Levante Speedboat Trip - (Zante Excursions)

Tasha P          10/10

Absolutely incredible! Met at Tsilivi harbour at 1.15, where we were greeted by Captain Spiros and his team who were very welcoming and helpful in getting everybody on board and settled, explaining clearly the basic plan for the afternoon before we set off. On the way around the island towards the area where turtles are found Spiros started to invite people up to drive the speedboat (ladies first, of course), and then when we got near the turtles he explained what to expect, and when we very quickly found them he was excellent at telling when to expect them to come to the surface. We spotted 5 turtles in a short space of time, with Spiros carefully manoeuvring around so people on both sides of the boat could see, and we didn't leave this area until everybody was satisfied with what they had seen and the pictures they'd taken. From there it was on to Turtle Island, again letting passengers drive, and we pulled right up on to the beach where we spent an hour. When we arrived, Spiros was very clear about us respecting the island and not being allowed very far from the shoreline onto the beach as this is where turtles lay their eggs, which shows that although these trips are how he makes his living, he respects the island and its environment and is very keen to ensure his passengers do also. After Turtle Island, we headed toward the caves and entered in to them, with Spiros even turning the boat around inside one of them which takes some doing! Here he was very clear about the best places to dive down in to the water and see what lies beneath (no spoilers!), providing flotation devices if required, before then heading to St Nicholas Beach and spending some time here on the way back to Tsilivi. The final leg in the speedboat is very exciting with Spiros keen to show just how fast it goes! All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this trip, regardless of the price, as it is totally worth it for a whole afternoon out with the friendliest captain in Zante! The fairly small size boat, 35 persons, gives a really personal feel to the trip also.