Tsambika Monastery €35pp
Duration:
4hrs Terrain includes dirt tracks, some uneven ground, a sandy beach and a steep uphill track section at the end of the walk, this walk starts off in the village of Archangelos, where the tracks and paths lead you out of the town and into open country side and onwards to the coast.Then at the coast line you will enjoy stunning views up and down the east coast of Rhodes, you meander through a mixture of open sandy paths, dirt tracks, and pine trees which will then lead you down to Tsambika beach.
Lunch is taken at the far end of Tsambika beach, just before the climb up to the monastery. You will take a small track up the cliff side (not dangerous) and this brings you out at the foot of the 309 steps that lead up to the monastery itself. Tsambika Monastery was built around the 11th century on the summit of a 300 meter high cliff which commands beautiful views of the surrounding area. It has an 11th century icon of the Blessed Virgin inside and legend has it that the icon was found by a childless and infertile couple who later conceived a child. So leading to the legend that a childless women who wishes to conceive, should walk bare foot up the mountain to pray to the Virgin, she will then be blessed with children. Once you have enjoyed the monastery you return to the restaurant for refreshments and the transport home.
Equipment:
You will require walking boots and walking socks for support and comfort while walking. It is advisable to wear light long sleeve shirts and light trousers in addition to a sun hat, sun cream sunglasses. You should bring a rucksack, as it will be necessary to carry your lunch, personal items and at least one litres of water.
Food:
You will not need to bring a large amount of food, however, certainly bring some. This is the sort of walk where you might bring some snacks and fruit. There are cantina's on Tsambika Beach on route. The best rule of thumb is always to come away from a walk with some food spare.
Walking conditions:
The terrain is quite varied underfoot on this walk. Some sections do not have a true path and the heavy rains in the winter time tends to errode away some of the formed path's but during the summer time these paths are all easily passable with care, experienced walkers will not notice any real problems, The main uphill section is on Tsambika itself, this is a hard section but very rewarding, persons not wanting to do this section could relax and wait for the transport to pick them up in one of the Tsambika Beach cantinas.
Stops & Breaks:
There will be plenty of oppertunity for stops and breaks on this route, there is not a lot of shade in the first half of the walk so you should protect yourself from the sun, with a sun hat and long sleve tops and trousers.
