Chóra - Apíkia - Pithára and back |
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Evaluation:
This is a pretty short and beautiful hike, especially because of the
great trail between Chóra and Apíkia, one of the longest kalderímia
of the island, and because of the watery area around the Pithára-falls.
This hike gets an evaluation of ***.
[Updated by Raymond on May 14th, 2011, on September 30th, 2014 and on May, the 6th, 2016.] Estimated time:
The hike till the Sáriza-well in Apíkia takes a little over one hour.
Walking to Pithára will only cost you about 10 minutes, so maybe half
an hour to go and return. Going back to Chóra takes another hour.
This makes for an actual hiking time of 2h20. Taking
into account some pauses this will definitely become a four-hour-hike
– this is ideal for an active morning or a leisurely afternoon.
Route description:
(0h00) For
all hikes
leaving from Chóra you have to depart from the main street near the
large church of the Panagía tis Kímisis, which is visible from all over
town (for more details you might have a look at the description of the
short hike in Chóra itself). For the hikes in the direction of Apíkia
and Vourkotí you have to follow the main street inland for a short while
(to the right when facing the church). You then have to take the first
street off the right, the Odós Stamátis Empiríkou. Via a staircase of
about 50 steps you thus descend until you get to a promenade with a
couple of restaurants; you are now close to the mouth of a small river,
where the Nimborió-quarter begins. You cross the bridge – on the parking
lot on the right side, there is an information board of Andros Routes –
and you follow the asphalt road
for 1 more minute, between
the palm trees. After
1 minute you take a left
and you walk on
the wide white
stairs (walking
sign to Apíkia 3,2 km
/ Bistis tower 5 km / Katakaléď 4,9 km / Vourkotí
7,1 km +
[2]). The hiking sign at the beginning of walk [2]. Then you continue straight ahead on the concrete ramp and follow the street [2], until you arrive at a cross street, where you go to the right (signpost to Vourkotí 2 1/2 hours + [2]). Almost immediately a beautiful staircase begins along a wall [2]. A look back, on the beautiful path from Chóra to Apíkia. Later on, the really beautiful trail is sometimes 3-4 metres large and it climbs gradually above Chóra and the sea, for about 9 minutes. Panoramic view on Chóra. You then get to a
concrete road and you follow it, while describing a curve to the left
[2], but after about one minute this road becomes again a very nice
trail. (0h13)
Another 4 minutes
later you get to an asphalt road off the right, but you follow the
ancient staircase going up on the left [2].
You continue on a
large staircase, overgrown with flowers.
Some 4 minutes later
this staircase crosses an asphalt road - on the left you can see a
commemoration plate from 1907 for the "great patriot" Alkibiádis
Empiríkos, “because he created a road from
the
town to there”.
In Spring, a lot of flowers cover the path... (0h21)
You
already have a great panoramic view on Chóra, but you have to continue
climbing up on the staircase [2]; after 7 minutes you pass an (open)
chapel with a terrace and stone benches, you cross the asphalt road and
you continue, via a newly constructed staircase (hiking sign + [2]). You
continue going up, towards the hill crest. Over here you can really
admire the walls, built in a typical Andriotic way: these walls
are made out of regular stones alternated with large, flat
schist-plates; this method of construction was probably used to save
building materials and time, but it also resulted in a very aesthetic
unity. Have also a look at the construction of the trail itself – with
the foundation stones piled up vertically! The typical walls on Andros. The nice pavement of the path. The side of the monopáti. (0h36) After another 8-9 minutes, the stone pavement of the trail has basically disappeared – it is quite likely that the stones have been used to build the walls in the neighbourhood. You cross another broad asphalt road, leading to Agia Marína, and you go straight ahead (hiking sign and [2]). You are now on the crest of the hill and in front of you you discover the beautiful, green valley of Apíkia (with the remarkable Sáriza-hotel); all the way high up the mountain slope you can distinguish the village of Katakaléď, on the right there is the village of Steniés and on the far right the bay of Giália. View on Apíkia. |
For a short while you now walk above the road, which you then cross (hiking signs). You continue going down on the opposite side [2] and after 2 minutes you thus get to a really beautiful spot. Midst large trees you see an arched bridge over a deep river with streaming water. The shadowed path, just before you reach the bridge underneath Apíkia. The bridge near Apíkia.
(0h55)
You then proceed on a paved staircase and a concrete ramp, you cross the asphalt
road (sign) and you continue on the other side on a concrete staircase [2]. Here, you can continue to the left to the waterfalls of Pithára (hiking sign "Waterfalls" + [2a]) - later on you will return to this spot! You
go right for a short while (hiking sign + [2], with the big hotel Pigí Sáriza in
front of you, and on the left-hand side of the hotel you go up the shining white
staircase (hiking sign Vourkotí 3,9 km + [2]) until you see the famous Sáriza-well
on the left in front of you. One still can read the date 1787. The water
of this well is famous and it is bottled in a small factory a little further
down in the village.
[Straight
ahead, hike [2] continues to Katakaléď en Vourkotí.]
The Sáriza-well in Apíkia. [Opposite the hotel, there is since August 2013 the café-restaurant "Tou Parianoú", with nice music and a very good espresso...] You return the
same way, you go right for a short while on the asphalt road
[2]
and
after
some 50 metres you will see a narrower
asphalt road – the sign "Pithára" sends you to the right.
You walk until you get to a house with on the opposite side the sign
post "PEMATIA PYTHARA - Pithara" and you go up the concrete
steps on the right-hand side of the house. For some 6 minutes you follow
a small concrete path bordered with cypresses, running more or less
horizontally. Later on it becomes an earth trail going up slightly once
in a while. The large amount of water pipes tell you that you proceed
towards a watery spot. The valley becomes narrower, you hear streaming water and after some 9 minutes you walk through a wooden gate and you keep following the water. At a certain point, after about one minute, the trail suddenly goes up under the form of steps. Over here you can clearly hear the waterfall and you can walk to the left till the Pithára. This waterfall is about 3 metres tall and the water falls down into a crystal clear pool – some frogs and dragonflies turn this place into a marvellous spot.
It is
possible to continue along the river, passing a number of smaller rapids....
If you have to go back to the centre of town you have to follow the beach for about 8 minutes. You then cross the bridge on the left and via the restaurants and the staircase of 53 steps you thus reach the main street of Chóra.
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