Estimated time: The actual hike takes a little over two hours - 1h35 to Chryssopigí and half an hour from this monastery to Fáros. But there is enough to see and to do to spend a full, but relaxing day. We walked form 10h30 am until 4pm.

Route description: [The bus from Kamáres stops on the Platia Iroöon (the Square of Heroes). On this square you will find the museum of folklore (closed on Sunday mornings), the war monument and the post office.]

(0h00) The pedestrian street to Katavatí begins on the right of the square, in between the bar I Gonía and a pay phone, just opposite the Piraeus Bank. After some ten metres this street curves to the right and it continues past the beautiful churches of Stavrós and Taxiárchoon. About five minutes later you get to the Mitrópoli, the main church.

The little church of Stavrós, on our way to Katavatí.

You then go further up along a beautiful staircase till you reach the school.

[A few years ago, you had to take a left just before the big wall of the gymnásio (about nine minutes after your departure). At first it looks as if this path goes straight towards the church of Káto Petáli, but it curves to the right behind the school - and there, it finishes in front of the playground of the school. You could cross the playground in order to reach the asphalt road, but we prefer to follow an other way...]

You thus continue on the street to Katavatí; when the street gets just next to the asphalt road, you take a left on this road; pay attention: just after the primary school (with the palm tree), you can take a right in order to find the old path: a little further, you walk on the left of one windmill and on the right of the other one; immediately past the second one you take a left. You now seem to walk in the direction of Káto Petáli. However, close to a kind of rubbish dump and another ruin of a windmill you follow the bend of the asphalt road, on the left side of the mill, but immediately you go right on a concrete path. You follow this path for about two minutes in the direction of a white dome. Then, leaving this path behind, you go right and up on a rocky path in between walls. Very soon, this trail curves all the way to the right until it gets to the beautiful white church with a couple of trees. From here onwards you can then take a trail which zigzags to the blue dome of Agios Nikólaos in the village of Exámbela, in southern direction. Some minutes later you go right, on a paved path in between white walls. A little further on you take the first street on the left, straight towards the big church – you have now left Apollonía some 20-25 minutes ago.

(0h24) You follow the street along the right façade of this church (with some remarkable blue pillars) and you walk through the village, past some palm trees and the beautiful white church of Panagía Exámbela. At the end of the street, you get to a staircase, and you go down a couple of steps to the right. Immediately afterwards you go left again, leaving the village behind. You continue to descend for a while on a concrete path, till you reach the remnants of a big circular tower (behind a wall), the Mávros Pýrgos, and the white little church of Agios Dimítrios.

(0h30) You DO NOT go left alongside this little church, but you follow the concrete path straight ahead, going down into the valley – in southwestern direction. After about two minutes you reach an asphalt road, which you follow to the left for some 200 metres. Just before the bend you go down on a large staircase off the right, further into the valley. You cross a little concrete bridge and you continue on a sandy, later on paved path to the left, towards some palm trees. At this point the trail goes underneath a strange concrete bridge, but it comes to a dead end at a field. 
You thus take a left on a concrete road BEFORE the odd little bridge. When this road goes up and to the right a little further on (past a chapel and a cemetery), you see again the old monopáti on the right hand side, but you stay on the concrete road.

(0h43) At the bifurcation of this road, you do NOT go to the right, but to the left and up, towards a heliport. You leave this heliport on the left and you take a rocky, later on sandy monopáti straight towards the south (there are also red and blue dots). You now walk steadily in between the fields to the top of a low hill. On the left, on another hill, you can distinguish a small tower; on the right there is a pigeon tower and the monastery of Agios Andréas high on a mountain. 

After some five minutes you pass a narrow path off the right; on the left you see a nice well that is covered with a stone and a water tank. From here the trail becomes beautifully paved and then again sandy. Another minute later there is a path on the right, while you have to go straight (mark the blue dot). A little further on, there is another path off the right, in between high walls. You curve to the left, though (blue and red dots), and then you take the second – not the first – little road on the right (there is a blue dot), which goes straight towards the sea. This little road turns into a rather rocky path after about three minutes; a little further, you go right at the three-forked junction – the path on the left leads to the beautiful church of Mavroúndi.  

The beautifully situated little church of Mavroúndi.

So you follow the trail which passes this church on the right hand side and which follows the hillside a little higher up. Suddenly, when you begin to descend, you will see the sparkling sea far away in southern direction, and Chryssopigí... (you have now left Exámbela for about 25 minutes).

(0h55) You descend to the asphalt, you cross this road by going to the left slightly, and you then go right and upwards on a gravel road. (sign and coloured dots). Very soon, this road curves to the right and turns into a monopáti. A little further you take a right (there is a red dot). The trail now meanders in between a fairly low wall on the left and a high wall on the right, for about five minutes. Very soon, you will be able to see Chryssopigí again, already much closer. You pass a path on the right and then another one on the left, still following the blue dots. After some five minutes you reach a beautiful terrace with olive trees; over there you curve to the right and you go down towards the valley (red and blue dots).

(1h03) At this point, the trail clearly goes into the valley, straight towards our aim. For the next 3 minutes you go straight down towards the south until you get to some stables. At the stables (red dot) you go right and then you have to descend steeply on a rocky and rather overgrown path in between walls for about six minutes. You take a left (on the right there is a little building) and you go further down. After one minute you curve towards the right (there are dots all the way) and then you have to go down steeply for another 9 minutes - after 4 minutes, there is a gate, rather difficult to open. In this way, you get to a gravel road at the bottom of the valley. You have been descending quickly for about 19 minutes.

(1h22) You now follow the dry bed of the valley for another 9-10 minutes and in this way you reach the beach of Apokoftó, on the left of the peninsula of Chryssopigí. 

The beach of Apokoftó.

Here, you have to follow the concrete road, on the right of tavern Chryssopigí, and some four minutes later you get to the wonderfully situated monastery. (1h36)

The monastery itself was built in the 17^th century, but it is especially the location of this monastery, on a rock in the sea separated from the main land by a crevice, which makes this spot truly awesome.

The beautiful monastery of Chryssopigí.

(1h36) In order to get to Fáros, you first have to walk back to Apokoftó on the concrete road. There you will find, at the end of the beach, a paved path going up along the rocky coast; it will take you about ten minutes (note the magnificent view on Chryssopigí) to pass under the beautifully situated chapel of Agios Charalámbos. 

Chryssopigí, view from the path to Fáros.

The trail continues and after another ten minutes you will reach the first beach of Fáros. A few minutes further on there is another beach with the small and very attractive little harbour of Fáros. (2h03)

[From Fáros you can take the bus back to Apollonía or to Kamáres. In October 2010, the last bus was at 16h50.]

To get the printer-friendly version
with only the text
in one column,
click here.