Travel

On this Greek Island, you can swim with piglets

(and why you absolutely want to go here)

By
On this Greek Island, you can swim with piglets

A day trip to a Greek island where you are surrounded by white cliffs and crystal blue water sounds like music to my ears. Getting the chance to experience my Mamma Mia fantasy is always a good idea, but do you know what makes it even better? Doing something cool, like swimming with pigs. This isn’t the first thing you think of when booking a holiday to the land of tzatziki and souvlaki, but the whole internet is full of this destination. While I’m booking my plane tickets, I’ll reveal the secret: where you can do this and why you absolutely want to go there.

Where oh where is that mystery island where wild pigs roam free?

Somewhere in the Ionian Sea lies a tiny island called Atokos. It’s located between Lefkada and Ithaka. This is the kind of place you’ve probably never heard of before. There are no villages, shops, hotels, or bars. There isn’t even a ferry that takes you there. The island is privately owned and otherwise uninhabited. The island belongs to the Tsakos family, who only visit the island once a year. So don’t expect a crowded promenade or a beach club where you pay sixteen euros for an Aperol Spritz. You come for the water, the pebble beaches, and of course the most famous residents: the wild pigs. There’s a chapel, a small house where the family stays, and some picnic tables. But other than that? That’s it.

The swimming pigs really exist

Those black pigs you see in every video live freely in nature on the island. Meanwhile, they have learned that tourists are fun, so they regularly come out from the bushes to stroll onto the beach. Sometimes they search among the stones for food or swim into the shallow water. It looks like someone shouted during a brainstorming session: “What if we combine a Greek island with the Bahamas?” But believe me: the viral images are real. If you’re lucky, you can seriously swim with pigs.

Now it’s not like the animals are neatly lined up for a photoshoot every morning at nine o’clock. It’s quite possible that you choose a day when no pig snouts are in sight. That secretly makes it more fun: it’s not an amusement park, but a place so special that it makes your holiday unique. Oh, and before you get any ideas: please don’t run around like a headless chicken chasing a pig to hold it for a photo. They are and remain wild animals, they are not show ponies. An Instagram photo is nice, but a bite from a wild boar seems to me a slightly less successful holiday souvenir.

This is the beach you need to be at

One of the most famous and somewhat habitable spots on the island is One House Bay. The name already reveals how deserted it is: that one house where the family comes is here. Beyond that, you mainly get white pebbles, green hills, and water so clear that you immediately want to pull your snorkel out of your bag. This bay is popular with sailors and day-trippers who moor here to swim, snorkel, and have lunch on the beach. Therefore, there are plenty of day trips that you can book to visit this island and the tropical bay.

But well. Just like at the beach with the pigs, you shouldn’t expect sunbeds or toilets here. There are no facilities, so everything you need, you’ll have to bring yourself and take back to the boat.

The best day trips to Atokos

Are you a good sailor? Then you can choose to head to the island yourself. Or were you not born with the sailor’s blood that gives you the skills to find the way to Te Fiti’s heart (hello Vaiana)? Then you better book a day trip. To help you on your way, we’ve already selected the best trips for you:

1. Piggy Cruise

If you want to support a local business, then book the Piggy Cruise with Seven Island Cruises. The Ktenas brothers were actually the first in the area to start organizing tourist trips. After their fisherman father passed away, they continued to take tourists around with their family boat. This grew into two, three, and eventually eight boats and a business they have been running for thirty-five years. And you can tell, because this cruise is the ideal day trip.

You start at nine o’clock in the morning at the harbor of Nidri. Once you’ve been picked up, you sail on to Kioni, which is on the island of Ithaka. Here you stay for an hour and a half. This gives you the opportunity to see more than just Atokos and become a real Greek traveler. After the stop, you continue to the island you came for. Go swimming with the pigs if they are there, lay your towel on the sand, and enjoy. If you thought the journey stopped here, you’re mistaken. The cruise also passes two other hotspots: the Papanikolis caves on Meganisi and Lakka beach. At the end of the day, you return at five o’clock in the afternoon and even have time to enjoy a nice dinner. If that doesn’t sound good, then I don’t know what does.

2. Hidden Ionian gems: luxury cruise to Atokos and South Ithaca

Does it all need to be a bit more luxurious? Then you board the speedboat from Kefalonia Excursions, where the wine and prosecco are already cold. The cruise departs from the harbor of Sami and lasts about seven hours. From there, you sail along the picturesque coastline of Kefalonia towards Ithaka. Along the way, you stop at the beautiful Gidaki beach, where you have three quarters of an hour to swim, snorkel, and of course take way too many photos. After that, it’s time for the place you probably booked for: Atokos. Here you get over an hour to jump into the crystal-clear water, admire the island, and hopefully encounter the famous pigs.

Then you sail on to Vathy, the capital of Ithaka. You get two hours of free time here to stroll along the harbor, explore the town, and have an extensive lunch somewhere. On the way back, you make one last swimming stop at Antisamos beach or Agios Andreas, depending on the sea conditions. The biggest difference with the Piggy Cruise? This trip feels just a bit more luxurious and intimate. Water, soft drinks, light snacks, wine, and prosecco are all included. Swimming at paradise beaches with a glass of bubbles within reach? Your day couldn’t get any better.

So: are you still looking for a fun day trip that’s just a bit different from a visit to Santorini? Then definitely remember this, because this? You will never forget.