Circular Walk from Apollona to the Korakia Bridge
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Tuesday, 2 December 2025
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Apollona to the Korakia Double Bridge
Circular walk between Apollona and Korakia Bridge on the Laerma road
A unique bridge that straddles both a deep gorge and a former bridge is the target of this 8 mile walk. This route crosses the countryside between the village of Apollona and the bridge, returning via a different route to make a satisfying circular adventure.
Apollona to the Korakia Double Bridge - Essential Information
Walk Statistics (calculated from GPX):
- Start location: Apollona
- Distance: km ( miles)
- Total Gain: metre ( ft)
- Total Descent: metre ( ft)
- Min Height: metre ( ft)
- Max Height: metre ( ft)
- Walk Time:
- Walk Grade: Moderate
- Terrain: track and road
Maps:
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- GPX Route File
Route Verification Details
- Date of Walk: 28/04/2025
- Walk Time: 09:00:00 to 13:30:00
- Walkers: Griff, Kat
- Weather Conditions: Warm, blue skies with some cloud
Walk Notes
Notes
Approximately halfway along the road connecting Laerma and Apollona lies an impressive double bridge spanning a narrow gorge. The lower structure is a single-arch stone bridge, its abutments now partially collapsed. Directly above it stands a modern concrete span that carries today’s traffic. The combination of old and new makes this an eye-catching stop, and many tourists pause here to take in both the bridge and the deep, water-carved gorge below, where water flows throughout the year.
Access by Road
The route across to the bridge is an asphalt road that, although narrow and winding in places, is easily accessible by car. Leaving Laerma, the road follows the western side of the Gadoura Reservoir before climbing steadily toward the Apollona–Platania road. Along the way, drivers will find frequent panoramic viewpoints and several informal pull-offs suitable for short stops. For visitors touring the island by car, this route offers an excellent introduction to the rural landscapes at the island’s centre.
Hiking Route from Apollona
For walkers, the most rewarding approach to the bridge begins in the village of Apollona. A circular route leads across relatively gentle terrain between the village and the gorge. In spring, the meadows are rich with grasses and wildflowers, set among olive groves and patches of woodland — though the scars of the 2023 Summer wildfires remain very much visible. The area is threaded with small streams flowing toward the Gadoura Reservoir, and running water is present for much of the year.
Hikers should be prepared to ford several of these streams. Most crossings are straightforward, as the water flows across shallow concrete fords. However, after periods of heavy rain, flooding may occur. Do not attempt the walk if the streams are in spate.
A Little Research and Investigation
Before outlining the walk itself, it is worthwhile investigating the historical context of the gorge and bridge and the road that serves it.
The name of the Bridge and Gorge
The only name found for either the bridge or the gorge that it crosses is Korakia. The name appears in just a single travel website (Ref 1), which has a page dedicated to the bridge. Neither present day or historic printed maps identify the bridge or the gorge. The name has been referenced on social media pages and on Google Maps, although in both instances the name may have been derived from the travel website. Despite exhaustive searches of the internet and online academic resources, both in Greek and English, no other reference to that name or specifically to a bridge on this road or the gorge can be found. We shall therefore refer to it as the Korakia Bridge throughout this article.
The word Korakia, “Κορακιάς”, is thought to be a Greek micro-toponym where a name is used as a local reference applied to either the area or a specific landscape formation. In this case the word is derived from the Greek word for crow, κοράκι, and is possibly a local name for either the gorge itself or the locality.
History of the Road and Bridge
Very little explicit information exists about the origins of the original stone bridge or its modern replacement. What follows is based on historic maps, guidebooks, and architectural inferences.
Early Mapping and Possible Construction Period
Italian maps from 1925 (Ref 3) and 1930 (Ref 4), and a 1940 (Ref 5, Ref 6) map produced by the British Army’s 512th Field Survey Company, show no bridge at the current crossing point. The 1925 map records only a path running along the western side of the gorge, without any continuation across to the east. The 1930 and 1940 maps do indicate a route between Laerma and Apollona, but this earlier route follows a different alignment — similar to the return leg of the walk described in this article — and crosses the river at an upstream ford rather than at the modern bridge crossing.
