Στην πιο μακρινή αλλά και ομορφότερη παραλία του νησιού θα σας ταξιδέψω σήμερα, στο Kavo Paradiso. (Η σωστή γραφή θα ήταν Cavo paradiso, μα τότε, φαίνεται, δεν θα ξεχώριζε από αυτό της Μυκόνου, ή απλά κάποιος ξεκίνησε να το γράφει λάθος και παρέμεινε λάθος).
Η παραλία αυτή άρχισε να γίνεται γνωστή τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια, όταν την εντόπισαν περιπετειώδεις τύποι που πήγαιναν εκεί για κατασκήνωση και μετά μας περιέγραφαν τη δυσπρόσιτη φοβερή παραλία με τους κέδρους "που δύσκολα θα τη βρεις και φυσικά μόνο με 4Χ4".
Και μετά πήγε ο Semi Sevastakis εκεί, από την Κέφαλο κι άνοιξε μια πλήρως εναρμονισμένη με το περιβάλλον καντίνα, με ψάθες και καλάμια, ξύλα και αιώρες, πειρατικές σημαίες κι όλα τα καλά, και λίγες, ελάχιστες για το μέγεθος της παραλίας ομπρέλες και ξαπλώστρες και μουσική που θυμίζει τροπικά νησιά και μαγικές διακοπές.
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ο Semi Sevastakis, ιδιοκτήτης της καντίνας |
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το σήμα κατατεθέν του Kavo Paradiso, οι κέδροι |
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και άσπρο βότσαλο |
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και κόκκινη άμμος |
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η θέα από το Βριόκαστρο προς το Kavo Paradiso |
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η ομάδα των πεζοπόρων "κατακτά" το Βριόκαστρο |
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ο όρμος Χιλανδρίου και ο Χάρακας από το Βριόκαστρο |
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η παραλία Kavo Paradiso με τους κέδρους |
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ο φίλος μου ο Bogdan, φωτογράφος του National Geographic, αποφάσισε να πάει κολυμπώντας για υποβρύχιες λήψεις |
Κείμενο, Φωτογραφίες: Sophia Karagianni
Kavo Paradiso, the Cedar Paradise
Today I will take you to the most remote but also the most beautiful beach of the island: Kavo Paradiso. (The correct spelling would be Cavo Paradiso, but then it wouldn’t be distinguished from the one in Mykonos—or maybe someone once wrote it wrong, and it simply stayed that way.)
This beach started becoming known in the last ten years, when adventurous types discovered it while going there for camping. They later came back to describe this wild, hard-to-reach beach full of cedars: “you’ll hardly find it, and only with a 4x4 of course.”
And then Semi Sevastakis from Kefalos went there and opened a small canteen perfectly harmonized with the environment—made of straw, reeds, wood, hammocks, pirate flags, and all the good stuff. Just a few umbrellas and sunbeds, minimal compared to the size of the beach, and music that reminds you of tropical islands and magical vacations.
*Semi Sevastakis, owner of the canteen
From the village of Kefalos, you head towards Agios Ioannis Thymianos of Krikelos (that is, at the junction where the road to the right goes to Theologos and to the left to Agios Ioannis, you take the left turn). After Agios Ioannis, turn left again towards Agios Mamas. At some point, you’ll need to turn right. In general, there are wooden signs. The road is quite rough—if you’re lucky, it will have been repaired for the season. A good car can manage it during the summer months.
*The trademark of Kavo Paradiso: the cedars
In winter, don’t even try it, because the road gets ruined by the rain. If I’ve calculated correctly, from the point where the dirt road begins, it must be a total of 11–12 km of dirt track, which feels like an eternity. But believe me, once you see the beach from above, you’ll feel rewarded.
The first time I went, I ran away. The wind was raging, the sand whipped us, we couldn’t stand anywhere. Sand even got into my camera lens, and all I wanted was to get back in the car and leave. I thought all my effort was wasted, and I called my friend—who had recommended it to me as the most beautiful beach in the world—to complain.
*Both white pebbles
He apologized, saying he had forgotten to mention one detail: the truly beautiful part of the beach wasn’t right there in front of the canteen, but about a quarter of an hour’s walk to the left (as you come out onto the beach), at the end of the bay.
*And red sand
The changes in scenery during that short walk from the canteen to the massive rock at the edge of the bay are unbelievable. Depending on the season and the sunlight, the sand sometimes (not always) takes on a deep red color. I’ve even heard many people calling it “Red Beach” (like the famous one in Santorini).
Although the name Kavo Paradiso has prevailed and is now even marked on maps, the actual Greek name of the area is Ormos Chilandriou or Silandri. The origin of the name comes from the word cheladrion–chaladrion, the ancient term for a bed. Perhaps this coastal area resembled a bed to some, as the land is hollow.
As you continue walking toward the unique cedar beach, the landscape changes from sand to pebbles, then to rocks—sometimes impassable, where you may even need to wade a little into the sea to keep going.
You may also encounter nudists—it’s a very popular beach among them. Once you’ve crossed all the difficult parts, you’ll arrive at a very beautiful sandy cove. Of course, there are no sunbeds or umbrellas here, so you must arrange for shade yourself, since the cedars are very low and set further back from the shore.
Here lies the most beautiful and most secluded beach on the island. Here people come and stay endless hours, sometimes even days. Here I’ve seen the most incredible creations made of sand, wood, and stone. The calm and serenity you experience here will bring out your creative self.
Kavo Paradiso—or, as we said, Ormos Chilandriou—is located between Harakas and Ormos Moschaliou, west of Vriokastro. In fact, you can even reach the beach from Vriokastro, which lies on the top of the visible cliff. The view from Vriokastro down to Kavo Paradiso is breathtaking.
Once you reach the end, you may think there’s nowhere else to go. But for the daring, there’s still one more mission.
From the beach, the rock will look something like this (see photo). That hollow in the rock is actually a wonderful natural hole that goes right through. You can reach it either by swimming or by climbing rock by rock—though the latter can be a little dangerous, especially for your camera. Either way, the view will reward you once you arrive at the opening.
*My friend Bogdan, photographer for National Geographic, decided to swim there for underwater shots
Last summer, when we hosted journalists and photographers from National Geographic Romania on the island, I took them there. They were thrilled, and they featured a photo of Kavo Paradiso in the spread of their Dodecanese special. (See the post from that experience here:)
That’s if you go left as you come onto the beach. If you go right, the landscape is wild—huge rocks, stones—and after about ten minutes walking toward Harakas, it becomes impassable.
For the less adventurous—though getting there at all already makes you an adventurer—there’s always Semi with his canteen, his sunbeds, and his travel-inspired music. Of course, there’s no electricity, so if you’re lucky and the ice in his cooler has lasted, you can enjoy a cold beer. Otherwise, bring your own supplies—because once you get there, you won’t want to leave.
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