Thassos Waterfalls: A day of waterfall hunting in Thassos
Who said Thassos is only about beaches and mountains? The island will also surprise you with the number of waterfalls and creeks. So, if you are excited about a day of waterfall hunting in Thasos, get inspired by this itinerary! Ready to discover six Thassos waterfalls? Let’s roll.
How to visit the Thassos waterfalls
However, if you want to see all the Thasos waterfalls in a day, you would be better off using some medium to get around the island’s mountains and hills. That way, you can also cover more ground than you would on foot.
Hence, if you value the journey more than the destination, which is a sensible thing to do in such activities, you may want to avoid petrol-based vehicles. Let alone the extra cost of gas you have to cover.
So, what’s the other alternative? If you are up for a workout or feeling comfortable cycling, a mountain bike may be the best option. Of course, that can be a lot more tiring yet equally rewarding.
And that’s how this day trip of waterfall hunting in Thassos started: with a mountain e-bike from Studios Plaka all the way to Maries, Theologos, and Kastro in that order. In short, the level of comfort that an e-bike offers is unparalleled. If you put it in the fastest mode, you will hardly need to pedal!
Actually, all you need to do is put the bike on the lowest gear while having the e-bike speed level at 4 (TURBO) or 3 (EMTB). That way, you will have so little pressure on your legs that it will feel like you are going on a smooth downhill road! Yep, it feels and is that easy!
Getting to Theologos Waterfall Gourna
It took me only two hours to get from Studios Plaka to Theologos, through the village and lake of Maries. And the ebike speed level was always on level 2 out of 4: on TOUR mode. So the whole trip could be even faster if you had it in EMTB or TURBO mode.
You could save more battery and time if you get to Theologos through the main street. However, it is nothing as scenic as the mountain routes, and you have a mountain bike, so it makes sense to follow that path instead.
However, I knew I would pass again by the lake on the way back, so I rushed back to the ebike to get to Gournas waterfall early enough to find it empty. And I was pretty successful at that!
I reached Gourna waterfall by 8am, and it was completely empty! And before that, I even enjoyed a long downhill after passing by the crossroad above the lake of Maries.
Theologos Kefalogourna Waterfall
You can think of Gourna as an attraction with two sections. The above section is the most scenic, with deep waters and two separate waterfalls. Then, there is the second section below it with one tall waterfall.
To keep the children away from this place, they created stories about an evil spirit, Stoixina, haunting the waterfalls. You can think of it as a Boogeyman but in an ethereal form. Of course, that was more than enough reason for the children to stay away.
When you come here, you must be extra careful with the terrain. It can get pretty slippery near the bodies of water, so be conscious of that. Try to get to the above section first and then see if you feel comfortable walking down to the second section, which has more tricky access.
In either case, you can quickly enter the water. Use the path around the rock in the above section, and walk below the taller waterfall into the water. It will feel like you are swimming right into freezing waters, but you will get used to it quickly. If you get thirsty, you can even drink the water while swimming. It is that clean!
Once you move away from the waterfalls and the shade of the plane trees surrounding them, you can immediately feel the temperature change. Somewhere there, you will see an old watermill that is worth taking a pic.
Getting to Apostolus waterfall
Since I have done this route many times, I thought of trying the more direct mountain route from Theologos to Kastro. However, this path also proved to be immensely steep. That was a big mistake in my itinerary. So avoid that and follow the seemingly long road through the crossroad.
Both ways are scenic and worth covering. And the good news is that whichever route you choose, it is all downhill until the waterfall. Once you reach the bottom of the hill and before the road starts to go uphill, turn east through a path leading to Apostolus.
Apostolus waterfall
Depending on the period you visit, and whether it has recently rained, there may be lots of water or almost none. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, although the waterfall runs throughout the season.
What makes Apostolus spectacular is the location and the landscape. Having no satellite reception and surrounded by oak, pine, plane, and fir trees, you will feel one with nature from the first moment.
I stayed here for a good one and a half hours. I actually planned to also work a bit on my tablet. However, the environment was too out-of-this-world for me to waste even a second looking at screens.
Getting to Maries waterfalls
But before you get there, you will find Maries lake on your left. It is about an artificial lake with relatively easy access through the village Maries. This is your final stop in the mountains of Thasos for the day.
The Maries waterfalls
The tallest and loudest waterfall resides west of the lake. To access it, follow the dirt walking path opposite the local honey store. Once you reach lake level, keep walking until the end, and at the right, you will see a way down to the waterfall.
To visit the remaining three waterfalls, which are smaller but more scenic, you need to get back to the main dirt road. The goal is to go to the other side of the lake, through the store that sells honey. You will see a wide dirt road that leads there.
The first waterfall will be the easiest of the three to access. The water forms a pool which you can enter and cool down from the heat. There are even fish in the water if you pay attention.
However, you can go even further if you want or explore in more detail the landscape. In any case, I recommend you visit early morning or late afternoon when the sun is at its lowest.
The Way Back
Wanna see all waterfalls on a map?
I have put everything together on a Google Map, including steps and directions!
What do you think?
I hope you enjoyed this day trip idea of waterfall hunting in Thassos.
In case you would like a customized itinerary or a guided cycling tour, feel free to message me or check my TripAdvisor listing.
In any case, I would love to see any review or comment from you below.
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