Hiking in North East Corfu

You may have heard about the island’s sandy beaches, cosmopolitan feel, amazing restaurants and fun nightlife. It is all true, Corfu can offer to the visitor amazing moments, both high-cost ones and also budget friendly. This article will be focusing on the second category, considering that hiking only requires feeling physically well and being in a positive mood. Okay, maybe you’ll need to grab your hiking boots as well!
Possibly the best option, for every kind of outdoor activity, is the north east part of the island. There is a number of main reasons why this particular area should be chosen as your hiking destination. First all of, almost all the trails found nearby, are part of Kassios Dias’s race trails, other reason is that, these paths pass through the ecosystem of Erimitis and the mountainous traditional settlements in the area of Sinies and lastly, the hiking safety and the variety of route options which are mainly a result of Kassios Dias’s volunteers.

Kassios Dias and Hiking Safety

Kassios Dias is an amateur sports group that organizes and hosts annual mountain running races, with starting point at Kassiopi’s scenic harbour.
The group is not only responsible for the execution of the popular race but also maintains and enhances the conditions of the trails.
To be precise, the volunteers clean the paths, add new ones every few years, install supporting ropes at the sides of the trails’ steep slopes and most importantly, they place specific signposts, reflective stickers and spray marks either of simply orange colour or the logo of the aforementioned sports organization, along the length of the run.
After taking into account all the above, we conclude that hiking in those trails is indeed a safe way to spend your time during holiday, since the visitors will hardly see any snakes on the clean paths, they are able to use the supporting ropes when necessary and not bother about getting lost during the hike.

Trail Maps and Hiking Escort

Many route options translates into having a hard time deciding which one best suits you. Well, that is in fact a problem if the only thing available about the trails is the “path name”, however one can find useful info about the runs both using websites and android apps. Trail distance, difficulty level and accurate mapping can be easily found on Kassios Dias official website (kassiosdias.com), the CorfuPaths website (corfupaths.gr) created by Corfu Hiking & Mountaineering Association, as well as, on smartphone applications, such as AllTrails and TrailConnect. Those who’d like to be accompanied by a local hiking escort, can do so by calling at 6971653382 (Christos Karidis).

Ecosystem  of Erimitis and Traditional Settlements

First things first, the incredibly beautiful and environmentally important ecosystem of Erimitis, a Natura area of unfathomable natural beauty and biodiversity, as well as the traditional mountainous settlements of Sinies, take the whole experience to the next level. Corfu island’s both tourists and locals choose to visit the area not merely for walking or running but also for its ecological and historical value. Walking along the coastline that connects the beach “Avlaki” with the beach of Agios Stefanos, one will get to see a continuous scenery alternation of hills, small bays and peaceful beaches, dense vegetation and crystal clear sea waters. In addition, in the area of Erimitis there are three lakes Akoli, Vromolimni and “Elos Erimitis” which contribute to the support of food chain, possess great biological diversity, making the place an ideal recreation area.
Those who are interested in biodiversity monitoring and wish to know more about the insect fauna of the island can get the book and field guide “BUTTERFLIES OF CORFU” from mykerkyrashop.com.
However, these paths are not only found in the coastal zone, they extend to the foothills of Mount Pantokrator. The mountainous part of Sinies offers to the hikers a time-travelling experience to the past. Having said that, if escaping from the stressful daily life, while the amazing view of the Ionian Sea takes your breath away, is what you desperately need, then Sinies area is honestly heartily recommended. The hiker following these mountainous paths will visit the villages of Santa, Porta, Rou, Tritsi as well as various “abandoned” stone-built settlements. More information about the place, such as cultural association events, villages and settlements, customs and traditions and even various shops, is included in the book “Northeastern Corfu PARADISE REGAINED” also found in Mykerkyra shop’s book list.