Karapathos

The island of Karpathos provides visitors with the perfect setting for surfing, cycling, snorkeling and hill-walking.

Executive summary by darmansjah

Take a 70-minute flight, or the rather more leisurely 16-hour ferry, from Athens on the Greek mainland

Constructed centuries ago near the edge of the cliffs, Karpathos’s whitewashed windmills were built to last. The wind rushes along the footpath before them, muting the gentle snapping sound of their sails and of the waves crashing against the cliff face 200 metres below. The island’s temperamental Aegean Sea, invokes a sense of awe that only nature can deliver.

Manolis Panagiotou, who leads hill walks

Karpathos is small, stretching seven and a half miles in length and a mere two miles at its widest point, yet it manages to squeeze in a great variety of landscapes, making it perfect for outdoor pursuits: world-class surfing beaches, roads with soft hills ideal for cycling, and shimmering, glass-blue water for swimming and snorkeling.

Walkers are particularly enchanted with Karpathos, eager to explore the trails that seem to have unraveled across the island like unruly yarn. Manolis Panagiotou is the head of the island’s Friends of Nature group and leads walks at least once a week. ‘The map shows 155 miles of  hiking path, bute tere are  at least another  155 miles of trails not on the map,’ he says.

Karpathos is well endowed with nature. Shaded olive groves, forested mountains, jagged cliff and hiden coves make walking an endless treasure hunt. ‘The scenery changes all the time,’ Panagiotou remarks. ‘This is what makes Karpathos different. And it’s rare to meet other people on the trail. It’s lonely kind of place.’

Despite being nestled between Crete and Rhodes, Karpathos feels far away from everywhere. Its isolated population live just as they have for centuries , seeming half-pleased and half-snubbed at being left out of the hubbub of the neighbouring islands.

Over the years, many of the islanders have flown the coop in search of greater opportunies elsewhere, but recently they’ve begun returning to Karpathos, recognizing the beauty and potential of their tinny, windswept homeland.

Manolis moved to the island six years ago. ‘I hadn’t seen such an island before’ he says. ‘My family have always been occupied with the sea – we’ve been sea captains as far back as my great-great-granfather-but when I first came to Karpathos, I was fascinated. The other islands don’t really make a difference to me. But this one, it’s beautiful.’

Inkarpathos.com

Friend of nature, Karpathos (00 30 69748 36531)

Where to Eat

You won’t get any more local than To Helliniko Restaurant, with its extended family atmosphere and menu of Karpathian cheese, stuffed artichokes and roasted goat (mains from US$7; 00 30 22450 23932)

Where to Stay

Perched on the cliffs with views over Kyra Panagia beach, Acropolis Studios has modern and spacious rooms with balconies overlooking the coast and red-domed church below. Delicious home-cooked food is served at the shady terrace restaurant, including seafood dishes and moussaka (doubles from US$100, including breakfast; Kyra Panagia; 00 30 22450 23002)