Expert-led walking holiday in search of authenticity and wildflowers on a stunning Greek Island.
Located between Rhodes and Crete. Unlike these 2 big islands, Karpathos is a very pure place where traditions are kept alive! Witness traditional customs & taste delicious food. The holiday takes place in remote North Karpathos, a National Park where nature and traditions still thrive.
Contact us for departures in spring and autumn.
Highlights:
- Hunt for many rare and endemic species of flora
- Friendly local expert guides showing you the traditional Greek island life
- Enjoy incredible views of landscapes and seascapes while walking the old trails
- Total trip immersion: live the traditional Greek village life, meet friendly locals, cook the local traditional food
- Excursion to the small Saria Island included, which is also part of the National Park of North Karpathos
Your friendly expert guides on Karpathos are Minas and his daughter Evangelia-Marina. Read more about them right here team page.
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Karpathos, Greece |
| TOUR DURATION | 8-days |
| PRICE | Contact us for updates |
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You can reach the island of Karpathos (AOK) by airplane from Athens International Airport (ATH).
Click Here to download a trip report from a previous trip: Trip Report of the Botanical Holiday on Karpathos
More Information:
The National Park area includes the north part of Karpathos with the small island Saria and includes the traditional villages of Olympos, Avlona, Tristomo and the coastal village of Diafani with its harbor. The area is part of the NATURA 2000 Network as one of the most important ecological regions of Europe. On this holiday you will be visiting 2 Greek Islands actually: Karpathos and its smaller neighbor Saria! Check out these publications by Minas Agapiou on the Flora of Karpathos:
The Endemic and Rare Flora species of Karpathos Island
ISBN-13 : 978-1793351739
The Orchids of Karpathos island
ISBN-13 : 979-8695968613
To date in the Northern Karpathos – Saria region 87 flora species, regarded as endemics, rare or endangered have been recorded. A few of the Karpathos Kasos insular complex endemic species are: Cretan Birthwort (Aristolochia cretica), Carpathian Campanula (Campanula carpatha), Pinatzii Campanula (Campanula pinatzii), Carpathian Pink (Dianthus fruticosus ssp. carpathus), Carpathian Wallflower(Erysimum candicum ssp. carpathum), Aegean Orchid (Ophrys aegaea), Common Sage (Phlomis pichleri) & Carpathian Coastal Campion (Silene ammophila ssp. carpathae).
Orchid species:
Ophrys tethredinifera, Ophrys episcopalis, Ophrys fuciflora, Ophrys aeoli ssp. carpathia endemic, Ophrys umbilicate, Ophrys umbilicata ssp. carpathia endemic, Ophrys montana endemic, Ophrys ferrum – equinum, Ophrys reinholdi, Ophrys sphegodes, Ophrys gottfrediana, Ophrys scolopax, Ophrys heldreichi, Ophrys apiformis, Ophrys aegaea ssp. aegaea endemic, Ophrys calypsus, Ophrys holoserica, Ophrys speculum, Ophrys sitiaca, Ophrys israelitica, Ophrys fusca, Ophrys cinereochila, Ophrys iricolor, Ophrys omegaifera, Ophrys lutea, Ophrys frygana, Ophrys bombyliflora, Ophrys ariadne endemic, Orchis collina, Orchis coriophora, Orchis mascula, Orchis papillonacea, Orchis anatolica, Orchis italica, Orchis simia, Serapias cordigera and Serapias orientalis.
Endemic species of the region (Karpathos, Kasos, Crete and adjacent islets) include: Aegean Knapweed (Centaurea raphanina ssp. raphanina), Cretan Hawksbeard (Crepis cretica), Mediterranean Currybush (Hypericum cuisinii), Cretan White Peony (Paeonia clusii ssp. clusii), Cretan Stonecrop (Sedum creticum & Sedum creticum monocarpicum), Everlasting Groundsel (Senecio gnaphaloides), Prickly Woundwort (Stachys mucronata), Autumn Daffodil (Sternbergia greuteriana), Little Germander (Teucrium gracile), a clover species (Trifolium praetermissum) and Cretan Valerian (Valeriana asarifolia).
Day 1
Arrive at the airport of Karpathos and get your transfer to the north of the island.
Day 2
Walk in and around Olympos village, the sight of this traditional settlement that is amphitheatrically built on a hill overlooking the sea will certainly impress you. First encounter with the local flora and fauna. Cooking class making the local dish of the island: Makarounes. Walk back to your hotel. Net walking time: up to 2 hours. Easy walk.
Day 3
Transfer to the small village Avlona. Botanical guided tour and walk back to Diafani. Net walking time: 2 hours. Easy walk
Day 4
Ascend the highest mountain of North Karpathos: Profitis Ilias (719 m) with your expert guide.Estimated duration 4 hours. Degree of difficulty: moderate – 3/5.
Day 5
Walk from Olympos to Argoni. We will have the chance to meet the rare and endemic frog species Pelophylax cerigensis. The frog is an endemic of North Karpathos. Apart from that we will discover many beautiful, rare and endemic flora. Duration: 5 hours, Easy walk.
Day 6
Hiking from Diafani to the North most point of Karpathos Island, St.Aikaterini. Return back by boat! Estimated duration: 5 hours. Moderately graded walk. Alternatively, we walk the 2 hours from Olympos to Forokli.
Day 7
Today we embark on a boat and spend a glorious day on Saria Island!! We visit the bay named Giaplos. Walking for 3 – 3.5 hours from Giaplos Bay to Palatia bay. Return back to Diafani by our boat. Easy walk.
Day 8
Transfer back to the airport of Karpathos.
Tour Reviews
I spend a very enjoyable week on the beautiful island of Karpathos.
Under the beautiful April sun we had a change to learn about the
botanical diversity of the Island with the help of the local botanical guide.
Days were filled with various grades of nature walk, combined with explanation
of the botanical flora, local Culture, Greek Cooking, experiencing the true mountain village life
and ample time for relaxing and swimming in the Med.
A unique Greek experience not to be missed!!
My first botanical holiday! It was nice being on vacation with other plant nerds. Interesting endemic plants in a very special place in Greece – the local history and culture of north Karpathos was just as interesting as the plants!
Wonderful experience of traditional Greece – flowers, culture and more. Evangelia and her father, Minas, were knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides, a winning combination. We enjoyed a wide range of different experiences: detailed botanising, foraging, serious and not so serious hiking, making our own lunch from scratch under Evangelia’s expert eye and an impromptu recital of traditional music. Evangelia adjusted the programme to take into account the needs and wishes of the group.
A cautionary note – walking in north Karpathos is often over rocky and uneven terrain – you need to be prepared.
I spent my holidays in a beautiful island called Karpathos. Experienced the nice weather and people. Saw goats along the trail, once you feed them, they will fall in love with you. There’s a lot of fresh seafood. We caught sea urchin and ate like sashimi. Our tourist guides are very knowledgeable, they know all the plants and the small animals in the island. We were lucky and found the unique frogs. It was an awesome holidays and felt sad to say goodbye to them. If you want to visit Greece or the Karpathos island to get a different experience. I’m very sure Natural Greece will provide you the best service and recommendations.
Phyllis Lee
Hong Kong
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