Ηiking & accommodation on Ikaria

The gorgeous peak of Atheras mountain range is behind you while you seat on a shady terrace listening to the birds singing and enjoying the blue Aegean down at your feet. What you never see in Ikaria – stress and rush. This is the ideal place for green getaway and simply enjoying the life!

The hostel is a little bit isolated and is an ideal place for exploring the mountain footpaths, taking pictures of adorable landscapes and gazing at numerous birds, butterflies, flowers…

Old watermills, small waterfalls, breath-taking views… The footpath to the mountain top begins here, in Arethousa. The area is offered for hiking, the net of footpaths is preserved but doesn’t have much use since, neither from the inhabitants nor from Ikaria’s visitors, because it doesn’t have much advertising. Nevertheless, Arethousa has lot of things to offer in this terms. One thing worth mentioning here is that Kakokatavasida – the stone from which the Ikarians threw the a “Turkish” pasha who came to Ikaria in order to collect the taxes – can be most easily reached from Arethousa. Do you dare to step on it?

You can stay lazy in the sun on quiet beaches hidden between the rocks and imagine you are all alone on this island, or pack you rucksack and have a thrilling experience of exploring Ikarian nature and landscapes. Going through pine forests, reaching small waterfalls and lakes – you never thought it’s possible on a Greek island! And once you reach the “koryfogrammi” – and see the wall-line going above the island and uniting all its high peaks – and see the blue sea and the neighbor islands in a fascinating mist around you… Once the light air crossing the range from southern part of the island to its northern part touches your hair – you’ll never forget this moment!

But you are not for that? Join the Centre’s activities – cooking lessons, dances and singing traditional songs, watching good old Greek movies that will make you laugh and think, and better understand this nation.

And don’t miss the famous Greek folk festivals! Starting at about midday with church service they slowly continue in the day gathering more and more people in the evening and ending by the sun-rise. Traditional Greek music, dances and wine – in summer almost every village has its festival, almost every day there is some saint to celebrate, so it may seem to you that festival never ends in Ikaria.
Ksenia Sokolenko