While the second-largest island in the Dodecanese is certainly growing as a tourist destination, it still doesn’t come close to the more popular islands in Greece – in visitor numbers or in fame. In part, it’s thanks to its remoteness. Located 242 sea miles from Piraeus between Rhodes and Crete, the ferry ride to Karpathos is long – however, it does have an airport, and can also be reached from the more famous island of Rhodes.

In an article published by Time Out last week, Karpathos was named one of the fourteen most underrated travel destinations in the world; “While tourists flock to watch the sunset on overcrowded Santorini or bronze back-to-back on Mykonos’s packed beaches, Greeks in the know take the four-hour ferry ride from Rhodes to the tiny Dodecanese island of Karpathos,” the article states, encouraging foreign tourists to follow the Greeks’ example: “Do the same and you’ll find yourself chilling on a string of near-deserted beaches lapped by pristine waters and frequented by Mediterranean monk seals. Lap up local food in the tavernas of Olympos, a mountain village that feels frozen in time, where women still wear colorful traditional outfits and donkeys are the only traffic.”

Indeed, the rural yet increasingly popular island offers more than a hundred beaches, many outdoor activities (including rock climbing and surfing), and picturesque villages that feel the way that Greece used to – the latter including traditional Olympos which, famously, for centuries was a self-governing matriarchal community.

If you’re still not convinced that Karpathos deserves a place on your bucket list for 2023, the island also recently earned a mention in the National Geographic’s annual list of breathtaking places around the world.

Find all our articles about the island of Karpathos here.