Walking route
From Katonisi to St Patapios
Three kilometres on foot along the wild south-west coast, with caves, fossils and the chapel of St Patapios.
- 3 km
- 3–4 hours there and back
- Moderate
A route for walking only, rough in several places. Wear good shoes, bring water and a hat, and allow for coming back the same way.
The start
You start at Avlaki, at the end of Panagia beach at Kato Nisi. It is a rock like a natural pier, with deep water on both sides and shallows in the middle; caiques carrying pilgrims to Panagia used to land here.
Along the way
Follow the sandy track along the shore, around the cape of Kassela opposite the islet of the same name. Further south, Ntrizoi has caves and stony ground; fresh water used to collect here in natural troughs. The whole area is called Kakovracha, the bad rocks, and needs care.
After a ruined lime kiln you reach the shrine of Agios Dimitrios. Above it rises Fidospilia, the snake cave, deep and unexplored, which locals say opens to the sea. Look for fossils on the rocks around it.
Further on, at Alatsospilies, natural salt pans form; shepherds kept their animals in the caves.
St Patapios
The path levels out and you reach the sea at St Patapios beach and its islet. Here stands the simple, lonely chapel of St Patapios, built in 1960, and grooves of ancient cart roads run from the rocks into the sea.
Near the shore there is a well with fresh water and a big tamarisk to rest in its shade. A little further is Ammouditsa, a small sandy cove, and finally the wild coast of Chourchoulakia, named after its round white and grey stones.
