
First glance
The small island of Saria offers unparallel pictures and
landscapes that spark the imagination. Would you like to visit the Doric Nisyros
(one of the four cities in Karpathos) or see how Saracen pirates turned the ancient
palaces into small arched houses? Would you pull down the church of Agia Sofia to
discover new parts of an ancient temple or pray along with the few residents in
the 1960s? No need to answer. Even if you just arrived to Saria or to Alimounta (the lair of
fishermen) nearby for swimming, you will still get enough of the rejuvenating energy
emitted on the island.
General Information
The island of Saria appears to be bound to the north side
of Karpathos. In the narrow part formed between the two lands, the minimum
distance is only 50m and the length of the channel is about 1.5sea mile.
Saria covers an area of only 21km2 (the 13th
longest island in the Dodecanese) and is characterized by steep cliffs, stone
withdrawal and rocky coasts.
All along the coastline there are surface and underwater
caves that serve as excellent shelters for the Mediterranean seal.
Onshore there are extensive shrubs, phrygana, clusters
of Turkish pine forests, as well as individual areas of abandoned olive groves.
The highest peak of Saria is Pachy Vouno with an
altitude of 631m. The whole island has been characterized as an Important Bird
Area of Greece according to Directive 79/409/ΕΕC, it constitutes a home for many
rare and endemic plant and animal species and presents a great archaeological
value.
