Drakei Village Samos

The Drakei village or also called Drakos, we find it in the southwestern part of the Samos Ilands perched on rocky and steep slopes on the slopes of the Kekis mountain range. The capital is about seventy-two kilometers away, the Karlovasi village less than 50, while the closest is the Marathokampos village twenty-nine kilometers south inland.

A country surrounded by lush vegetation made of fragrant pine forests and Mediterranean scrub where Mother Nature still dominates and where you can savor the authentic atmosphere of the island of Samos.

The era of its origins is still a bit confusing in reality. Finds of gold coins from the Byzantine period, give the certainty that the area was already inhabited in 6 BC at the time of Emperor Justinian II and are also validated by the remains of the small Pyrgaki tower and that of Agios Nikolaos. In the period between 1476 and 1549, however, the pirates settled thanks to the magnificent position for controlling ships as well as a perfect base for attacking. Later around the seventh century AD the area had become a place of isolation and contemplation for the Orthodox monks who in the mid-fifteenth century came to be about five hundred considering that the whole island was home to a thousand. They used to live in caves or huts until small monasteries called Lavra such as Panagia Makrini, Agios Charalambos and Agios Georgios were erected which were destroyed during the period of Ottoman rule only to be rebuilt when St Paul stormed the island of Samos.

Its name is thought to derive from the first inhabitant of the village who bore the surname of Drakos, but a second version instead tells that it was given to him for the Drakano tower which was located right in front of the Ikaria Island which served as an observatory on the sea. in the area arriving with the view up to the beautiful Fourni island. In the times when Samos was a Hegemony, Drakei was united with the Kallithea village which is located thirteen kilometers to the south and constituted the area of Kalambaktas but later after the unification of the island with Greece in 1912 they split and became two distinct communities. It has a third name, it is also referred to as "The End of the World" as it is particularly isolated and where the road ends coming from the south.

A typical mountain village with houses that climb the slopes, narrow and almost fairy streets with a perfect sea view that on particularly clear days reaches Chios Island and Andros Island. Going west we meet the site of Pyrgaki where there was a fundamental watchtower especially during the Greek National Revolution of 1821 which allowed us to see in time the arrival of the invaders so that the population could save themselves and organize resistance. 

In Drakos village, you can find some truly delicious taverns where traditional food made with ancient and local recipes is served. If you want a different experience for your holiday in Samos, in Drakos you will find some accommodations where you can base yourself and then explore this wonderful and multifaceted island. Life here is of an exceptional quality, its inhabitants are long-lived and healthy thanks to a balanced diet made of local products, the large consumption of barley and rye as well as breathing healthy air and drinking pure water full of minerals.

Drakei is also known for being close to two of the wildest and most difficult to reach beaches of Samos, the Mikro Seitani beach and the Megalo Seitani beach, two pearls still intact in a fairytale environment where the luxuriant nature has been able to create a unique habitat so much that it does not even seem to be on an island. The two beaches are under environmental protection as the nearly endangered species of monk seal monachus monachus usually comes to these coasts to give birth to their young.

The whole area is beautiful and interesting, there are many villages that are part of the Drakei area. Aghios Isidoros for example about five kilometers on the coast, with its very few inhabitants, famous for the traditional shipyards where once the typical gulets were built by skilled hands, the Greek wooden boats of which only one of the Tarsanas family remained . Near Agios Isidoros the wild, remote and breathtaking Valsamos beach a small bay of colored sand, crystal clear waters with high steep cliffs on the sides where snorkelers can have fun like crazy!

And again the Kallithea village which, like in Drakei, you can see a sunset to leave you speechless. An ancient village where time seems to have stopped with its narrow and uphill streets, the main square with a tree that is more than 100 years old, the small taverns and the classic Kafenion where you can stop for a break and get to know the inhabitants who can tell you fantastic stories and time will pass that you will not even notice.

Until 1965 there was no road and the villages of Kallihea and Drakei were completely isolated.

Therefore, the most comfortable solution if we can call it that way is with a vehicle on the road that from Karlovasi crosses the whole area of Marathokambos passing through Kallithea with a length of about forty-five kilometers and are a continuum of hairpin bends, ups and downs but which on the other hand will give you fantastic views and that you will hardly be able to forget.

In reality, as the crow flies, it would be about ten kilometers at the most but it is almost impossible to build a road due to the continuous rocky and steep slopes of Kerkis Mount which in some points are just vertically towards the sea.

The second option is on foot. From Potami just follow the road to the beaches of Mikro and Megalo Seitani and then continue the path to Drakei. This is not an easy path, it must be said, you need suitable shoes and clothing and a lot of physical resistance.

Certainly a challenging stage but if you are looking for something different for your holiday in Greece, it is an excellent alternative to a lazy day at the beach. Write it down among the things to do in Samos and then decide, we are sure that if you embark on this little adventure you will be more than happy in the end.