Zakynthos
Zakynthos is a national park of Greece, founded in 1999 on an area of 407 km2 on the Ionian island of Zakynthos. It is believed that the name of the island means "Levantine flower", according to another version, the name came from the name of the son of Dardanus, who in turn was the son of Zeus. Zakynthos Park itself was organized to protect the turtles that lay eggs on the island.
There are many plantations with olives, grapes, and citrus fruits on the territory of Zakynthos. Agriculture is very important for the island, but tourism brings the most benefits to the island, because there are many beaches around the island, and historical monuments in the depths of the island. In the village of Volimes, a Venetian tower with ancient churches has been preserved to this day, the walls of which are decorated with frescoes dating back to the 11th and 14th centuries. In the capital of the island, Zakynthos, you can find a defensive fortress, which was also built by the Venetians. But most of all, tourists are attracted by the stunning beauty of Navageo Bay. Turtles, dolphins can be seen in the sea, iguanas and many birds live on land.
There is a legend that the gods Apollo and Artemis chose the island of Zakynthos for a joint holiday. And they chose the island for a reason. Zakynthos has a mild climate, lush vegetation, blue sea, and amazing caves. In ancient times, the island was in the kingdom of Odysseus. The island is famous as the birthplace of the Greek poets Dionysos Solomos, Ungo Foscolos, Xenopoulos.
Tourists have plenty to do in their free time, they can go diving, fishing, windsurfing, cycling or jeep riding. The southern parts of Zakynthos Island are home to most of the nightlife and restaurants where you can taste local cuisine.
It is worth considering that the national park has its own rules of behavior on the beach, aimed at preserving turtles. At night, it is forbidden to make bonfires on the beaches, a place to rest should be placed no further than 10 meters from the shore, then there may be clutches of turtle eggs, for the same reason, it is forbidden to drive cars and bicycles along the beach, and sand castles can only be built near the water.
