic folded rock up to 400 m.
There are many caves to explore with tales and legends, such as the caves of the Nymphs where Ulysses is said to have hidden his treasure, or the Papanikoulis cave, used as a shelter by pirates, and more recently a hide-away for a submarine during the Second World War.
The archipelago is considered a sailing paradise, as it is sheltered from the caprices of the Mediterranean. The wind rarely exceeds 4 Beaufort scale and the sea currents remain under 2 knots depending on the area. The water temperature is around 25 degrees from June to October and one can see one’s shadow at 10 meters deep…
