Apolon Sanctuary

Visible from every angle Kalamos, in the southeastern part of the island, 22 kilometers far from Chora, is a magnificent monument of nature and, undoubtedly, the jewel of Anafi. It is an imposing limestone rock formation 460 m high that connects to the rest of the island through a small isthmus.

According to local folklore, as you approach it, you feel something weighing on you. It is no coincidence that the French traveller Tournefort called it: “one of the most terrible rocks in the world”! In fact, it is considered the second largest in the Mediterranean Sea, after Gibraltar, while it is included in the Natura network of protected areas.

It hosts rare species of flora and presents impressive geomorphological structure. The rock was inhabited – at least occasionally – in medieval times as a shelter by various raiders.

At its highest end today hosts the Monastery of Kalamiotissa, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which is inextricably linked to legends and local traditions… It is a single-room church with a dome and idiosyncratic architectural structure, surrounded by few cells and a small tank.

On the north side of Kalamos is the Dragon Cave, a cave inaccessible from the sea and accessible only by a path. Its impressive spout exceeds 10 m height. Inside, the water dripping on the walls creates golden-green deposits, columns and natural troughs, while its stalactites are still in the formation stage. The locals believe that its interior ends at greater depths running along Kalamos with an exit to another smaller cave on the south side of the monolithic rock.