Rahes plateau

Akamatra, Ikaria: A Village of the Rahes Highlands

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Akamatra, Ikaria: A Village of the Rahes Highlands

Akamatra is a small, traditional village set on the Rahes plateau in the western highlands of Ikaria, an island in the north Aegean. Stone houses stand among pine and oak forest, near the larger settlement of Christos Raches. The village shares the unhurried, late-running rhythm that makes the Rahes region famous. Springs, gardens and orchards … Read more

Randi Forest, Ikaria: A Rare Ancient Oak Woodland

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Randi Forest, Ikaria: A Rare Ancient Oak Woodland

The Randi Forest crowns the western highlands of Ikaria, a dense woodland stretched across the slopes of the Rahes plateau. Holm oak dominates its shade, a rare survivor of the evergreen forest that once cloaked much of the Aegean. Stone paths thread the canopy, passing springs, streams and small chapels tucked under old branches. The … Read more