Guide · The route

The Zakynthos off-road buggy route, stop by stop

The Zakynthos off-road buggy route climbs out of Laganas into the hills of the south-west, looks down on Turtle Island and the Mizithres rocks, swims at Korakonisi and ends at a farmhouse table in Loucha. Here is every stretch in order.

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Editorial team, buggyrentzakynthos.comUpdated October 19, 2026read in 6 minutes21 sources

The matching tour Off-road buggy day from Laganas with lunch 5.0 (306 reviews) 6 hoursYou drive your own Polaris RZRSwim stop and farmhouse lunch from$403per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until one day before

The route at a glance

01Start: Meet at 8:00 near Laganas, drive off at 8:30 behind the guide.
02Off road from: Keri, about 20 minutes into the day.¹
03Photo stops: Marathias above Turtle Island, then the Mizithres viewpoint.² ³
04Swim and lunch: 1.5 hours at Korakonisi, then lunch at a farmhouse in Loucha.
05Distance: About 80 km, most of it off road, back at about 15:00.⁴

The whole loop in one paragraph

The day draws a loop across the quiet south-west of Zakynthos. You leave the starting point near Laganas, reach Keri, where the dirt begins, and stop at Marathias and the Mizithres viewpoint for photos.¹ ² ³ The operator then adds a stop at the Andronios wells of Agalas before the swim at Korakonisi.⁵ ⁶

From Korakonisi the route runs through Agios Leon, on and off road, to Loucha for lunch, then goes off road again through the Loucha Valley and comes down through Kiliomenos to the start.⁷ ⁸ The whole loop covers about 80 km, most of it off road.⁴

This Zakynthos off-road buggy route stays away from the busy east coast and from the beaches, which suits both the landscape and the rules. It is a day of pine forest, limestone cliffs, dusty farm tracks and small villages, with the sea always somewhere below you on the left or the right. If you have only seen the island from a sun bed in Laganas, this is the other Zakynthos: olive groves, goats on the hillside, chapels at the edge of the track and almost no traffic.

The day in order

From the briefing to the last track

8:00

Meeting point

Briefing, eyewear and bandanas at the start near Laganas.
8:30

Departure

The group follows the guide's buggy toward Keri.¹
Morning

Marathias and Mizithres

Photos of Turtle Island, the forest, then the viewpoint.² ³
Midday

Korakonisi

1.5 hours to swim, snorkel or relax.
Afternoon

Lunch in Loucha

A Greek lunch at an old farmhouse under the trees.
About 15:00

Back at the start

Through the Loucha Valley and Kiliomenos.⁸

Keri and the forest above Turtle Island

The off-road part of the day begins about 20 minutes after the start, when the group reaches Keri.¹ Until then you are on ordinary roads, getting used to the steering and the brakes of the Polaris RZR while the guide sets a steady pace in front. Use these first minutes well. Find a comfortable seat position, test the brakes gently, and leave a sensible gap to the buggy ahead, because the dust it throws up thickens the moment the tarmac ends.

The first stop is at Marathias, for panoramic photos of Marathonisi, the islet visitors call Turtle Island; then the drive continues through the dense Marathias forest.² Marathonisi lies inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, which covers Laganas Bay and its islets.⁹

From up here you understand why the buggies keep their distance from the sand. Loggerhead turtles nest on the beaches of Laganas Bay from mid-May to late August, and the park does not allow cars, motorbikes, bicycles, horses or dogs on its nesting beaches.¹⁰ ¹¹ The view from the hill is the closest a vehicle should get.

Stop by stop

Where the buggies stop and why

Stop	What you do	Good to know
Marathias	Photos of Turtle Island	Then the forest drive
Mizithres	Photos from above	High cliffs, loose ground
Agalas	The Andronios wells	Named on the operator's page
Korakonisi	Swim, snorkel or relax	1.5 hours, rocky shore
Loucha	Greek lunch	Soft drinks, no alcohol
Loucha Valley	Off road home	Back about 15:00

Stops as the listing and the operator's own page give them.² ³ ⁵ ¹² ⁸

Three highlights

Mizithres, Korakonisi and Loucha by land

Zakynthos: Keri Lake Romantic Sunset & Myzithres Viewpoint

The view only

Mizithres

By van at sunset

Length: 4 hours
Pickup: Included
Price: from $52

See details

Arch and cave

Korakonisi

By 4x4 at sunset

Length: 4 hours
Group: Up to 6
Price: from $103

See details

Laganas: Off-Road Buggy Adventure in Zakynthos with Lunch

Swim and lunch

All three

By buggy, you drive

Length: 6 hours
Swim stop: 1.5 hours
Price: from $403

See details

Decision helper

Which stretch will you love most?

Match the route to what you came for

Marathias and Mizithres

Two photo stops above the sea.² ³

Korakonisi

1.5 hours in the water.

The forest and valley tracks

Most of the 80 km is off road.⁴

Lunch in Loucha

Private to the group, vegan friendly.¹²

The Marathias hill

Turtle Island from above, never from the beach.² ¹¹

The entire tour covers approximately 80km in distance, most of which is off-road.

Zante Off-Road Tour (the operator of tour 416357)Source 4

The Mizithres viewpoint

The second stop is above the Mizithres viewpoint, again for photos.³ Below the cliff edge, pale rocks rise out of deep blue water, and on a clear morning the colour of the sea around their feet looks almost unreal against the white stone.

This is the stop for cameras, so give yourself a minute to look before you shoot. Stand back from the edge, keep the bandana and the eyewear the operator provides in the buggy, and let the guide point out where the path to the best angle is.¹³ The cliffs here are high and the ground is loose in summer.

