HIKING ON SANTORINI
Hiking from Fira to Oia
Duration: 3 hours
Starting point: cable car station
Start walking from Fira to Oia at 300 meters height, next to the edge of the cliff that descends gradually to the sea.
Following the narrow path (calderimi) to the northwest direction, you will pass the town of Fira and Firostefani, where the Orthodox monastery of St. Nicholas which was built in 1651 by the family Gyzi and was inhabited by nuns. Then, you will meet Imerovigli which is 2 km away. Fira is built on the highest point of the Caldera, so the view is stunning and the colours of the island and the volcano unique.
On your left you can see the ruins of the fortified settlement on the steep hill Skaros that is considered the largest castle of Santorini during the Frankish occupation. If you want to see the fortress closer, follow another path with stairs, at times uphill at times downhill, and in 10 minutes you will be there. The view is amazing and there, behind Skaros the small church of Theoskepi stands. Returning to the original path, the calderimi, you will find several picturesque churches. If you want to buy water or something else, you can leave for a while the path of the Caldera and follow the main road after 300 meters after which you will find a small kiosk. A little further you will see the Caldera on your left and t the plain that reaches Kamari and then at Black Mountain on your right. Start going down the path and before you reach Oia you will pass a desalination factory and after 5 minutes you will reach the village. There stroll the cobblestone streets and admire the unique architecture of the houses, the churches which are painted white and blue. Then go to “Goula” (the castle) of Oia where you can see a wonderful sunset, with the sun dipping into the sea.
Hiking to the volcano
The unique beauty of Santorini, doubtlessly, is due to the activities of the volcano.
Descending from Fira you will find the Mesa Gialos village and then select either to hike or ride donkeys or use the cable car to go down to the old port. The walk downhill will take you about 20 minutes. Arriving at the port take the boat to Nea Kameni and while you are on board admire the emerging huge dark stones, which was actually lava erupted from the depths of the earth. The water as you will see is greenish because of sulfur found in the volcano. Follow the path that takes you to the rim of the craters by stepping on the black ground which was lava turned into stones. Besides this black color you will not find anything but some red flowers that grow here and remind the red colour of lava. From the top of the dome of little Kameni, the oldest part of Nea Kameni, what captures the attention is the contrast between the white colour of the cliff and the black landscape around you. Reaching the highest peak of Nea Kameni (127 meters) is the dome of George A’ where you can gaze at the Palaia Kameni and the Hot Springs with its greenish colour where the temperature reaches 30-35 ℃. In places that there is smoke from the volcano, the lava has solidified white and yellow colour, while elsewhere the solidified lava varies from pale to dark, depending on the period it was created as it may have been from 1570 to 1950. After about an hour of browsing among the craters and lava return back to the bay.
