During the summer, the island is visited by tour boats from the port of Makry Gialos approximately 18 km (11 miles) away.

Ancient ruins cover the island and can be dated from the Minoan civilisation and the post-Byzantine era when some of the caves were used as chapels during Christian persecution by the Ottomans.

[1] In ancient times Leuce was important for sponge fishing and for the production of a purple dye made from the gastropod Murex trunculus.

[1] There are Roman ruins on the island including a theatre, that could seat 1,000 people, a temple, a villa with eight rooms, and a number of houses (probably the homes of fishermen).

[1] Koufonisi and its adjacent islets have been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support a population of Eleonora's falcons.