Agiannakis Beach, Kyparissia: The Core Habitat of the Most Important Sea Turtle Nesting Beach in the Mediterranean, With an ARCHELON Station at the Old Train Station and 6,100 Nests Recorded in 2025

Greece | Agiannakis | Kyparissia Municipality, Messenia, Western Peloponnese

Kyparissia Bay holds the most Caretta caretta sea turtle nests in the entire Mediterranean. In 2025, approximately 6,100 nests were recorded in the main nesting habitat — a 74 percent increase compared to the average of the previous 12 years. ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, has maintained a continuous monitoring and protection presence in the bay since the early 1980s, carrying out nest counts since 1984 and deploying up to 100 Greek and foreign volunteers each summer to record, protect, and monitor the nesting activity. The beach at Agiannakis is within the core nesting habitat — the sector identified by the scientific literature as one of the most productive turtle nesting areas in the region, backed by low dunes and a strip of coastal pine forest.

The ARCHELON Environmental Station is at the old train station at Agiannakis — the former railway halt that the coastal line once served, now repurposed as a conservation education centre open on weekdays between 12:00 and 15:00. The railway line still crosses the beach. The station runs Sea Turtle Beach Walks from the environmental centre to the nesting beach — an informative guided experience that operates alongside the standard summer beach day.

Agiannakis is a coastal hamlet of 40 permanent inhabitants, 12 kilometres north of Kyparissia on the Kyparissian Gulf coast. Its beach — sand and fine pebbles, described as one of the most beautiful in Messenia — stretches along a coastline where the coastal pine forest descends to the waterline and continues along the shore toward Elaia village.

Getting There: 12km North of Kyparissia (15 Minutes), 1 Hour From Kalamata, Parking Under the Pine Trees

From Kyparissia, drive north along the coastal road toward Filiatra. After 12 kilometres, follow signs for Agiannakis or Vlassada. The beach is clearly signposted from the main road. Total journey from Kyparissia: approximately 15 minutes. From Kalamata: approximately 1 hour by car.

Free parking is available in extensive lots under the pine trees, where the shade keeps vehicles cool during summer days. The railway line crosses the beach road — the old train station is the ARCHELON environmental station.

The Beach: Sand and Fine Pebbles, Wide and Never Crowded, Pine Forest to the Waterline, Caretta Nesting Zone, Ionian Open Water

The beach is wide, sandy with fine pebbles, and extends along the coast for several kilometres — long enough that even at peak summer occupancy there is room for everyone. The coastal pine forest provides both natural shade and the specific ecological context for the turtle nesting: pine forest backing dune systems creates the protected sand environment that Caretta caretta females require for nest excavation.

The water faces the open Ionian — clear, consistently refreshed by the open sea currents, and deep-blue at depth. The entry is gradual, the water calm in typical conditions, with the Ionian’s characteristic afternoon chop on windier days.

The ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rules: What Visitors Must Know

ARCHELON publishes specific visitor guidelines for Kyparissia Bay that apply directly to Agiannakis beach:

Remove all sunbeds, umbrellas, and beach furniture from the sand after sunset — any object left on the beach is an obstacle for nesting females emerging from the sea at night. Do not use lights visible from the beach at night. Do not stay on the beach at night. Do not dig up nests. Do not handle eggs, hatchlings, or turtles. These rules are protected by Greek law and international conservation conventions.

The ARCHELON Beach Walk at Agiannakis is the specific visitor programme: a guided walk from the Environmental Station to the nesting beach, covering the biology of Caretta caretta, the conservation history of the bay, and the threats the species faces.

The ARCHELON Environmental Station: Old Train Station, Weekdays 12:00–15:00

The conversion of the old train station into an environmental education centre is specific to Agiannakis — the former halt on the coastal Peloponnese railway line, now closed to passenger trains, repurposed by ARCHELON as the base for the Kyparissia Bay southern sector operations. The exhibition area covers sea turtle biology, the history of the bay as a nesting site, and ARCHELON’s conservation work.

The Pine Forest: From Agiannakis to Elaia Village, Ideal for Morning Walking

The coastal pine forest that backs the beach at Agiannakis continues northward along the shore to Elaia village — a continuous strip of pine forest at the waterline, ideal for morning or afternoon walking. The combination of forest path, open beach, and sea makes the Agiannakis–Elaia coastal walk one of the most pleasant short routes on the western Peloponnese coast.

Kyparissia: The Town, the Castle, the Railway Heritage

Kyparissia — 12 kilometres south — is a significant Messenia town with a medieval castle overlooking the sea and the Kyparissian Gulf. The town’s railway station was on the coastal Peloponnese line that once connected the western Peloponnese coast from Patras to Kalamata — the line that created the station at Agiannakis. The line carried freight and passengers for decades before closure; the tracks remain visible at the beach crossing.

Agiannakis Beach near Kyparissia in Messenia is within the core habitat of the most important Caretta caretta sea turtle nesting beach in the Mediterranean — 6,100 nests recorded in 2025 (74% increase over 12-year average), ARCHELON station at the old train station (weekdays 12:00–15:00, Beach Walk tours available), railway line still crossing the beach, pine forest from the waterline continuing to Elaia village (morning coastal walk), all beach furniture must be removed after sunset (no lights, no staying at night — Greek law), sand and fine pebbles, wide and never crowded, 12km from Kyparissia (15 minutes), 1 hour from Kalamata, free parking under pines.

Drive from Kyparissia. Park under the pines. Visit the ARCHELON station at noon. Remove your umbrella at sunset.