Cruising around Leros hides many surprises, not only around the coasts, but also offshore, since the greater marine area includes numerous islets with rare natural beauty, such as Levitha, Kinaros and Glaros to the west, Archangelos to the north, Mikro Livadi and Megalo Livadi to the northeast, while Farmakonisi is also near. The strait of Archangelos situated between the homonymous islet and Leros constitutes a wonderful fishing ground. Additionally, it is a place where you can anchor your boat for a while, in case the weather goes bad. Archangelos has three beautiful sandy beaches. On the first one there is still an old pier. To the west, there are the islets Tripiti and Strongyli with amazing waters to swim in. There are many reefs and you have to be very careful when you are approaching the first one. Near the second islet, at a depth of 6m, there is the shipwreck of a German landing craft from World War II. The next islet is located to the east, opposite the cove of Pandeli and it is dedicated to Saint Kyriake. There, you can also find the homonymous chapel. The sunset here is really worth seeing. To the south, in the strait between Leros and Kalymnos, if the 3 islets (Velona, Mikro Glaronisi and Megalo Glaronisi) were a little bit bigger, then the two islands would be joined. Here, the reefs are also dangerous. In the coves Vagia and Agios Nikolaos, there are two hidden beaches with thin pebbles and fine sand, which are ideal for swimming and isolation.
Lakki is one of the safest anchorages of the Mediterranean Sea since there are no southwest, north and east winds. In case one of the abovementioned strong winds blow, there is a thermal wind (called “mpoukadoura”), which you have to take into consideration if you are offshore. In Lakki, there are two private marinas, one on the south part and one near the commercial port including services of supplies, wintering and repairs.
Other anchorages: The cove of Alinda has an anchorage and it is the most suitable when south and southwest winds prevail. In Partheni, the innermost cove Kalo Pigadi is safe regardless of the weather. There is also an anchorage in the cove Pandeli, which is protected from the north winds. Finally, you can find an anchorage in the shallow cove of Gourna.
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The islets Plaka, Piganousa, Strongyli, Mavra, Glaros, Megalo Livadi, Tripiti, Velona, Faradonisia, Glaronisia constitute places of particular natural beauty. The islands Archangelos, Faradonisia, Leriko, Mikro Glaronisi and Megalo Glaronisi have been integrated to the community network of protected areas NATURA 2000.
