Green Tourism on Rhodes – Greece Is

The fairy-tale previous city, stunning seashores with crystal-clear waters, necessary archaeological websites, and a vibrant nightlife are what sometimes entice vacationers to “The Island of the Knights,” usually overshadowing the island’s distinctive pure magnificence. Regardless of its mass tourism and seaside bars with sunbeds floating within the sea, Rhodes holds many surprises for nature and journey lovers.

Regardless of final 12 months’s fires, which destroyed greater than 25 acres of land within the island’s southeast, Rhodes has quite a few inexperienced areas, lots of that are a part of the Natura 2000 program and are thought-about wildlife sanctuaries of uncommon magnificence. Cypress and pine forests, valleys, gorges, and lakes are residence to, amongst different issues, the island’s well-known butterflies, the fallow deer which are the image of Rhodes, and the microscopic gizani fish which are discovered solely within the island’s contemporary waters.

Should you take pleasure in nature walks, spring is the perfect time of the 12 months to find the island’s wealthy biodiversity and discover its greener facet by eco-friendly actions that mix journey and environmental sensitivity, supporting Rhodes’ much-needed transition to sustainability.

Go mountain climbing within the countryside

Go away the favored city of Faliraki behind and journey southwest to find Rhodes’ virgin countryside. Hundreds of kilometers of forest trails and scenic paths will take you nearer to the island’s historical past, tradition, and wildlife whereas offering breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea, close by islands, and the Turkish coast. On the highway that connects the villages of Kritinia and Monolithos you may discover the Gorge of Sideritissa, also called Koufos, in addition to the Acropolis of Aghios Fokas and the Necropolis of Kymisala, which offer beautiful views of the islands of Halki and Alimnia. If the climate is good, you may climb to the height of Mount Akramytis, the island’s second highest mountain, and luxuriate in a panoramic view of Rhodes.

Data: Trekking Hellas Rhodes

Expertise Rhodes’ seashores from a distinct perspective

Get off the sunbeds and discover a few of Rhodes’ most beautiful seashores by kayak. Start at Charaki Seaside and discover the rock formations and islets of the island’s southeast coast, passing below Feraklos Citadel and taking a swim at Kokkini Ammos Seaside, which has reddish sand and may solely be reached by sea.

You may also go to the attractive seashores of Anthony Quinn and Ladikos, discover the Cave of Fokias, and snorkel within the waters of Tranu Seaside beneath Erimokastro Hill. You may also take pleasure in spectacular views of those seashores whereas mountain climbing at Erimokastro Citadel. With slightly expertise, you may rappel right down to the doorway of a cave set towards the backdrop of those beautiful small coves.

Should you favor to see the ocean from above however don’t need to go away the water, you may kitesurf at Ialysos Seaside on the island’s northwestern coast. Even in case you’re a whole newbie, you may study to kitesurf in a number of hours. Should you don’t get the kitesurf off the bottom, you may nonetheless benefit from the waves.

Data: Trekking Hellas Rhodes, Rhodes Climbing Community, Kite Surf Ialysos

Uncover the island’s wealthy wildlife

Removed from the island’s vacationer hotspots, the Apolakkia reservoir, created because of the dam’s development in 1989, lets you take pleasure in nature in a novel wetland that’s now a protected space. With slightly luck, you may see fallow deer come down for a drink of water. You possibly can discover the panorama by ziplining, canoeing, or water biking by the reservoir’s teal waters whereas additionally serving to to guard these protected wild animals. When driving to and from Apolakkia, hold a watch out for these stunning, white-spotted deer crossing the road to forage within the villages. After consulting with the native Forestry Service, you could possibly purchase meals for the deer.

Data: Rhodescape Park, Directorate of Forests of the Dodecanese (Thira Workplace, 22410.436.90).

Purchase native merchandise

Go to the Monastery of Ypsos, also called Ypseni, within the village of Lardos, a historic convent on the island’s southeastern finish that was saved from fires in 2023 however misplaced its bushes, a few of which have been 200 years previous. The nuns who risked their lives to save lots of the convent proceed to prune and plant new bushes in an effort to reforest the world. Additionally they make natural lotions and beeswax balms, pasta, candy preserves, and liqueurs, together with limoncello (an Italian lemon liqueur), which you should buy on the convent’s store.

Slightly additional north, close to the middle of the island, in the village of Apollona, you can see Apolloniatisses, the primary ladies’s agritourism and agro-industrial cooperative of the Dodecanese, the place you should purchase Rhodes’ conventional melekouni (a pastry made with almonds, sesame, and honey), in addition to takkakia (a filo pastry made with walnut, sesame, and honey), anevata koulourakia (an area biscuit), rustic bread, and herbs from Profitis Ilias. Apolloniatisses is run as a household enterprise by 9 ladies who, for the previous 20 years, have been producing native merchandise and pastries utilizing their grandmothers’ time-honored recipes and native elements from their village.

Plant a tree

If you’d like your trip to have a low affect whereas additionally benefiting the island’s pure atmosphere, you may be part of an area regenerative tourism initiative that organizes tree-planting campaigns in areas destroyed by fires. The “Gia Ti Fisi” social cooperative enterprise brings collectively accommodations, vacationers, and the area people in an effort to reforest and regenerate Rhodes’ fire-affected areas, which complete over 100,000 acres.

Data: Giatifisi.org