VALTAKI BEACH AND LACONIAN SHIPWRECK

Text and research by Nikos Aivalis, photo report by Elpida Zografidou, technical support by Paraskevas Aivalis, translation by Eva Trombetas

A new journey begins, a new travelogue. This time our aim is to go to Valtaki beach with its famous shipwreck. Just outside Gytheio, there is a beach that anyone who visits it will never forget it. A sandy beach with crystal clear waters, a shipwreck, ancient finds and Laconic nature will compose our trip.

Starting from the beautiful city of Gytheio (you can see our journey in the article Gytheio the land of the gods), following the provincial road Skala - Gytheio we are heading to the area of Valtaki.

Gytheio

Beautiful coastal route, in which on one side you gaze at the majesty of the sea, while on the other side you see the Laconic nature of eastern Mani. Reaching our destination, one can see half-destroyed towers covered in weeds. They are some of the Mani towers which were fortresses of Mani against the Ottomans, as they were the borders of free Mani with the rest of Turkish-occupied Greece, on the side of Evrotas.

Mani's towers

From that point one can get a first taste of the beach and the shipwreck from above. The view is unique, while one can even see the area of Trinisa and a big part of the Laconic Gulf.

the beach and the shipwreck from above

As we descend, after a turn on the road, we enter a small alley to finally reach the beach. There is plenty of space to leave your car and not only, as the place is also suitable for motorhomes. At the entrance to the beach there is a large bar surrounded by palm trees, which offers coffee, food and more.

Valtaki beach

One of the first things we find is a small beautiful river that falls into the sea, creating a very interesting phenomenon for anyone who enters the sea. The water is warm along its entire length, and at the point where the river falls the water it is quite cool. The river is full of vegetation as algae and shrubs are located along its entire length, while frogs and small fish take a walk inside it.

Valtaki beach river

The beach is free and very large. You can freely put your umbrella, take a wonderful swim in the sea and rinse off the salt water as the beach has a shower, while the area is suitable for camping. Of course, as we emphasize in each of our articles, when we visit a place we should show absolute respect to it, so we do not leave garbage, cigarette butts and anything else. We can enjoy everything that is offered without destroying a place.

Valtaki beach

The beach is crystal clear, with wonderful sand, while the sea is a pleasure, quite shallow on the shores, suitable for couples, families and groups. One of the first things we come across are markings in places where sea turtles lay their eggs and it is good to move a little away from those places. Besides, the beach is huge and has plenty of space for people and turtles.

sea turtle eggs

Another thing we find here are white tree trunks that look like statues of nature, giving a different color to the beach. Like natural benches, they stand between the sandy beach and are suitable for photos but also for sitting.

trunks on the beach

Walking along the beach, before we reach the shipwreck, we find an ancient building that literally falls into the sea.

 

ancient building and in the background the shipwreck

We reach the impressive and imposing shipwreck. The ship is named "Dimitrios" and it has been there since December 23, 1981. There are several speculations about how it was found there. One case states that the ship was carrying smuggled cigarettes, tried to escape from the authorities and got stuck on the sandy bottom of the area. The other version is that the owners of the ship had financial problems, as a result of which the ship moved to the specific area. Today the ship is fully in tune with the landscape, as it is an attraction. It is easy to approach, as a small nose of the beach leads you there. But you need to be careful when you get too close, because the ship is rusty.

shipwreck Dimitrios

Turning back, in the alley from which we came, at the top there is a small forest where tourists put their motorhomes, creating a small hippie community. A little further there is a sign with the inscription "archaeological site".

archaeological beach site

Through all this magical image of the beach, the river, the pure Laconic nature, only one negative thing can be found and this has to do with the ancient finds of the place. Unfortunately, the archeological services settled for a simple sign, without indicating the slightest detail about the date, time or use of the finds. It is a pity to live in the richest archeological country and these relics of our ancestors to be neglected, covered in weeds, indistinguishable, without any information, while they should be fully usable regarding tourism, as with the natural beauties of our country and our ancient finds complete the image of Greece.

archaelogical ruins, Valtaki area