DESERTED ISLANDS
PERISTERA (Euonymos
or Xiro)
Position: East or Alonissos Area:
16 square km.
Highest point 259 meters. It is the nearest to Alonissos deserted
island, known because of its two safe natural harbors Vasiliko and
Peristeri.
KYRA PANAGIA (Pelagos
or pelagonisos)
Position: North-east of Alonissos
Area: 25 square km. Highest point
299 meters. It is the largest of the deserted islands. It is known
because of its monastery and because
of its two safe natural harbors, Planitis to the North-East and Agios
Petros to the South-West.
GIOURA (ancient
Gerontia)
Position: North-East of Kyra Panagia,
North-West of Piperi.
Area: 12 square km. Highest point
570 meters. It is known because of its Cyclops
cave, where according to the myth, the Cyclops Polyphemus was
blinded by Odysseus. To many travelers
it seemed a "devilish" island, because it is so intractable, rocky
and steep that it inspires fear in the visitor who chooses to set
foot on it. Totally suitable to this environment are the rare wild
goats. A wild variety with the name of Capra Aegagrus f. Circus is
still thought to survive here.
SKANTZOURA (ancient
Skandira)
Position: South-East of Alonissos
in the middle between Alonissos and Skyros. Area:
8 square km. Highest point 107 meters. This deserted island belongs
to the Mountain Athos and is a prohibited area of the national marine
park. In the middle of the island there is today an unused monastery.
There is a place to the South-West for boats to safely anchor.
PIPERI
Position: South-East of Kyra Panagia
Area: 8 square km. Highest point
352 meters. The island of Piperi and the sea surrounding it form the
kernel of the National Marine Park. Fishing is completely prohibited
within three miles of Piperi because this island is a very important
place for the survival of the Mediterranean Monk Seal.
PSATHOURA (ancient
Chrysi)
Position: North from Yioura. Area:
2 square km.
Highest point 15 meters. Psathoura is the northernmost deserted island
of this group. A big lighthouse
25 meters in height visible and 18 miles away, is built in the middle
of this island. The island is volcanic
in origin and its tropical beach
- perhaps the most beautiful in the Sporades - its dark color and
its flatness a mere 10-15 meters above the sea - are reminiscent of
the Polynesian Archipelago. In the sandy depth off the coast there
are sunken ruins.
DYO ADELPHOI
Two small deserted islands close to each other in the south of Alonissos,
about 4 miles away, where scuba diving
is permitted with diving teachers. You need to get a special license
from the Port Police in Patitiri before.
MARINE PARK
The need for the preservation
of the monk seal was the motive behind the formation of the
Marine Park. Definite attempts were
made in 1983 with the signing of an agreement between the Ministry
of Environmental Planning and Public Works and the EEC, resulting
in the research for the assessment of the environmental value of the
area.
The area consisting of the park is ideal and contains a natural Mediterranean
extremely well balanced ecosystem. The caves
on the land, the stalagmites, the
stalactites, the beaches and the
underwater caves not only have an
aesthetic value but a biological one as well. The geological and biological
evolutions of the Northern Sporades has its origins in prehistoric
times when the existing islands formed a peninsula joined to Pelion.
The largest known existing population of
the monk seal (monachus-monachus) lives in the Northern Sporades
and is being threatened with extinction. The rich flora and fauna
on the deserted islands is ideal for the dietary demands of the seal
and provide the proper conditions for their reproduction.
The deserted islands to the northeast
of Alonissos are a paradise full of wild life. The
island of Gioura is a botanical paradise for rare
plants and has a unique species of wild
goat. On Skantzoura and her
steep cliffs the falcon finds refuge along with the rare
Aegean seagull, while isolated reptile
populations of great interest also live on these deserted islands.
The island Piperi is the natural
refuge of the monk seal. Approaching the island or visiting it is
prohibited. Only research teams with a specific licence are allowed
to approach. On Geraka (on the northern
tip of Alonissos) a building was erected especially equipped for research
activities within the area of the Marine Park.
Besides protection of the seal monachus - monachus and the other rare
animals and plants, the objectives of the marine park include
the economic development of the area and the touristic upgrading of
the environment.
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