The stone bridge itself offers some clues to its age. Its semi-circular arch rules out construction during the Byzantine or Ottoman periods, when pointed “ogival” arches were the norm. The bridge features precisely cut, uniform voussoirs and a clean intrados, all of which are typical of early 20th-century civil engineering. Its narrow width suggests it was designed for pedestrians or pack animals, common for rural bridges before motor vehicles became widespread.
The bridge is faced in stone, but the core, based on photographs and site visits, appears to be concrete, as do the abutments. This type of concrete-and-stone construction is characteristic of Italian public works. During the Italian administration of Rhodes (1912–1943), many rural roads and simple single-span bridges of this kind were built across the island. If the maps are accurate in showing no bridge up to 1940, the most likely window for construction is between 1940 and 1943. A later Greek construction using similar techniques is possible, though no firm evidence supports this.
Clues from Later Guidebooks
A further reference appears in Rhodes: The Island of Flowers
by Paulette Tsimbouki (Ref 7). A hand-drawn map in the opening pages depicts a route between Laerma and Apollona. If this was intended as a tourist route, even just a dirt track, it is likely a bridge already existed by that time. This places possible construction between 1940 and roughly 1960, once again favouring the late Italian period.
More definitive hints come from a 1997 Insight Pocket Guide plainly titled Rhodes by Susanne Heidelck (Ref 8). It includes a photograph of the stone bridge in a ruinous state, with no modern concrete bridge above it. The image shows the abutments severely damaged, probably caused by heavy winter flows, making the crossing extremely difficult if not impossible. The guide’s description reinforces this, noting that the asphalt road from close to Laerma quickly deteriorated into a rough dirt track, and warning that drivers without a 4×4 risked damaging their vehicles axles. The text continues:
After about 6 miles you will notice a watercourse snaking through eroded stone. Look out for an arch, all that remains of the ruined bridge here. Follow the road that leads towards the water. In summer you can drive through the little stream here without difficulty. In other seasons check the depth of water before crossing. Be extremely cautious in winter as flash floods in the area often wash the roads away and people have even been killed.
The accompanying photo shows nothing more than a compacted gravel track. The exact location that is referred to for crossing the stream is unclear, but it may correspond to the ford used on the return leg of the walk described in this article. This is the first crossing point where there is any track capable of taking a vehicle.
A 2005 tourist guide still shows the route as an unsurfaced track as referenced by the map key. Only in 2011 does a surfaced road appear on tourist maps. It is therefore likely that the present asphalt road and modern concrete bridge were built sometime between 2005 and 2011, possibly as part of work related to the Gadoura Reservoir project (constructed 2002–2014).
The Gorge
The gorge is carved by one of the main feeder streams flowing into the Gadoura Reservoir. Early maps (1925–1940) label the stream as the Linni River, draining into what they record as the Gadoura River. Modern maps tend not to name the stream itself, referring only to the reservoir—Limni Fragmatos Gadoura (“Gadoura Dam Lake”).
The gorge’s walls are composed of soft volcanic tufa and conglomerate, easily eroded by flowing water. This type of geology naturally produces narrow channels, making single-span bridges the most practical solution. Similar formations are common throughout the interior of Rhodes, particularly around Laerma and Apollona.
The gorge is also known for its wildlife. Turtles, frogs, and freshwater crabs inhabit the shaded pools and channels, and water flows here throughout the year, fed by numerous small springs and streams rising in the hills around Apollona.
Travelogue: A Spring Walk to the Double Bridge of Apollona
We began this circular walk in the spring of 2025, the first time we had ever visited Rhodes during this season. Our hope was simple: to see the island alive with flowers, fresh growth, and flowing water, that brief window when Rhodes feels renewed after winter rains. We had rented a small house in Apollona for a few days, using it as a base to explore the countryside and, more immediately, to test whether it was even possible to navigate across open ground to the double bridge. As with many of our walks, the route existed mostly in theory, stitched together from satellite images that only suggested the presence of tracks. Previous visits had shown just how misleading the landscape could be, plenty of water courses, muddy gulleys, tracks turning into churned-up quagmires. We set out knowing that improvisation might be required.
