Today I would like to share with you one of my all-time favourite summer holiday destinations in Greece. A place a lot of people, like myself, fell deeply in love with at first sight. An intense and growing love that makes you think of returning back to it just as soon as you leave the place. The area may be represented by a tiny dot on the map, but it is most definitely a Lilliputian paradise on earth of infinite beauty.
Me on the island of Ammouliani gazing the peninsula of Mount Athos
Another view of the peninsula of Mount Athos from Ammouliani
This earthy paradise is located in the gulf of mount Athos (aka “Agio Oros”, Greek for Holly Mountain) just across Ouranopolis ("Sky City") of Chalkidiki and only 120 kilometres from the airport of Thessaloniki. It is one of Greece’s 117 inhabited islands out of nearly 6,000 islands and islets found in Greece. This place is no other than the island of Amouliani and the isles of Drenia.
Map of Ammouliani | Image Source: halkidiki.com
Ammouliani is a relatively small island covering an area of 4.5 square kilometers but it has over 500 permanent residents (one of the 79 Greek islands with over 100 permanent residents) mostly engaged in fishing and tourism. Surrounded by the sea breeze but also the authentic hospitality of the locals, it offers a special experience of accommodation. During summertime there is a ferry line, with frequent routes, connecting the island with the port of Tripiti on the mainland. The distance is only 2 nautical miles and takes approximately 15 minutes to travel across.
The peninsula of Mount Athos on the left, the complex of the Drenia islands in the middle and the far east tip of Ammouliani on the right
Seagulls had their nests on the bottom of the cliff I was standing
Your day in Ammouliani starts with its beautiful sunrise over the peninsula of Mount Athos! As the sun rises it paints with its burning colors the outline of the peninsula and continues its masterpiece by colorizing the deep blue sea. You just sit there stunned, watching art created by the sun and nature in front of your very own eyes, listening the splash of the waves and the amazing song of the seagulls as they fly on the sky, welcoming one more day in paradise.
The sunrise from the balcony of our hotel room on the east side of Ammouliani
The island of Ammouliani offers enchanting beaches with golden fine sand, turquoise crystal-clear waters, and an exotic scenery of dense green vegetation, olive trees and giant rocks. You can visit and dive in the incredible waters of organized beaches such as Alykes, Karagatsia, Agios Georgios and Megali Ammos or you may choose to visit and enjoy the crystal-clear waters and the rich marine life hidden in the smaller and more secluded beaches and coves along the coastline of the island, accessible only by boat.
The Megali Ammos Beach. This is as close as I could get you in these waters
On the southeast of Ammouliani and just across Ouranopoli lies a small complex of six uninhabited islands called Drenia (aka “Donkey Islands”). Many people call this place the “Blue Lagoon” of Chalkidiki.
Long view of island Artemis or Elia, one of the six island of Drenia
On some of these islands there are rocky shores, from where Mount Athos can be seen in the background. Most of the Drenia islands are flat with small coves, sandy and shallow shores and they all share turquoise waters around them. The shape of the rocks of the isles form separate beaches, while the seabed includes rich marine life due to the great population of fish that exist in the area.
Crystal-clear turquoise water! Possibly the only color of water you will find in the beaches of the area
Artemis or Elia (olive tree) is one of the biggest islands of the complex, with clean and white sand beaches, overgrown with olive trees and low vegetation while there are paths ideal for walks and exploration. The islands of Drenia are one of the few intact and pristine places found in Greece, making them a very relaxing and rather romantic scenery.
A cove on the southeast part of Artemis island
As this hidden paradise is just across the peninsula of Mount Athos, a cruise to the Monasteries of the Holly Mountain of Athos is an experience you most certainly do not want to miss! During summertime there are cruises to Mount Athos from Ouranoupolis twice a day with small cruise boats. “Captain Fotis”, a 300 seats vessel, is the one we picked for our cruise. The cruise lasts around 3 hours and covers the southwest side of Mount Athos. Mount Athos, like the Vatican, is a self-governing and autonomous region of Greece that hosts over 20 amazing monasteries some built over a thousand years ago. Our cruise however, covered just 8 of these monasteries built on the coast and cliffs of the southwest peninsula.
View of the Mount Athos peninsula from our cruise boat “Captain Fotis”
The tour starts as you pass the last houses of Ouranoupoli, a mark that you cross the borders of Mount Athos that separate the world of monastic life from the outside world. In front of us the endless blue of the Aegean Sea while the seagulls accompanying us making incredible dives for some crumbs. Crowd of people from every corner of the earth, as well as monks, stand around us taking pictures of the landscape with their smartphones and cameras, while others offer small pieces of bread to the seagulls as they dive over our heads.
Seagulls escorting us during our cruise as soon as we crossed the borders of Mount Athos
Exceptional diving performances from our Seagulls escort team
They were literally flying over our hands waiting for the perfect opportunity to grap a "snack"
People feeding seagulls bites of bread. What a catch!
While the boat moves along the coast of the peninsula of Mount Athos, you are amazed by the wildness of the landscape. The nature there is raging. Foliage of trees like cotton tufts of all shades of green cover every inch of land. The monasteries look like they are hanging from the rocks and once again you catch yourself being amazed as you try to realize how they were built on the cliffs and rocks centuries ago. Words are just not enough to describe our awe!
The memories and experiences we gather every time we visit Ammouliani, the isles of Drenia and the Peninsula of Mount Athos they are so deeply engraved in our minds that whenever we recall those images we can feel the connection with this earthily heaven and instantly “time travel” our selves there.
Thank you for reading!
Image & Video Sources: All photos and videos, unless otherwise stated, were taken by me with my Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone