Koronisia Guide

Koronisia sits in the Ambracian Gulf in Epirus, Greece, on a low limestone islet that rises no more than 5 m above the water. It is the largest island in the gulf and the only one where people live. The village has two churches and the ruins of a fortress, and nothing about it hurries you.

The way in sets the mood. A sandbar about 6 km long, carrying an asphalt road, runs from Cape Salaora across the water to the island, with lagoon on either side. A second sandbar, about 4 km long, leads north-east to the Arachthos delta. Koronisia is also tied by sandbars to its two neighbours, Pethameno and Peranisi, and together the three enclose the small Sakouletsi lagoon.

The wetland around the village is a protected area for nature and birds. It covers the Logarou lagoon to the north, the largest in the Ambracian Gulf, and the Arachthos delta. Waterbirds dominate: Dalmatian pelicans, and several herons including the purple heron. Walk out along the sandbar road and look at the water on both sides.

South of Koronisia lie seven small islets called Korakonisia, the Raven Islands, which is the name the island itself originally bore. The largest, Vouvalos, wraps a micro-lagoon of its own 2 km south of the village.

The beaches are narrow, and because the water is shallow they work well for children. In summer you can swim near the harbour and at Paralia Phrachtis. The small fishing harbour lies in the south-west of the island, and the inhabitants still fish from it.

Tourism has become the second pillar of the local economy, yet evenings stay quiet. Pick a table, watch the light on the gulf, and save the footpath up the hill at Cape Salaora for a clear morning.