Setting Out
We left the village early in the morning beneath bright spring sunshine, with only a scatter of clouds drifting overhead. The tracks south of Apollona are broad and welcoming, steadily descending from the mountain village of Apollona. At this time of year everything feels newly awakened: young shoots rising through the soil, fresh leaves unfurling on the trees, and the meadows thick with long grasses and wildflowers. It was exactly the Rhodian springtime we had hoped for.
To the west, Mount Attavyros dominated the skyline—its treeless summit rising starkly above the landscape, visible from miles around. Ahead of us the countryside opened out in broad, rolling folds, bounded by the hills around Laerma and backed by more distant ridges whose peaks caught the soft blue hues of the sky. It was one of those rare mornings when the simple act of walking feels like a delight, the kind of deep contentment the Greeks so perfectly describe as kefi (κεφι), that joyful sense of being fully present in the moment, with all cares temporarily forgotten.
Wildflowers and the First Streams
As we wandered on, the floral tapestry grew richer: magenta wild gladiolus, bright golden thistles, tiny blue pimpernels peeking out of the gravel, deep purple French lavender, and the soft pink fuzz of Mediterranean linseed. The meadows were crowded with buttercups, poppies, and dandelions, familiar, yet somehow made more striking by the sheer abundance.
We walked slowly, enjoying the warm sun and the sense of spring bursting open around us. The track ran roughly parallel to the Laerma road, gently descending until the first stream of the day crossed our path. A concrete ford made the crossing easy, and the water offered no real obstacle to traverse across, just splashing steps.
Through the Fire-Scarred Woods
Beyond this point the track slipped into woodland, or what had once been woodland, at least. The wildfires of the Summer of 2023 had torn through here, leaving behind blackened, skeletal pines solemnly pointing skywards, lifeless. Yet even amid the charcoal remains, new life was everywhere: fresh undergrowth pushing through the burnt debris, bright green shoots reclaiming a landscape that must have seemed hopeless only months before.
Another ford carried us over a second stream that was no more than a trickle of water, before the track opened again into meadows teeming with butterflies. The most conspicuous was the Clouded Yellow, fluttering alongside us as if escorting us toward the road to Laerma, where our path met the tarmac once more.
Along the Quiet Road
A 2-kilometre stretch of road followed, bending around the Stefanies hills, another area scarred by the 2023 fires. While there are paths across these hills, we decided that, for this exploratory walk, the certainty of the road was the safer bet. Traffic was minimal: the occasional tourist car, the odd battered old pickup truck. A few trees had somehow escaped the flames and offered welcome pockets of shade.
To our right, the land dropped steeply toward a stream feeding the main gorge. As we approached the bridge, we had an unexpected encounter: a crab, of all things, wandering along the roadside. He must have scaled the slope from the river valley, a remarkable achievement for such a small creature. He paused to regard us with equal curiosity, perhaps wondering how we had ended up so far from civilisation.
Reaching the Gorge and the Double Bridge
At last the road reached the doubled bend that crossed the gorge. After so much planning and anticipation, it was deeply satisfying to arrive here on foot rather than simply driving past. There is a small triumph in reaching a distant landmark through your own effort, a sense of fulfilment, a moment where the backpack can be dropped and the world admired with no urgency at all.
From a vantage point 50 metre or so from the bridge, the full beauty of the scene revealed itself. Crystal-clear mountain water flowed gently through the smooth, sculpted rock formations beneath the old stone bridge. The greenery of the hillsides and forests contrasted vividly with the pale contours of the gorge, all warmed by the Spring sunlight. It seemed impossible that the same quiet stream could, in winter, transform into a violent torrent capable of carving the rock so dramatically.
