Diafani Kasos ferry

Diafani Guide

Located on the Greek island of Karpathos, the second largest of the Dodecanese group of islands in the Aegean Sea, is the town and port of Diafani. Karpathos lies roughly 50 km to the south west of the island of Rhodes in the part of the Mediterranean Sea called the Carpathian Sea. There are 11 villages on the island, one of which is Diafani which is located in the north of the island. The island is characterised by rugged mountains in the north and fertile fields in the south with an abundance of flowers in the winter and spring months. Visitors to the island can find amazing beaches, sometimes without crowds, nestling between the island's craggy cliffs.

The island has managed to retain its charm mainly because of its relatively remote location. The island has managed to preserve many of its traditional forms of dress, customs and dialect.

Karpathos is connected to neighbouring islands and to the mainland by ferry. The ferries provide transport to and from Piraeus, via Crete and Rhodes.

Kasos Guide

The Greek island of Kasos is the most southerly of the Dodecanese group of islands and has a history that is closely associated with the nearby island of Crete. The island's first inhabitants are thought to have been the Phoenicians, while Homer included the island as one of the islands that participated in the Trojan War. The small island had a significant naval presence and used its fleet to take part in the Revolution in 1821 which unfortunately resulted in its complete destruction by the Turks in 1824.

The island's more recent history is linked to the rest of the islands in the Dodecanese until they were all unified with Greece in 1948. Many of island's residents, and those of Karpathos, emigrated to America and Egypt, where they worked on the construction of the Suez Canal in the middle of the 19th century.

Kasos can be reached by ferry from Piraeus, Crete (Siteia, Aghios Nikolaos), Rhodes, Halki and Karpathos.