Quad & ATV Island Tour — Zakynthos as It’s Meant to Be Explored
A rental car on Zakynthos is useful. A quad is better. The road network the rental car covers — tarmac, signposted, shared with buses — represents perhaps 40% of the island’s terrain. The other 60%: unmade tracks through olive groves, goat paths along cliff edges, forest roads that appear and disappear on no map, shortcuts that locals have used for generations and that no GPS knows about.
A quad gets you into that other 60%. And the other 60% is where the island actually is.
What Quad Tours Offer
Quad and ATV rentals are available throughout the island — primarily from agencies in Zakynthos Town, Laganas, Tsilivi, and Alykes. A standard half-day rental (4–6 hours) gives you enough time to cover significant distance and make detours.
Two primary modes of engagement:
Self-guided rental: You take the quad and go. The agency marks a suggested route on a paper map; you follow it as much or as little as you like. This is the better option if you’re comfortable with basic navigation and want maximum freedom.
Guided group tours: An operator leads a group of 4–8 quads through a set route, usually 5–6 hours with stops. Less freedom but better for first-timers or those who want someone else making the decisions.
The Routes
Western cliffs route (most popular): Zakynthos Town → Bochali → Kiliomeno → Kampi viewpoint → Shipwreck Beach viewpoint → Anafonitria monastery → return. Approximately 90 km, 5–6 hours with stops. Spectacular scenery; also the route most tour groups follow.
Northeastern route (insider’s choice): Zakynthos Town → Tsilivi → Alykes salt flats → Makris Gialos → Koroni → Vrachionas mountain roads → Agios Nikolaos village → Kipi → return. Approximately 80 km, 4–5 hours. Fewer tourists, more variety (coast + mountains), and the Vrachionas section includes the Gyri viewpoint — an unmarked cliff-edge with a vertiginous view.
Southern peninsula route: Zakynthos Town → Argassi → Vasilikos → Porto Zorro → Banana Beach → return via Keri. Approximately 60 km, 3–4 hours. More gentle; good for beaches-focused riding. The unpaved tracks between Banana Beach and Keri are the highlight.
Practical Considerations
Licence requirements: Most agencies require only a valid driving licence (car licence sufficient for quads up to 50cc; motorcycle licence often required for larger ATVs). Check with your specific rental agency.
Insurance: Basic insurance typically included; check excess amounts. Consider renting from agencies that offer zero-excess insurance.
Helmet: Legally required; reputable agencies provide them. Insist on a full-face or at minimum proper open-face helmet, not a scooter half-shell.
Sun exposure: On a quad, you have no shade and often forget how much UV exposure is accumulating. Long sleeves and SPF 50 are not excessive.
Fuel: Quads are typically returned full; there are petrol stations in all major villages.
Road surface: Wet unpaved tracks after rain become slippery clay. If rain is forecast, reschedule or stick to tarmac.
The Best-Kept Secret
The track from Kampi viewpoint down to the hamlet of Schiza is on almost no tourist map. It’s a 4-km descent through scrub and then ancient terraced olive groves, ending at a tiny hamlet where the only café serves wine from its own barrel. The route back up to the main road climbs a different track through pine forest. Two hours from Zakynthos Town by quad; two hours back. Practically unknown to anyone who arrived by tour bus.
