Marina di Sivota

Sivota Bay is a deep natural bay located in the southern part of the island of Lefkada (Lefkas), the entrance to which lies just in front of the island of Arkoudi. The narrow entrance channel leads to the bay where the village of the same name overlooks, a destination that has been seeing an increase in tourist flow in recent years due to its fortunate location, lush nature and, of course, the beautiful sea.

The entire bay is framed by green hills, dotted with recent buildings that are mostly small residences and apartments that are rented out to vacationers. On the waterfront within the bay, the village of Sivota offers a good number of bars, restaurants, and typical taverns, where you can eat excellent fresh fish and enjoy a drink overlooking the sea at sunset or after dinner.

The bay is a favorite destination for boaters by virtue of the fact that it is well sheltered from all winds. In contrast, it does not offer as many berths in the small port of Sivota, located at its southern end and equipped with a fair number of berths set up on a concrete bank.

Free anchoring is still allowed within the entire bay; beware, however, that the bottom is not a good keeper due to the massive presence of seaweed. Also be careful, for those with boats of a certain size, not to get too close to the coast, where the depth quickly slopes down to 1.5 meters – within the bay it remains on average around 3 meters, 2.5 meters in the ports area.

Another “drawback” of the Sivota port is the possible difficulty of mooring for boats of a certain length: the mooring lines in the water are secured to dead bodies attached only 10 meters from the pier.

Another alternative in addition to free anchorage is the Yacht Bar & Pontoon, which has taken over two mobile docks at the far end of the bay and for very modest prices (it seems) offers mooring for boats up to 20 meters in length, with free water and electricity and refueling service available. The Yacht Bar & Pontoon offers this service from May 1 to October 15 and offers daily, weekly and monthly rates.

Within the entire bay there are numerous charter companies, so during the warm season watch out for the bustle of boats and people, which is considerable. At the end of September, usually on the third weekend of the month, the Southern Ionian Regatta is held in the stretch of sea in front of Sivota Bay: finding a place in the bay will therefore be a difficult task.

Some charter companies offer paid berths at their mobile docks; when you arrive, therefore, wasting an application is recommended.

Sivota is a small village but still offers all the essentials: supermarkets, bars and restaurants, souvenir stores, and, on the nautical front, refueling facilities and two slips.

As for tourism, one is spoiled for choice as beaches and coves to visit, many of which are to be discovered by wandering among the islands and islets southeast of the main island of Lefkada. Gastronomic tourism, too, finds many pleasurable cues right in Sivota, where taverns offer fish dishes typical of the Greek gastronomic tradition.

And if you’re just passing through Sivota Bay, and need to eat, take advantage of the floating dock that Stavros Taverna provides free of charge to its guests (electricity and water included, you can also refill the tank): you moor with the help of the staff and eat in the lovely taverna overlooking the bay (typical Greek dishes, of course).