This was a moment that photographs can never quite fully capture, the essence of the stillness of the air, the clarity of the light, the sense of scale. To truly feel it, you have to stand there yourself, breathing in the scent of the wild herbs, and listening to the faint soothing sound of trickling water against stone.
The quiet trickling stream was interrupted by a series of high, sharp squawks emanating from the gorge below. At first we assumed this must be the squawk of birds. More listening, and some discussion. They were not birds. Frogs. They were frogs. Of course. On Rhodes frogs never croak; they squawk. Perhaps they were Karpathos frogs or Levant water frogs, both native to the island. It was a little disappointing that we saw no turtles, though travellers we’ve met at this bridge in the past years have claimed to have spotted them, on all occasions that we have passed through we are yet to witness them.
The Return Route
The path back was more adventurous. From the Laerma side of the bridge we took the track that forked away from the road, its starting point a usual place where tourists often park up when visiting the gorge. The track seemed to head the wrong way at first, but taking a junction with another track we were soon descending down towards a hedgerow that masked a stream, the same stream that was coursing through the gorge we had just come from. The track made a sharp turn and crossed the stream with no concrete ford, just the riverbed itself. We splashed through, shoes soaked but spirits high; a little water is part of the fun.
Further on we reached a meadow containing a mysterious stone block that resembled a triangulation point, but without its distinctive markings. Beyond it, the route became one of pure spring delight, more meadows, more flowers, more glimpses of the wild interior of Rhodes.
There were more streams to cross: one with a concrete ford, another a muddy pool blocked by logs and debris (fortunately passable by balancing across the logs in the debris), and finally one broad stream that we crossed with the ease of seasoned ford crossers.
A Final Pause
As we approached Apollona again, we passed the small chapel of the Holy Apostles (Εξωκκλήσι Αγίων Αποστόλων), a perfect place to rest in the shade before completing the final gentle walk into the village.
Reflections
Altogether, it was a rewarding and memorable walk, full of spring colour, quiet adventure, flowing water, open landscapes, and the striking beauty of the gorge and its twin bridges. It felt like a journey through the island’s first season of the year, taking in its history, and its resilience, and a reminder of why walking remains the most intimate way to truly meet a landscape.
References
The following sources were referenced in the construction of this article:
- Webpage for things to do in Laerma, from Rhodes Vacay site - this page features the Korakai Bridge
- Wikimedia selection of historic maps of Rhodes
- American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection - large scale versions of 1925 Italian maps of Rhodes (4 maps in total)
- 1930 map of rhodes Istituto geografico militare (Italie)
- 1940 British Army’s 512th Field Survey Company map for Rhodes. This map is a historical artefact related to military surveying activities during World War II. - Monte Attario
- 1940 British Army’s 512th Field Survey Company map for Rhodes. This map is a historical artefact related to military surveying activities during World War II. - Malona
- Rhodes : the island of flowers by Paulette Tsimbouki, 1960. This needs an account to borrow the book online
- Rhodes, by Susanne Heidelck, 1997. This needs an account to borrow the book online
Directions
- Navigate along the main road through to the centre of Apollona village. Look for the signpost for the museum that points down a side road adjacent to the Filiki Taverna. This is the start.
- After 150m where the road meets a square with the fire station directly ahead, take the road to the right of the building.
- After 400m, the track forks, take the left fork.
- Continue along this track for 3.7 km. Ignore all side tracks, keeping to the main track. At the end this merges onto the Laerma road.
- Follow the road for 2km where it crosses the gorge on the double bridge.
- To return, proceed 80 m up the road after crossing the bridge, there is a track on the right. Take this.
- Continue for 1.25 km after which there is a track on the right that leads down a hill.
- After 0.6 km this crosses a stream. Continue over this.
- Keep to the main track for a further 2.2 km after which a track leads off on the right. Take this
- After 0.7 km this merges with another track leading in from the right. Continue ahead..
- After a further 2km this merges on the fork with the track from the outbound journey. Keep to this to walk back into Apollona.
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
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