Samothrace, the secret green “virgin island” of Greece

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The Greek island of Samothrace is a vision in green. The rocky cliffs of Mount Saos, the island’s highest mountain at 5,285 feet (1,611 meters), give way to gentle slopes covered with oddly shaped plane trees, oak forests and majestic cedars.

Rare and endemic plants thrive in the clear waters of the three rivers. Vegetables grow in the fields around the port of Kamariotissa off the island’s western tip, while olive trees and solar panels line the terraces carved along the south coast.

Located in the Aegean near Greece’s northeastern border with Turkey – the island is a short ferry ride from Alexandroupolis on the mainland – Samothrace was once known throughout the ancient world for its religious sanctuary. Today it is a magnet for ecotourists. Here are some of his highlights.

Therma on the north coast is a good starting point for exploring the island. Much of the housing here is simple, with an emphasis on interacting with the environment as much as possible. Who needs luxury when a symphony of a stream plays outside the window?

According to Kaliopi Parselias, owner of Parselias Studios for over 30 years, it’s all about nature. “Samothrace is a different island,” she says. “You have green forests, rivers, waterfalls, and people come to walk in the mountains, and some people love the sea. It’s a virgin island.”

Parselias has been running the B&B for over 30 years, and initially its guests were mostly Greek families with a few Germans. “But now we have people from all over Europe,” she says. With only one caveat: “Young people, because Samothrace needs young legs to walk.”

Many of them choose to stay at the Varades campsite, located right on the seafront, named after “varades”, a kind of beehive inside hollow trees, explains manager Anastasios Vavouras. The bees, of course, work as a cooperative, and the campsite is collectively owned by seven people. Their goal, he says, is to offer visitors “an alternative way to spend their holidays here…focused on mountain activities, in a quieter, freer environment.”

Most holidaymakers are Greeks in their 20s and 30s, such as Yiannis Tsakiltzidis, a student from the mainland who visited the island for the first time. “Here you can see vacationers of all ages for a more relaxed and undiluted view of Greece,” he says.

Tsakiltsidis came here on a hike. Ancient trails criss-cross the mountains, and hikes range from suitable for beginners to more serious hikers.

The island is famous for its

In the northern part of Samothrace, waterfalls cascade onto smooth rocks, forming vatres, natural river basins. The easiest way to get to three is on the Tsivdoyannis River, near Therma. It is impossible to touch the first vatra with your feet, but the Griya vatra, the second one, is not so deep. The naked hippies appear to be water nymphs, gliding past clothed swimmers with aplomb. They make their way through the water, their meager belongings tied on their heads, before clambering over the rock and up to the third pool.

Three more vatres are located on a trail starting about three and a half miles east of Therma along the coast road. Through them flows the river Fonias, which originates from Mount Saos and flows into the sea. Fonias means “killer” in Greek, which definitely corresponds to his brutal power when the water overflows. However, in dry weather, the path to the first vatra is a fairly easy walk in less than an hour. Families, some with toddlers, skirt the riverbed next to huge plane trees, golden ferns, and aged gray rocks.

At the first waterfall, also called Fonias, people sunbathe while children paddle in the shallow outer pools and swimmers struggle to hold on under the invigorating, strong waterfalls of the first vatra. Halfway up the rock, a rope is tied to a tree. The brave ones swing Tarzan-style before torpedoing into the icy waters below.

The second vatra, Gerania, which is also fed by the waterfall, is another 30-minute walk.

Fashionable youth try to climb in nothing but bikinis and sneakers, but hiking boots come in handy. The first section involves a steep climb with a metal cable, then a difficult zigzag up a dry waterway leading to a flat, narrow path that skirts the mountain (only part of it is fenced). A short final descent reveals your reward: a shimmering iridescent green pool. Blue-bodied black-winged dragonflies, each marked with a single yellow dot, scatter across the surface as humans calmly continue their cleansing rituals.

The path leading to Kleydosi, the third waterfall, is also called the “killer”, and for good reason. This is not recommended.

