Lefkas Island

Lefkas Island or Leukada lies off the mainland coast of the Ionian Sea, seven miles south-west of the harbor of Preveza at the entrance of Amvrakikos Bay. It is the second largest of the Greek islands in the Ionian Sea after Kefalonia. Lefkas, however, is not really an island. Originally it was connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, but the Corinthians about 600 B.C. built a canal that still separates Lefkas from mainland Greece. They are now separated from each other by a shallow lagoon and salt marshes from 600 m to 5 km wide.

The island is hilly with numerous white rocks, from which it got its name: white. The highest point of the island is Mount Stavros at 1158 m. The total area of the island is 355.936 square kilometers. Of a population of about 22,000, most live in the island's capital Lefkas town, which has just under 7,000 inhabitants, or the towns of Nidri and Vlikho in Vlikho bay, Sivotas on the south-east coast and Vasiliki near Cape Dhoukato on the south-west tip of the island.

For yachtsmen the main interest is the rugged east and south coast of the island with a lot of marinas, fishports and closed anchorages. At the same time, the west coast has very attractive beaches and fishing villages, but no closed harbors or berths suitable for yachts. During the summer, the island of Lefkas and especially its capital, Lefkas town, is crowded with tourists coming from the nearby Preveza airport and yachtsmen who rent yachts at Lefkas marina.