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giotat120
Ikaria island takes its name from Ikaros, the mythical son of Dedalos who was the first to make wings and try to fly as a bird or even a god. The legend says he managed to fly away but soon his wings broke and he drowned in the wild waters of the ikarian sea. Ikaria is non-touristic summer destination that mostly Greek people visit. The reason is simple. Ikarian people seem not to care at all about tourism. They cultivate their land, take care of their cuttle and resist to any kind of programme, agenda, organised way of life. According to recent studies, they have a very long life expectancy, because they have eliminated the words stress, timetable, progress, money from their vocabulary. Ikaria used to be a place of exile for leftists that has marked the political beliefs of the locals ever since.I first visited the village Karavostamo and woke up at 3 o'clock at night with the sound of scooters going to the bakery to buy fresh-made cheese pies! The bakery is open at night cause during the day they have to work in their farms. Those who can't make it at that time can kindly ask the baker to leave the bread they want at their door. Every person makes its own arrangements, when to work, when to rest and there seems to be a common agreement of locals that makes it work!In Ikaria, nobody is in a rush. At first glance, somebody would imagine that people there are not friendly cause they don't wish to attract foreigners at all. That's not true! From May until September there are fiestas several times per week open to everybody! There is live traditional music and local food and drinks and people start dancing in the evening and continue until the following morning orr even the following night! Weddings are open and anybody can join the party as well! In Ikaria you will be amazed by the landscape. Wild black cliffs, enormous waves in most beaches, nas, seychelles, armenistis, mesakti...The strong light of the aegean sea.. The beautiful village of Raches on the top of a hill, full of pine trees. Would you risk missing that savage experience and explore a totally unconventional way of life? I guess not!! Let's join a fiesta this summer and dance barefoot all night long!
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reetp2014
Ikaria is slow paced, safe & quiet island. My parents joined me in Ikaria & Peter ensured they were treated wonderfully. Peter knew a great deal about the island historically, geographically & culturally, so we had an authentic experience. The hiking in Rahes & kayaking around Therma & Faro was pleasant & bike riding at Armenistis was challenging & allot of fun. Faro was probably a little too slow paced / quiet for me so I wouldn't recommend staying there beyond a day. Therma was lovely and the therapeutic baths were easily enough to access. Agio Kirako was a short & scenic walk from Therma but there's also a bus which runs between the two towns regularly. The Erofili rooms at Armenistis were magnificent!!! Seychelles beach was gorgeous and definitely worth seeing. Pack your sunscreen & comfortable sports gear. There aren't many ATMs so be sure to plan accordingly. Peter was an excellent guide.
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347lillyp
My husband and our 3 teens signed up for the Jeep excursion and the Ikarian Beaches tour. Both tours were absolutely fantastic! We were staying on the south side of Ikaria. Pete picked us up and drove one jeep, my husband the other. We began our amazing drive full of twists and turns around the mountains offering us stunning views of the Aegean and Ikarian landscape. While on the Jeep tour we hiked up a steep mountain to see the Koskina Castle, visited a beautiful lakeside park, toured a Monastery (built in the 1400s), hiked in a park to catch site of a waterfall, toured a fantastic winery (Ikarian grapes mentioned by Homer in his writings) and ate lunch at Thea’s, offering masterfully prepared dishes. We highly recommend the vegetarian moussaka. Simply delicious! A few days later we took the beach excursion, which was different and excellent as well. Again, Pete picked us up and drove us to Faro, Captain Nikko boated to a secluded cove where we could swim and snorkel. From the beach we walked up to Drakana Castle, which was an easy hike. GORGEOUS CASTLE! Then, we boated to the island of Fourni, had a private lunch at another secluded beach. Tables set right up to the water and fresh, fresh food! We then boated to the center of town before heading back. During the ride to Fourni we happened upon a pod of dolphins. Captain Nikko, was so kind and saw that we were enjoying the dolphins, so he spent some time following them. The water was transparent in the beautiful Aegean, and watched the dolphins as they swam amazingly close to the boat. If we had stayed longer in Ikaria, we would have asked for more tours with Pete because they made our trip to Ikaria even better than we could have imagined. He is ready and willing to customize a trip to suit your needs! The memories of will last a lifetime! Thank you Pete!
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匿名
Peter picked us up at Cavos Bay and we took a farm/cooking tour with Thea and Peter. We harvested fruits and veggies at the farm (and ate strawberries while picking them!), milked a goat, collected eggs, and then we went back to Thea's and had a cooking lesson using all of the fresh ingredients. We then had a beautiful, delicious lunch, walked to Nas beach to see the water and ruins and then Peter drove us back to our hotel. It felt less like a tour and more like we are spending a great day with family, living as Ikarians do every day. It was the highlight of our trip and gave us some really special memories. This beautiful island is spectacularly showcased by Peter and his abundant hospitality.
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Tassietraveller104
Gorgeous scenery, magic restaurants serving fresh produce. A holiday on Ikaria Island is like stepping back in time, in step with nature
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Michelaforme
We had been at Ikaria before but only 3 days. Here with this expérience we benefitted over à very personnalised guiding and sport activities accordingly our choice. À little bit of kayakin, sailing and trekking. And the cocktail could be changed in fonction of the wheather : to have propre activity when the conditions were on the top. We had absolutely no worry : good guide for trekking, we are well expérienced. but here we get a guide knowing a lot about nature plants and animals, and we found some desert places with enormous richness. The sailing boat skipper was very experienced and able to find a small protected creek, a day of heavy wind so that we could do snorkling and kayaking in best conditions. Finally Peter is very repliable and has a very good material to use, and prepare delicious picnics in réfrigerated cases, and speak perfect English (better than I).Finally he took us in a "paneiery" à village fest : and it was an unforgettable expérience. Without for getting top tips for the rest of our stay on the island. Consequently : top rate without any hesitation!
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883marinae
My 10 year old daughter and I went on the Jeep Safari, Boat trip to Fourni and the Organic farm. My daughter was thrilled to be able to hold a baby goat. The country side of Ikaria is stunning and I was so glad we peeled ourselves off the equally stunning beach to trek into the mountains during the Jeep safari. Our guide Peter adapted the trek to suit our very novice abilities and we felt we were in very safe hands. We got to see some wonderful hidden gems we wouldn't have seen if we hadn't moved out of our comfort zone ( The beach…) The boat trip is a must as Fourni is even more blissfully peaceful than Ikaria (If that were possible). I would totally recommend Ikaria activity tours for getting the most out of this beautiful, magical island. There is so much to see, that I will have to come back and take part in some other activities and go to the places I didn't manage to see this time around.
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580laurencem
It is true that a rental car is highly recommended on Ikaria, but guests of Island Ikaria Outdoor Activities are provided free of charge local transportation to/from the activity depending on where they are staying. Starting on June 6th Hellenic Seaways will operate the Nisos Mykonos ferry boat from Athens to Evdilos, Ikaria and the trip will take 7 hours and cost from 35 euros each way.Aegean Airways operates 1-2 flights per day between Athens and Ikaria and the flight takes 30 minutes and costs from 39 - 78 euros each way.
