Halki is a very picturesque little island, fairly barren, but still has its share of spectacular sights. For the walker it is a nice place, even though old paths are becoming disused and even fenced away, the roads are still ok, as there is hardly any cars.

Halki is an island where you need to come prepared, there are very few people that actually live here the year around, so most properties are just holiday homes. For this reason it is necessary to book ahead, but there is a plethora of apartments to choose from, and more are being built…

Eating can be done in fairly simple but genuinely feeling tavernas in the port, or you can go to the fabulously great Nick’s Taverna in Pontamos, just 10 minutes or so away even on foot. Here you can feast on fresh fish prepared to such perfection that even the formerly wonderful Alexis Fish Taverna in Rhodes Town can no longer compete.

Selected walks: For walks on the island have a look in “Rhodes Karpathos Kos Southern Dodecanese” by Dieter Graf (referred to below as “/Graf/”), 2nd edition.

•1 EMPÓRIO – PEFKIA – KARNIÁ – EMPÓRIO (my total time 2h51; 310a 314d; net walking time 2h13): This is walk 33 in /Graf/.

The trailhead for this footpath has been blocked off, as there is a newly built house on the lot to the right of the “dilapidated two-storey house”. Instead you can find a leafy alley further down going in past a couple of houses, and ending at a makeshift gate. From here you can scramble up towards the clearly visible chapel (Kyriaki), where you can take left on a rough vehicle track. No paths can be seen, and they would have been fenced off by now anyway. Unfasten and refasten a big metal gate to get onto the asphalt road.

Up towards Pefkia it is rough but ok, but DO RETURN THE SAME WAY back to the road. I could not see any possible other route, fences everywhere.

After the fish farm things get rough again, and it seems there are two possible options. The instructions in /Graf/ is incomprehensible, but you can basically choose between two saddles, a higher shorter route or a flatter longer one. I took the flatter one, but it seems /Graf/ went the other way.

Entering Empório again, new building activities and a gate. Not sure for how long this will still be passable.

•2 EMPÓRIO – CHORIO – KILLA – EMPÓRIO (my total time 2h57; 679a 696d; net walking time 2h28): This is based on walk 34 in /Graf/, but just strolling along the road, ignoring any paths and side quests.

Note that the footpath used by /Graf/ on the return towards Pontamos is fenched off by a new recycling plant (or whatever). Actually most paths mentioned in the book does not exist anymore, the single footpath NOT used in the book does however exist and is even very nice. All this is explored in walk 3 below.

Also note that even the Moni Taxiárchis road seemed closed by a huge solid locked gate.

/Graf/ has the name of the newer church above Killa as “Áyios Ioánniou”. I am not so sure on that one, refer to the map above.

On the return, I would not recommend hunting out any paths from Killa. This path MAY in fact exist, but getting yourself down to he asphalt road again might prove difficult. The walk is most conveniently ended at Nick’s taverna in Pontamos.

•3 EMPÓRIO – THE CASTLE – EMPÓRIO (my total time 2h49; 421a 428d; net walking time 1h54): This is another walk based on walk 34 in /Graf/, trying to hunt out any surviving footpaths, and only going as far as the castle. My total time includes lots of such exploration.

From Empório, on the right side of the road, a small parking space and a sign “Palaio Chorio” (see picture above). Here starts a wonderful little path, unexplainably NOT used in /Graf/ (although visible on its map). It passes a small white chapel. When the track followed in /Graf/ comes in from the left, you have not much choice but to follow it BACK LEFT towards the asphalt road again, to circumvent the recycling plant. Then get back on the path by taking right on the first track after it. Here you will be able to pick up the markings of the by now very faint footpath, for what it is worth.

You MAY also continue to explore the remains of the path towards the recycling plant, until the way is blocked. It even MAY be possible to get though by crossing a fence on your RIGHT that has been trampled down, but getting back on track (back left, over the fence again) will be more difficult, at least to me it looked very risky. The exploration here IS however included in my total time above.

Eventually the footpath will reenter the road, by a bridge. Follow the road around the curve and pick up the continuing footpath straight up into Chorio on the left.

Take your time exploring Chorio and the castle.

Of course on your return the walk must end at Nick’s taverna in Pontamos.

• Good starting points: • Empório (the port)

• How to get there: • More or less daily ferries from Rhodes

• More info: Sorry, none yet