Egremni beach in Lefkada before the 2015 earthquake

Also available in:

Apart from the human losses and material damage caused by the devastating earthquake that hit Lefkada in November 2015, we also had the partial destruction of the natural landscape and the beach of Egremna on the western side of the island.

Those of you who have been lucky enough to visit Egremni beach in Lefkada will have noticed that the name of the beach is no coincidence as the steep and towering earthen slopes hang above it. You will surely remember how arduous the climb from the beach to the car park was as you had to climb the hundreds of steps of the small path that connected the beach to the road network.

Of course we all took the “trouble” to walk up and down this path in order to enjoy one of the most beautiful and impressive beaches not only of Lefkada but of the whole of Greece (and we all know the high standards that a Greek beach has to meet in order to be in the top ten!)

Taking the path to the beach of Egremna

The descent to Egremni beach was part of the experience of visiting it. It was the only way you could understand the height and the steep slope of the tree-lined slopes hanging over the beach in several places, while the combination of the green of the slopes with the turquoise and deep blue of the waters of Egremni soared your mood for an immediate dive as soon as you stepped on the white sandy beach.

All this has changed since November 2015 as the earthquake caused major landslides on the almost vertical slopes above the beach, resulting in tons of soil and rocks covering large parts of the beach. The only good thing about this major natural disaster is that due to the season there were no holidaymakers on the beach.

If the earthquake had occurred in the summer when hundreds of people were enjoying their swim at the beach of Egremna, it is very likely that there would have been human casualties, since as you will see in the video taken by two fishermen at the exact time of the earthquake and the landslides, the dust and soil caused by them had covered the beach and the high slopes above it almost completely.

Video from the moment of the earthquake at Egremni beach

The results of the earthquake and landslides in Egremni

In the videos below you can see the extent of the landslides and several parts of Egremni beach that have been completely covered by tons of soil. You will even see the destroyed path to the beach.

We would like to know what the reaction of the local authorities will be and what their plans are regarding the current situation at Egremni beach. Presumably their first plans will be studies on the risk of further landslides as well as possible works to be done at the points where a beach access zone for the public will again be created (if it is created of course). As soon as we have more news on this we will update this article on the state of Egremni beach.

Photos from Egremni beach in Lefkada before the 2015 earthquake

Access to the beach of Ekgremna

From the town of Lefkada (in the northernmost part of the island) the beach is 40 km away and it will take you about an hour to reach the parking area. Be very careful on the route as there are places with several tight turns and a steep incline. We would suggest that you also make a stop at one of the other wonderful beaches of Lefkada that you will find on the right (west Lefkada) of your route.

Location of the beach in the island of Lefkada