Elafonisos is a small, flat island off Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, separated from the coast by a narrow channel; it is often grouped with Kythira and the Ionian Islands. It has a single village, a fishing port with fish tavernas.
Its draw is its beaches. Simos, in the south, is made of two bays of pale sand separated by an isthmus with dunes and sea lilies, and shallow turquoise water; nearby are Sarakiniko and Panagia. It is very busy in summer, especially at weekends.
Opposite the island, in the shallows of Pounta, lies Pavlopetri, a sunken Bronze Age town with streets, houses and tombs visible on the sea bed: it is considered one of the oldest known submerged towns.
Getting there
The ferry leaves from Pounta (Viglafia) in Laconia about every half hour in summer and takes around 10 minutes; cars can be taken. From Athens it is about 5 hours by car.
See also Kythira and the Peloponnese.