Central Chios · Moderate
Avgonyma to Anavatos
Why walk it
A short upland walk between a living stone village and the abandoned one on its cliff.
The route
1Leave Avgonyma westward past the last houses and pick up the track across the upland.
2Follow the ridge with the western sea ahead until Anavatos appears as a grey cone.
3Climb only the stabilised lower lanes of Anavatos; the upper village is ruinous.
4Return the same way, or continue by car to Nea Moni, 5 km east.
At a glance
- Distance
- 4.5 km · one way
- Walking time
- 1 h 15 min
- Effort
- Moderate
- Underfoot
- Old stone-laid path and track across open upland, with a steep, rough final climb inside Anavatos itself.
- Shade and water
- Open and exposed the whole way, with wind more often than shade. Water at Avgonyma only.
- Best time
- Late afternoon, so Anavatos is lit from the west. Not advisable in high wind.
- Start
- Avgonyma village, on the Nea Moni road.
Before you set out
Anavatos is a ruin, not a monument with railings. Sheer, unfenced drops. Keep well back from wall edges and do not climb on masonry.
Anavatos is a ruin, not a monument with railings. Sheer, unfenced drops. Keep well back from wall edges and do not climb on masonry.
On the way
Walking times are estimates.
They assume an unhurried pace and no stops. Add time for heat, photographs and lunch.
They assume an unhurried pace and no stops. Add time for heat, photographs and lunch.