Mount Ochi rises above the town of Karystos, at the southern end of Evia, an island of Central Greece. Its summit reaches 1,398 metres. Just below it stands the Drakospito, or Dragon House, a building of huge stone blocks whose age and purpose are still debated. A signed trail climbs to it from the village of Myli in three to four hours, past a Roman quarry with unfinished columns and an old chestnut forest. On the other side of the mountain, the Dimosaris gorge runs down to the Aegean Sea, and an old cobbled path follows it for about 10 kilometres. The upper slopes are bare and windy. Karystos is reached by ferry from Rafina, a port east of Athens, or by road across Evia.
Geography
Mount Ochi stands at the southern end of the island of Evia, directly above the coastal town of Karystos. Its summit, Profitis Ilias, reaches 1,398 metres. On clear days the view from the top reaches the mountains of the Peloponnese and the islands of Chios and Samos. The upper slopes are bare and rocky, and strong north winds blow across them for much of the summer.
On the north-east side, the Dimosaris gorge runs for about 10 kilometres. It starts at a place called Petrokanalo, at about 950 metres, and ends at the beach of Kallianos on the Aegean Sea. The south slopes hold a green-veined marble, known as Karystian stone. Roman workers quarried it here and shipped it to Rome, and the old quarries can still be seen above the villages.
Activities
The main walk on Ochi is the climb to the summit. A signed trail starts at Myli, a village a few kilometres north of Karystos, the town at the foot of the mountain. It passes an ancient quarry and a steep stepped section, and reaches the mountain refuge, at about 1,050 metres, in about two and a half hours. The summit is about one hour further. A rough road for 4×4 vehicles also reaches the refuge from the village of Metochi and shortens the walk to about an hour.
The second well-known walk is the descent of the Dimosaris gorge. It starts at Petrokanalo, at about 950 metres, and follows an old cobbled path beside a stream for about 10 kilometres to the beach of Kallianos, in four to five hours. Near the small village of Lenosei the stream forms waterfalls and pools, and people swim in them in summer.
History & Culture
The Drakospito, or Dragon House, stands just below the summit, at almost 1,400 metres. It is a rectangular building of about 5 by 10 metres, made of large stone blocks fitted together without mortar, with walls 1.5 metres thick. Stone slabs that lean inwards form the roof. The stone over the entrance is about 4 metres long and weighs about 10 tons. About 25 such buildings are known in southern Evia. Scholars date them between the 5th and the 1st century BC, and they do not agree on their purpose: temples, guard posts and shelters for quarry workers have all been suggested.
On the path that climbs from the village of Myli lies Kylindroi, a Roman quarry with huge unfinished columns, the longest about 12 metres. The medieval castle of Castello Rosso stands on the lower slope, about 4 kilometres from the town of Karystos.
Nature & Outdoors
Kastanologgos, an old chestnut forest, grows at about 1,000 metres beside the mountain refuge, on the south side above the town of Karystos. A spring with drinking water rises there. The forest gives shelter to small mammals, birds and reptiles. Above it the mountain is open rock and low bushes.
The Dimosaris gorge, on the north-east side, is the greenest part of Ochi. Oaks, maples, chestnuts and heather grow in its upper part, and old plane trees and willows line the stream lower down. Rare plants grow in the gorge. Freshwater turtles and water snakes live in the pools. Eagles fly above the gorge, and dippers and owls nest in it. Further east, near the village of Platanistos, about 20 kilometres from Karystos, a stream runs under old plane trees and forms a waterfall beside the road.
Practical information
Getting there
The usual way is the car ferry from Rafina, a port east of Athens, to Marmari, a small port in the south of Evia. The crossing takes about an hour to an hour and a half and runs a few times a day. From Marmari, the town of Karystos is about 15 minutes by car. By road, Karystos is about 120 kilometres and two hours from Chalkida, the main town of the island. The trail to the summit starts at Myli, a village a few kilometres north of Karystos.
Good to know
The mountain refuge opens only for groups, by arrangement. It stands at about 1,050 metres and sleeps about 25 people, so ask in Karystos, the town at the foot of the mountain, well before your visit. A spring beside it has drinking water. For the Dimosaris gorge, local advice is to go with a certified guide. An information kiosk on the seafront of Karystos gives details of the organised walks. Carry water and sun protection on the upper slopes, which have no trees.
When to go
The summit can be climbed in any season, but strong north winds are common in summer and make the open upper slopes hard to walk on some days. Check the wind forecast, not only the temperature. In winter, snow can cover the top. Summer is the season for the Dimosaris gorge, because the path is shaded and the pools of the stream are good for swimming.
Getting around
The walk through the Dimosaris gorge ends about 10 kilometres from its start, so arrange a car or a taxi at both ends. A shorter visit is possible from the village of Lenosei, where a path of 20 to 30 minutes leads to the pools, but the dirt road to the village is rough. The road from the village of Metochi to the refuge is also rough and needs a 4×4. Taxis and organised walks start from Karystos, the town at the foot of the mountain.
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