The Corfu Trail is a tailor made walking holiday to Corfu - in the footsteps of The Durrells!
Contact us for this or any other walking holidays on 01728 748209 or send an enquiry.
Walking in the olive-lined tracks of The Durrells ..... Crickets in long meadow grasses, gnarled trunks of timeless olive trees and turquoise oceans gently lapping against glistening pebbles. These are just some of the sights and sounds you can expect from The Corfu Trail: a self-guided walking holiday to the locati...
The Corfu Trail is a tailor made walking holiday to Corfu - in the footsteps of The Durrells!
Contact us for this or any other walking holidays on 01728 748209 or send an enquiry.
Walking in the olive-lined tracks of The Durrells ..... Crickets in long meadow grasses, gnarled trunks of timeless olive trees and turquoise oceans gently lapping against glistening pebbles. These are just some of the sights and sounds you can expect from The Corfu Trail: a self-guided walking holiday to the location of ITV’s popular television series capturing the life of naturalist Gerald Durrell and his family during the 1930’s.
Corfu is a great place to explore on foot. Walk the world-famous Corfu Trail on a 10 or 15 day trip, along undulating cobbled paths and inland tracks, from the rolling landscapes of the south to the mountainous north. Ascend Agii Deka, Corfu's second highest peak, pass friendly mountain villages, monasteries and quayside tavernas and swim in the turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea.
Walks are moderate to demanding with some steep ascents and descents. Trails follow a combination of rural roads, ancient pathways, tracks and footpaths and are all way-marked. As trips here are self-guided they are best suited to experienced walkers. Accommodation is mostly in small hotels and tavernas where full facilities will always be available, though not always en-suite. The best time of year to travel to Corfu is from May to June, when the island explodes with flowers after spring, and September to October, after the summer tourists have left. Temperatures during these months are pleasantly warm.
10 days | From £692 - Self-guided, for 2 or more persons travelling together
15 days | From £989 - Self-guided, for 2 or more persons travelling together
Excludes flights (contact us to add flights and other additional arrangements).
This walk is offered as a two-week holiday enabling you to complete the full trail, or as a ten-day holiday if you are looking for a shorter break to the paradise and peace of Greek island life.
ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrive Corfu. Optional walk if time permitting.
Day 2. Asprokavos to Santa Barbara Set out on the trail around a beautiful lake, where you might see birds and terrapins. Afterwards descend through olive groves and fields for lunch at the old town of Lefkimmi. Head across the Gardeno River valley, climbing to the west side of Corfu and then take a steep descent, on a narrow footpath, to the seemingly endless sandy beach of Santa Barbara.
Day 3. Santa Barbara to Paramonas Your route leads you along beaches and then through sand dunes covered with a forest of juniper and cedar trees. Then, crossing a footbridge, you reach Lake Korission, where you are sure to see a variety of wild birds. Tracks and an undulating section of road take you to Paramonas.
Day 4. Paramonas to Stavros/Benitses A sharp climb early in the walk takes you over the ridge and inland to the villages of Ano and Kato Pavliana. Footpaths and tracks take you down through Vouniatades. After passing through Strongili, you head uphill again, using an old cobbled way to reach Komianata. A brief walk downhill, mainly on delightful footpaths, takes you to Benitses.
Day 5. Benitses to Pelekas This tough day's walking starts with a transfer to Stavros following a delightful footpath that skirts Agii Deka Mountain, leading to Ano Garouna, from where you make a very sharp but brief ascent to the summit of Agii Deka, Corfu's second highest peak. A series of undulating tracks with very fine views over the west coast and inland bring you to Pelekas.
Day 6. Pelekas to Liapades Passing the village of Vatos follow the bank at the Ropa River, bordered by pasture and willow trees. Leaving the river, you ascend into olive blanketed hills, where tracks lead you to Liapades.
Day 7. Rest Day You may choose to stay on the beach or at the pool in front of your hotel, walk up to Liapades and explore the old village or, weather permitting, rent a boat and head along the coastline to find your own deserted beach.
Day 8. Liapades to Agios Georgios Climbing hills and passing olive groves you'll make your way from Liapades to Agios Georgios with views described as the 'best in Europe'.
Day 9. Agios Georgios to Ringini A quiet, part-asphalt road takes you through agricultural land alongside the Megapotamos River. You then pass through the two straggling, fairly picturesque, villages of Agros and Agios Athanasios, followed by a section along a quiet road past the rich monastery belonging to the latter village. Tracks then take you on to the road junction at Ringini.
Day 10. Ringini to Spartillas Your way is on tracks, which funnel you up a deep valley. Following a delightful cobbled path, you enter Sokraki, where the village square with its happy atmosphere insists you stop. Tracks and paths through wild and cultivated land take you on a gentle ascent to Spartillas.
Day 11. Spartillas to Agios Spyridon and Kalami Today the real mountain territory beckons. Starting, you are soon on a steep mountain footpath climbing a gully to a fantastic viewpoint at Taxiarchis Chapel. Descending now on a mountain track with fine views, you reach the high col of the main ridge, where both the northern and southern sections of Corfu are visible. You then descend to Old Perithia. You reach the sea at Almiros and follow the beach to the wild, bare headland which is Corfu's northernmost point, where a rough path along a low cliff takes you to the end of the Trail at Saint Spiridon Beach. From here should then take a taxi to your accommodation in Kalami.
Day 12. Rest Day You may choose to either laze on the beach, to eat at Lawrence Durrell's White House, or to explore the lovely coastal path in the other direction.
Day 13. Mountain and N.E Coastal Circuit Today is almost a circular walk that starts and finishes in Kalami. Climbing quickly into the hills you then follow high mountain flanks past Porta and onto the semi-ruined Mengoulas. Passing through Katavolos you drop down to the sea at Kaminaki. From here you follow a delightful coastal trail back to Kalami.
Day 14. Rest Day Enjoy your final day in Corfu minus hiking boots! Relax on the beach and indulge yourself with a lazy day. Alternatively visit bustling, historic Corfu Town.
Day 15. Depart Corfu
