This
green and fertile island, also known as Zante, is the southernmost
in the Ionian chain, enjoying a contrasting landscape of dramatic
mountains in the northwest and gentle hills and plains to the
south.Visitors to this island can enjoy some of the finest beaches
to be found in Greece and inland the rural lifestyle has remained
unchanged for years with the majority of the land under
cultivation.
The capital of the island called Zakynthos Town (Zante) was
rebuilt in 1953 after being destroyed following an earthquake, and
despite the somewhat uninspiring new architecture, there are
several churches and monuments worth visiting and a pleasant town
square where one can relax with a cool drink. The town also
provides a regular ferry link with the mainland, opening up
opportunities to venture further afield and explore many historical
sites on the Peloponese.
There are extensive sand beaches on the southern end of the
island, Gerakas, Porto Roma and Mavrantzis to name just a few, and
even in the height of the summer they are relatively peaceful. A
quite different visitor invades some of these beaches at night, the
loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest during early summer,
these creatures have adopted this stretch of Zakynthos coastline as
their major nesting area. Zakynthos is an island where nature and
tourism happily co-exist and it is easy to understand the old
Venetian description of this land as the 'Flower of the
Levant'.
BOUKA
We have known and visited this area of Zakynthos for many years
and what surprises us in all this time is that the complexion of
this peaceful resort has remained virtually unchanged. One fears
the temptation to turn it into a major resort for it has all the
right ingredients. However, building and other restrictions have
left the place virtually untouched. Bouka at the northern end of
its popular neighbour Tsilivi still retains much of its
agricultural heritage with vast areas still covered with olive
trees. We are glad that it can still claim to be scenic and
peaceful. Peaceful it may be, but it is not so cut off that one
would need transport. Bouka has a good selection of tavernas dotted
here and there and also a couple of mini markets that stock most of
the necessary provisions.
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