Le isole Drenia

The beautiful Halkidiki Peninsula, in addition to offering beaches of boundless beauty and an area where nature still manages to grow spontaneously and luxuriant despite the fact that in recent years it has become a perfect destination for a holiday in Greece, also has small pearls such as the little known islands Drenia.

We find them about two nautical miles from another wonder, the Ammouliani island and one and a half miles southwest from the port of Ouranoupouli. They are a complex of six small islets with hidden coves, golden beaches and virgin and uncontaminated places. The locals and in the past, the Drenia Islands called them Gaidaorounia which translated means the island of the donkey because according to legend, when the tireless and friendly animals were close to the end of their precious help, they were brought to these islands to finish theirtheir days in peace and freedom.

The Drenia are composed of Drenia the largest, Tigani, Pontiki, Feti, Penna and Artemis. What they have in common is that they are extraordinarily wild, so much so that they are all uninhabited, they have a sea that will leave even the most expert traveler speechless, a seabed where snorkelling and diving lovers will be able to discover a rich and particular underwater world, andfinally some idyllic beaches where you can enjoy a day at the beach.

If you manage to find an aerial photo of the Drenia, you will be able to notice a large blue line, a sort of "underwater road", it is none other than the ancient wall of the Akrothoi city which, according to Thucydides, helped the evil Xerxes to build the passage to thehis ships to enter and conquer Greece.

But let's go into the specifics of these six miracles of nature to get a more in depth general picture. Let's start with Drenia, certainly the most popular and most traveled destination for a day at the beach.It offers a 300 meter long sandy beach equipped with umbrellas and sunbeds and a restaurant where you can enjoy excellent fresh fish dishes and local tradition. With a walk going west, at the end of the island you can see the smaller sisters and a path climbs up the small cliff from which you have a perfect view of all the islets. The southern part, however, is terribly wild with a rich vegetation of shrubs and bushes, offering small rocky coves where you can stop for a swim and contemplate the incredible sea with crystal clear waters. We continue with Artemis or Artemide and also called Elia which means oil and the name is attributed to the fact of being rich in olive trees. It also has a sandy coastline of almost half a kilometer but completely free and primitive.

The Penna island or also known as Sparmeno is the second largest in the small archipelago. It is shaped like an hourglass forming two beaches on both sides. The coastline in front of the lagoon has shallow waters and is soft sand. Obviously they are free and not equipped therefore perfect for those who want a relaxing day without too many people around and fully enjoy nature. It owes its name to the fact that in the past the locals came here to sow wheat. We continue with the Feti island, the closest to Ammouliani. Made of rocky cliffs that emerge from the sea as if by magic with a green area right on its top. A tiny beach in front of the Drenia island from which you can swim to reach it, is ideal for snorkeling or diving.The Pontiki island, however, near the Artemis island, was a safe shelter for mooring the boats of the fishermen who used to go to the area in the morning. Finally, the Tigani or Tigania island, with sun and simple rocks but a sea of sparkling colors and transparent waters.

As you may have understood, the only way to reach this sort of Eden is by sea. You can decide either to participate in a daily excursion organized by the numerous agencies found in Halkidiki, or to rent a boat independently. For the second option, however, be careful, in some points the seabed is low and rocky and therefore maximum caution is required.