Mizithres lies on the south-west coast, the stretch where the Keri Caves open to the sea, and the van tour that visits the viewpoint pairs it with Keri village.¹⁴ Boats show the caves from below; the buggy day shows the same coast from the top of the cliffs, with the whole curve of the shore laid out in front of you.

Map

From Laganas to Keri, Korakonisi and Loucha

The buggy route across the south-west of the island, then the resorts along the south and east coasts, where visitors stay.

Map of south-west Zakynthos from Laganas and Keri to Korakonisi, Agios Leon and Loucha — The buggy route

Map of the east side of Zakynthos with Laganas, Kalamaki, Zakynthos Town, Argasi and Tsilivi — Where visitors stay

1
Laganas
The operator of this site's tour is based in Laganas, on the bay known for its nightlife.¹⁵ ¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
2
Keri
The off-road part of the day begins here, about 20 minutes after the start.¹
In Google Maps ↗
3
Marathias
The first stop, for photos of Marathonisi, before a drive through the Marathias forest.²
In Google Maps ↗
4
Marathonisi
Turtle Island, one of the islets inside the National Marine Park.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
5
Mizithres
The second stop: a viewpoint above the Mizithres rocks.³
In Google Maps ↗
6
Agalas
The Andronios wells, named in a local legend about a dragon.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
7
Korakonisi
The swim stop, with 1.5 hours to swim, snorkel or rest.
In Google Maps ↗
8
Agios Leon
The route passes through here, on and off road, on the way to lunch.⁷
In Google Maps ↗
9
Loucha
Lunch at an old farmhouse under the trees, then the drive through the Loucha Valley.
In Google Maps ↗
10
Kiliomenos
The village the route comes down through on the way back to the start.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
11
Kalamaki
One of the resorts inside the free pickup area of a land-and-sea day tour.
In Google Maps ↗
12
Zakynthos Town
The island's town at the head of Laganas Bay, rebuilt after the 1953 earthquake.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
13
Argasi
Another resort inside that tour's free pickup area.
In Google Maps ↗
14
Tsilivi
A resort on the east coast, also inside that free pickup area.
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

What to have for each stretch

Driving

Sports shoes and clothes that can get dirty
Sunglasses under the eyewear
Your driver's license

Swim and lunch

Swimwear, towel and water shoes
Sunscreen for the cove
A little cash, only for a drink at the cove

Video

A drive on Zakynthos mountain roads on a beach buggy

Nothing is fetched from YouTube until you press play.

Agalas and the legend of the wells

The operator lists a third stop at Agalas, at a countryside spot known as the Andronios wells.⁵ It is a quieter halt than the viewpoints, a chance to stretch, drink some water and shake off the dust before the drive to the coast. It is also a good moment to ask the guide what the next stretch of track is like, and to wipe the dust off your sunglasses before the descent to the sea.

The name comes with a story. Local legend, the operator says, holds that a dragon called Andronios made the 12 wells of Agalas village and gave them his name.⁵ It is the kind of tale every Greek village seems to keep, and hearing it under the trees is part of the charm of a day spent away from the resorts.

This stop appears on the operator's own page but not in the GetYourGuide listing, which jumps from the forest and the viewpoint straight to the swim.⁵ Treat it as part of the plan the guide follows, not a promise; on a hot day or with a slow group, the order and length of the stops can shift.

The swim stop at Korakonisi

Korakonisi is the swim stop of the day: the listing gives 1.5 hours to swim, snorkel or simply relax. After a morning of dust, the clear water in the narrow rocky inlet feels like the reward the whole route was built around.

Bring a swimsuit, a towel and water shoes, because the shore is rock rather than sand. The operator recommends exactly those, and it notes that you might want a little money only if you plan to buy a drink here.¹³ ¹⁸ A mask and snorkel are worth packing too, since the listing names snorkeling among the things to do.

The spot has its own landmarks: a natural rock arch and Alitzerini Cave, which a 4x4 sunset listing names as one of its stops. If the sea is rough, swim only where the guide says it is safe, and keep an eye on each other in the water; a rocky cove asks for more care than a sandy beach.

Lunch at a farmhouse in Loucha

From Korakonisi the buggies head north through Agios Leon, partly on tarmac and partly on tracks, to Loucha.⁷ Lunch is a traditional Greek meal at an old farmhouse under the shade of big trees, with unlimited soft drinks.

The operator describes the lunch as private to the group and vegan friendly, and it serves no alcohol, which makes sense with an afternoon of driving still to come.¹² Expect home cooking in the style of the island, where food is built on extra virgin olive oil and aromatic herbs rather than strong spices.¹⁹

Loucha sits in the hills far from the coast road, and the setting is half the meal: long tables, shade, the sound of insects and nothing else. Take your time here, refill your water and let the food settle; there is no prize for being first back to the buggies, and the afternoon tracks are more fun on a calm stomach.

Back through the Loucha Valley and Kiliomenos

After lunch the final stretch goes off road through the Loucha Valley, then down through Kiliomenos and back to the starting point.⁸ The listing puts the return at about 15:00, after roughly 80 km of driving.

The route is not fixed in stone. When the wildfire risk is high, Greek Civil Protection may close some forest and mountain trails, and the operator then switches to alternative routes it has chosen in advance.²⁰ If it rains, on the other hand, the tour goes ahead and everyone simply gets wet.²¹

By the end of the loop you will have crossed much of the island's south-west by land, looked down on Turtle Island and the Mizithres rocks, swum in a rocky cove away from the sun beds and eaten in a hill village far from the resorts. The dust washes out; the views stay.

Your day off road