Ikaria Bouldering

Ikaria (also known as Icaria) is an island full of remarkable beauty that also includes a paradise of impressive granite boulders.  Ikaria is also known as the mountain in the sea, with peaks over 1,000m high.  As these granite boulders are located both close to the sea and in the mountains it is possible to boulder on Ikaria throughout the year.

Currently there are 9 developed bouldering areas established in the southwest part of Ikaria with over 300 boulder problems across a wide range of grades.  The quality of the granite boulders is excellent, being rough with perfect friction. 

The 2 largest bouldering areas on Ikaria are Agios Isidoros and Magganitis.  Agios Isidoros is located in the mountains where the huge granite rocks are spread across 11 sectors, creating a breath-taking “moon landscape”.  Magganitis is located in the south of the island close to the sea.  Here there is a unique rocky garden spread across 5 sectors, with the added bonus of some sport climbing routes.  The other 7 bouldering areas are Pezi, Prine, Kalamos, Mavri, Acrotiri, Karkinagri, and Mavrianu.

How to get Ikaria? Access to Ikaria is relatively easy from Athens either via ferry (6.5 hours) or plane (45 minutes).

When is the best time of the year to Boulder at Ikaria? For the bouldering areas in the mountains the best time of the year is from March to November.  For the bouldering areas at sea level the best time of the year is from October to April.  So during March and April is a great time of the year to boulder anywhere on Ikaria.

Which is the best guidebook for bouldering on Ikaria?  There is only 1 definitive guidebook called the Ikaria Bouldering Guidebook that details over 300 boulder problems, across a wide range of grades.  Buy this Ikaria Bouldering Guidebook from our shop.

There are around 120 sport routes on the Ikaria on small limestone crags and granite sea cliffs, though there is the potential for many more routes to be developed. The 6 main crags are Magganitis (near Seychelles Beach), Droutsoulas, Platanopi, Maggano, Daidalos, and Pounta.

Ikaria is predominantly mountainous island with a ridge line that climbs to just over 1,000m above sea level.  The higher peaks form part of the Atheras Mountain range with the tallest peak called Efanos at a height of 1,043m.

Ikaria has a well-marked network of hiking trails throughout the island that are suitable for all ages and abilities. These networks of paths or "monopatia" are a great way to explore Ikaria taking in an astonishing range of habitation from lots of vegetation, deep river valleys, varied forests and refreshingly clean water pools, both in the mountains and along the coast.

Buy the Anavasi Ikaria walking map from our shop that shows a great network of hiking trails at a scale of 1:35,000.