When traveling, I enjoy hiking as a way to get exercise plus experience the natural side of a place. The Ionian Islands of Greece are lush, verdant and perfect for hiking. The tall Cypress Trees provide shade making hiking in the summer more pleasurable. The hilly nature of the islands allow you to work off all the delicious Greek Food as well as offering stunning vistas.
I have listed the hikes by islands. You will also find one hike in the area on Mainland Greece. You will find some of my favorite hikes appropriate for all levels. There are more challenging hikes in this region. The AllTrails App is the tool that helps me identify hikes in a region.
The best hiking tool available to you is the AllTrails App. Most of the hikes we trek can be found on the this App. It is a free and available for IOS and Android. The paid version, AllTrails Pro, allows you to download the trail map so you can view it even if you lose cellular coverage. For safety, I would recommend using this app and downloading any trail you are hiking.
My pack is filled with survival and comfort items. Once while solo hiking, I got lost in a tangle of unmarked trails. My cell phone battery was dying and I had depleted all my water. While I did get back safely before dark, it freaked me out enough to put together a lightweight survival kit that I always carry with me when I hike. All of the items pictured above are available in my Take a Hike Idea list on Amazon.
Never hiked before, check out these two most before you get started:
Paxos
Hike to the Lighthouse - Lakka, Paxos
Our skipper Yiannis sent us in the direction of a lighthouse on the northwest shore of Paxos. It lights the way for sailors making the passage between Corfu and Paxos. This lighthouse was established in 1825 during the British rule of the Ionian Islands. Once you get to the top of the hill, it is easy to find the lighthouse by walking south along the road. the entrance to the light is locked, however you can walk all around it. There are trails that take you out to sweeping views of the coast.
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Kefalonia
Hike The Cypress Trail - Fiskardo, Kefalonia
Morning coffee was quickly downed as we headed out for the longest hike of the trip. Behind the town of Fiskardo is an EU Protected Natural Area and the 8 mile Cypress Trail. I found the trail on Alltrails. This trail has an 887 ft elevation gain that offers spectacular views. You wander through ruins on the climb out of town and established neighborhoods at the top of the hill. You come down to the south of the village and walk back along the road.
Meganisi
Hike to Spartachori
Before leaving Meganisi, part of our group climbed to the village of Spartachori at the top of the hill. behind Porto Spiglia. A church anchors the town square that has sweeping views of the mainland and islands to the north. There is also a small hotel on the square. Between the square and the beach is a cave, the path to the entrance of the cave was blocked with rocks and tree trunks making it impassible to get to the cave. We think it was blocked for safety reasons.
Mainland Greece
Acheron River Trails
Ammoudia, on Mainland Greece, is where the mythological five rivers of Hades converge. The Acheron River is the longest of the rivers and it spills into the Ionian Sea at Ammoudia. The river Styx converges with the Acheron River about a half mile inland. These rivers marked the beginning of the underworld in Greek mythology. We explored this area via a small boat tour starting in Ammoudia. The natural area surrounding these rivers is an EU Protected Natural Area. If we had more time during our visit, I would have explored this area by hiking some of the trails available in this natural area. You can find these trails on the AllTrails App.
Stay tuned for a hikes on Corfu in the coming weeks. For notifications on updates to this post sign up for my resource page with the link below.
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Recommended Tours for Athens:
Here are my best recommendations for Hotels in Athens:
For a luxury experience: Grande Bretagne Hotel
For a more budget friendly experience: NEW Hotel
Or Hotel Fresh
Here are my best recommendations for Accommodations throughout Greece:
Eretria, Evia - Elia Luxury Apartments
Elounda, Crete - Elounda Heights Hotel
Agios Nikolaos, Crete - Ikaros Art Hotel
Nea Chora, Crete - Sea & Town Getaway
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