For this tour you need good shoes, because you sometimes have to climb a little. After an extensive breakfast you walk from Armenistis to Nas. The distance is approx.. 4.5 km and the road is unfortunately completely asphalted. That is correct for cars and motorbikes, but for pedestrians very boringly. I miss the old crushed stone road very much. But there is an alternative. You can take a very old donkey path which leed you across the hills to Nas. Ask for the map 'Hiking on Ikaria'. There you will find the concrete discription for this path. Arrived at Nas a break in one of the taverns presents itself. Take a Frappe as strengthening before you start into the river valley.
From Nas you have to follow the crushed stone road, which you came. In the first section it follows the lower course of the Chalaris river till it crosses the river above the waterfall. This is the place where you have to leave the road, to penetrate into the river valley. There is a path which is marked with arrows by the 'Hiking on Ikaria'-group, which will lead you to Christos Raches. Please don't try to walk silently in the hope to see some rare animals. The first thing I learned from Angelos was: 'You have to walk like a man'. That means: Tread hardly and sometimes stamp with your foot to the ground. If you do this way the animals have the chance to hear that you are coming and to leave before you step on it.
When I walked into the river valley the first time I was knocked out almost in the first moment, because I dived into a totally different world. Outside the valley is dry heat and depending on the season the vegetation could be dried but inside the valley you find tropical climate and the vegetation is very luxurious. Dense groves of oleander, cork oaks, plane trees, reeds, marshgras etc. It is as I said already: Where water falls down on Ikaria the nature explodes. It is very hard for me to desribe the beauty of the nature in the river valley. You must see it for yourself. At best you take a look at the photos. They better describe what I mean.
Sometimes the river builds bigger basins, where you can swim inside. But please, take care that you don't have suncream or -oil on your bodies, because the water of the river is used partialy as drinking water. I've tried it and it tasted good. If you wanna watch all the photos from the river valley (24 photos) than open the slideshow river valley.
After you walked across the river valley you will arrive at the road between Armenistis and Christos Raches. If you turn right you will come to Raches and if you turn left you go back to Armenistis. Have fun at the trip.
From Nas you have to follow the crushed stone road, which you came. In the first section it follows the lower course of the Chalaris river till it crosses the river above the waterfall. This is the place where you have to leave the road, to penetrate into the river valley. There is a path which is marked with arrows by the 'Hiking on Ikaria'-group, which will lead you to Christos Raches. Please don't try to walk silently in the hope to see some rare animals. The first thing I learned from Angelos was: 'You have to walk like a man'. That means: Tread hardly and sometimes stamp with your foot to the ground. If you do this way the animals have the chance to hear that you are coming and to leave before you step on it.
When I walked into the river valley the first time I was knocked out almost in the first moment, because I dived into a totally different world. Outside the valley is dry heat and depending on the season the vegetation could be dried but inside the valley you find tropical climate and the vegetation is very luxurious. Dense groves of oleander, cork oaks, plane trees, reeds, marshgras etc. It is as I said already: Where water falls down on Ikaria the nature explodes. It is very hard for me to desribe the beauty of the nature in the river valley. You must see it for yourself. At best you take a look at the photos. They better describe what I mean.
Sometimes the river builds bigger basins, where you can swim inside. But please, take care that you don't have suncream or -oil on your bodies, because the water of the river is used partialy as drinking water. I've tried it and it tasted good. If you wanna watch all the photos from the river valley (24 photos) than open the slideshow river valley.
After you walked across the river valley you will arrive at the road between Armenistis and Christos Raches. If you turn right you will come to Raches and if you turn left you go back to Armenistis. Have fun at the trip.
Lower course of the 'Chalaris' river
Deutsche
Version
Andi's Ikariapage
copyright by andreas schnetzer