About the Dodecanese
The Dodecanese, “Twelve Islands”, broke away from Turkish rule in 1908 and form a coherent group in the Eastern Aegean, clustered along the Turkish coast.
Walking the Islands… treats them as a chain running from Fourni in the north to Karpathos in the south and walks are described on Fourni, Halki, Lipsi and Symi.
Here you will find:
- Arid hills dotted with thorn bushes, giant aloes, cacti and limestone outcrops
- Strong Turkish and Italian influences in archeology, architecture and place names
- Lonely hills with very occasional chapels and shepherds’ settlements
- A less developed network of paths than elsewhere, and monopatia too are scarcer
- Brisk climbs from the quayside to ruined Crusader castles, lookout crags and steep summits
Getting to the Dodecanese
From Piraeus to Rhodes is a 12 hour sea crossing. Alternatively, choose one of the international airports in the east; Rhodes or Kos or take an internal flight to Ikaria or Samos. On arrival, transfer to the port to transfer to the island of your choice, using hydrofoils or small ferries:
- For Halki you need to get to Kamiros Skala to the south of Rhodes town, 40 minutes by daily small ferry, or a few connections from the main harbour by ferry or hydrofoil.
- For Fourni, daily hydrofoils from Ikaria (20 minutes), Samos (75 minutes), Kalymnos (3 hours), or Kos (4 hours).
- For Lipsi daily hydrofoils from Kalymnos (75 minutes), Kos (2 hours), Ikaria (75 minutes), or Samos (90 minutes).
- For Symi, ferries from Rhodes main harbour take 75 minutes, hydrofoils 50 minutes, neither is a daily service.
