There is an air connection to the island, directly from Athens Airport, in just about 1 hour
Karpathos. Objectively a distant destination from wherever you are in Greece. If you consider that from Rhodes you need about six hours by simple ferry, you understand how far it is from the rest of the places. If one starts from Piraeus, and passing through several islands, it will take 22, 24 or even more than 30 hours to arrive at one of the two ports of Karpathos, Diafani or Pigadia.
It got its name from the first inhabitants of the island which is said that because of the great beauty of the island they wanted to kidnap the gods of Olympus and bring them to live in Karpathos. Thus, these first inhabitants were called Arpathians, which later evolved into Carpathians. The whole island is really so beautiful and full of contrasts that from the clear blue waters and sandy beaches you can find yourself at an altitude of over 1000 meters in the pine trees or in rocky ravines gazing at the vast Aegean until where the sea joins the horizon with blue sky. We arrived there from Rhodes and caught a port in Pigadia, which is also the center of the island with the most inhabitants.
At first glance, one understands that this is a special island
Big rocks that end up to the sea and cliffs that give you the impression that to reach a beach you will need to climb down. Fortunately, in reality the road network of the island will take you easily to most of the beaches, even if you go through a very passable dirt road. However, there are also beaches that are not accessible by car and some that you can only find by boat.
We chose to stay in Arkasa, relatively in the middle of the island on its western side. It turned out to be a very good choice both for the beautiful beaches and picturesque villages that you have very close by, but also as a starting point for the more distant destinations.
We started our tour of the island from the beach of Agios Nikolaos in Arkasa. Crystal clear waters with fine sand and right opposite in the background you can see Kasos. Especially at sunset the view was magical and made you feel calm and relaxed as you saw the Aegean stretching out in front of you. There are two shops in Agios Nikolaos with deckchairs and umbrellas on the beach, but also an area with tables above it, where you can easily spend your whole day without missing anything at all.
The situation is similar with the beach of Diakoftis, further south and close to the airport, with a beach bar for the essentials and plenty of space for everyone, both in the organized part and in the free. The beach resembles a miniature of Elafonissos and is definitely one of the must-visit places.
From Diakoftis and returning to Arkasa we encountered two more beautiful beaches but with less people. The beach of Araki and that of Agios Theodoros immediately captivates the eye with the wild landscape of rocks that surrounds them and their blue-green waters. Also on this side of the island there is Agrilopotamos beach where it is a spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing, which is not the most ideal for beginners.
On the other side, the eastern side, we singled out the beach of Kyra Panagia, ideal for anyone looking for something organized. Leaving the main road, a downhill part begins and after a while you just go downhill passing one hairpin after another, this beautiful bay appears in front of you!
A little above Kyra Panagia and after we had already understood that the beaches of the island were more beautiful than the other, we followed the signs to Apella. At a bend, long before we arrived, the beach appeared in the distance. The sight was unique. An old wooden sailboat tied to one end, green waters and rocks standing out in the sea and pine trees all around. When we got down and saw it up close we realized that we were probably in the most beautiful part of the island.
As many islands and places as he has visited, the above beaches are sure to remain in his memory for a long time. In addition to these, of course, we saw other very beautiful and different beaches, such as Michaliou, the beach at lower Lefko, Ammopi and others. Appetite and days for someone to go around the whole island!
Another special part of Karpathos is the village of Olympos
Built on a slope in the northwestern part of the island with narrow alleys and one house almost on top of the other. It seems to be taken from another era and the inhabitants also contribute to this, where even today the women dress in their traditional costumes and headscarves.
But since we are talking about unique places, the island of Sharia is also unique. North of Karpathos, this is an island full of ancient monuments, ruins and remnants of ancient settlements, while traces of the presence of man from the Neolithic Age and the Early Bronze Age have also been found. The island was a stronghold of the Saracen pirates and offers magical images if you walk around it, but also if you swim between the caves with the sunlight illuminating the waters.
Different from Olympus but just as beautiful was Finiki. Built around a small port with a few shops for food and drink but also a beach right in front of all of them, it stands out for its simplicity and characteristic beauty.
There we found two places to eat, one better than the other. Delfini and Mama cuisine. Local products cooked so that the flavors remain unforgettable. And in order not to do injustice to the rest of the shops, the truth is that in whatever village we stopped for food, we didn’t find anything we didn’t like.
The Evdoxia tavern, with a view of the vast Aegean and the sunset, but also the Kipos tavern in the center of the village of Arkasa with its beautiful courtyard, were among the shops where we could really eat every day. Very high quality, tasty food and with a wide variety on their menu and both shops will not let anyone leave complaining.
Now closing our day and before going to rest in the room, another shop in Finiki was the one that made the difference. The Poseidon Bar, beautiful space overlooking the harbor, relaxed music and very good drinks and cocktails. While we were sitting there we also saw some very interesting burgers pass in front of us that “broke our noses”, but we usually go there after eating so we didn’t try anything, maybe another time.
And in closing, let me say that “maybe some other time” is not just a figure of speech but a real desire. This island has something that enchants the visitor and surely many who go once will return soon. This perhaps justifies the movement of its first inhabitants to bring the gods of Olympus to their island. Logically even they, despite their flaws and their oddities as we have read about them from mythology, would appreciate it and be pleased!
Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