The round trip from Therma to Fengari Peak, as the Greeks call Mount Saos, is just over 11 miles, but according to Vavouras, only the “bravest” reach the summit. “It’s a difficult path to climb, but there are structured paths so you don’t risk slipping or falling,” he says. Like many trails on the island, this one has warning signs. Remember that you are on your own if something goes wrong.

Pachia Ammos is the only sandy beach on the island.

For those less energetic, Terme has thermal baths, fed by springs dating back to Byzantine times, and beaches everywhere. Quipos, just off the east coast, has beautiful bluish pebbles, while Pachia Ammos, to the south, is the island’s only sandy beach. Boat trips starting from Kamariotissa or Therma stop at Vatos beach (next to Pachia Ammos, but otherwise only accessible via a grueling walk) and take you past Cremasto Nero. The meaning of “Hanging Falls” means that at full flow, the water falls directly into the sea without touching the rocks, hence the name.

Farther along the south coast, harsh gray cliffs looming menacingly over the waves, covered in what looks like a gigantic work of abstract art. This is Tis grias ta pania, or “old lady’s laundry.” Legend has it that once a fierce wind threw women’s underwear onto the rocks. Angered at her loss, she poured out her curses, turning her clothes to stone.

History buffs are also served in Samothrace. Arsinoeion, or Sanctuary of the Great Gods, is the place where the statue of Nike, known as the “Winged Victory of Samothrace”, was found. Created in the second century BC and now exhibited in the Louvre, it is one of the most famous works of ancient art. The temple predates classical ancient Greece and was once the religious center of the North Aegean. It has been partly reconstructed and there is a replica of Nike in the small museum.

Medieval Chora is the main town of the island.

Perched high on Mount Saos, Chora is the capital of the island. In the citadel, built in the 15th century by the Genoese ruler Palamede Gateluzzi, it is worth having a coffee in the cafe at its base and enjoying the view of the city. Here you can wander along the beautiful streets, where flowers pour from window boxes, and tree branches create canopies over restaurants and cafes.

The small folklore museum of Samothrace is a traditional village house filled with religious icons, photographs and household items. Note the raki distiller, which looks like a huge turkey pot, with a copper flask and a long metal nozzle attached to it. Apart from the usual souvenirs like magnets and windmills, you can also buy shepherd’s crooks.

Goats are everywhere in Samothrace. At the simply named Goat Shop in Hora, they are on T-shirts, bags and bandannas. Elsewhere, they wander aimlessly along the roads, standing on branches, mindlessly chewing and foraging among the walnut trees. “Our goats are famous all over Greece,” says Parselias, but not for the reason you might think. “They graze by the sea, so they are very tasty.”

The best goat dishes can be found in family restaurants in deciduous forests or with great sunset views. Bare-chested youth mingle with multi-generational families, elbow-deep in goat meat, drinking glasses of ouzo or Fonias beer from the island’s microbrewery. The locals have over 20 different ways of preparing goat meat. Whether it’s oven-baked with plums, marinated in red wine, or smothered in quince, just about everything on the menu is farmed, farmed, or cooked by the people who serve you.

It’s not just meat, though – there’s excellent seafood, as you’d expect from a Greek island, and vegetarian options include fasolada tsigirista, a bean stew that’s cooked and left out for a day before frying. Several Therma restaurants have vegan options, including non-dairy versions of spanakopita, a traditional Greek pie usually made with spinach and feta.

Some restaurants sell their produce locally, while cheese, honey and olive oil can be purchased directly from farms across the island.

Visitors come to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Samothrace.

At night, Therma comes alive with a street market. The islanders sell intricately crafted gemstone jewelry, handmade leather bags and more. Dreadlocked women in tiny tank tops and bearded men in baggy shorts slowly drift into town. They dine late into the night talking excitedly before falling silent to listen to haunting renditions of traditional songs. Soon everyone joins. When the moon is full, it’s time to throw a party – of course, with respect for the environment.

The people who work in tourism in Samothrace grew up here, and none of them take its wild beauty for granted. They work together to protect him because, as Parselias says, “Samothrace has very good energy. People say it’s calm. When they come here they are tired, they have many problems. In a week they are new people.”

Whether you come for a walk, the beach, or food, she knows you’ll be back.