Karpathos 8-day Guided hiking tour by the Aegean Sea, Greece

Upon arrival to Karpathos airport, transfer to the charming sea front village of Diafani.

We settle to our rooms and enjoy a welcome dinner.

Olympos is a village of exceptional beauty, and the capital of northern Karpathos.

We cross traditional villages, beautiful green valleys and verdant cliffs until we reach the beautiful settlement on the slopes of a mountain.

Houses in Olympos are built amidst lush green forests and preserve their traditional colour and layout. The village itself is a live museum with an idyllic atmosphere.

Today, the village has a population of 400 inhabitants most of whom are engaged in farming and agriculture. Olympos retains an old fashioned way of life where primitive customs play an important role. Having reached Olympos we climb to Profitis Ilias peak at an altitude of 718 metres, to admire the magnificent view of the Aegean sea. We then descend to Olympos where we have time to enjoy our lunch and explore the village.

Depending on our will, we can either hike down to Diafani via Ag.Konstantinos or transfer back to Diafani.

A lovely walk up and down some gentle slopes, through pine trees and past olive groves and wheat fields to the pretty bay of Papa Mina with its pebble beach and shady Tamarisk trees. We have time to enjoy swimming and snorkelling in this beautiful bay before we return back to Diafani.

Short transfer to Avlona from where we hike on a stone path built in ancient times, descending to Ancient Vroukounta.

Vroukounta is a mystical area where once stood the ancient city state of Vrykous.

We discover ruins of more than 3500 years old, the Church cave of St. John and underwater treasures while snorkelling. We then hike up and back to the village of Avlona for a delicious homemade lunch to the one and only tavern in the area – famous all over Karpathos.

After a while we descend to Vananta by a stone path that goes easily towards this lovely bay. From there, the last part of the hike is situated just on the coast offering incomparable views.

Again from Avlona, following a cobbled road we reach Tristomo an almost deserted village – where one last family refuses to abandon its hometown – and a natural harbor set in a protected bay on the north-west coast with spectacular views.

After our picnic lunch we continue to Ag.Aikaterini and Steno – the spot where we can almost “touch” the nearby island of Saria. A traditional fishing boat takes us back to Diafani.

With a boat we cross to Saria Island, where we make a traverse hike of the island ending at the beach of Palatia where we enjoy a barbeque lunch and take the boat back to Diafani.

In antiquity Saria used to be one of the four cities of Karpathos, until it detached from it through erosion, becoming in later times a base for Saracen pirates.

We can see ancient monuments, ruins and remains of ancient settlements nearly everywhere.

According to mythology, the island was created when Poseidon in a battle with Titan Ephialtes, he cut off a piece from Karpathos side and buried under this opponent.

Ruins of the city are sunken in the Strait of Tristomou, between Karpathos and Saria. Signs indicate the existence of Apollo Porthmiou sanctuary.

There are traces of human presence since the Neolithic Age and the early Bronze Age, and since historical times have been found remains of fortifications on the West side of Castello hill.

Furthermore, the island is an important habitat and breeding site for birds and marine species. Note that the northern Karpathos, Saria, and the sea area around them, belongs to the European network of protected areas Natura 2000, thanks to the variety of habitats available and rare plant and animal species that host.

(Optional hiking or cooking class, etc).

Transfer to Karpathos Airport.