Roukounas Beach Anafi
I’d have been very happy to spend every day at Klisidi Beach for the rest of my stay. Curiosity however, always gets the better of me. I’ve already fallen into a routine with Rhodamanthus the taxi driver. Every day he’d drive me back to Chora and before I had chance to get out of the taxi he’d say “Avrio?” I’d tell him yes and give him a time of around 09.30. He’d then respond with “Avrio Monastiri!”. Avrio Monastiri never came but today I thought that I’d mix it up a bit and head to Roukounas Beach.
Although there are several beaches off the beaten track, it’s too hot to faff around with tracks that are beaten or otherwise. What I know of Roukounas is that is a natural beach i.e. no sun loungers and the wearing of clothes is not obligatory. It has facilities for campers in the form of shower cabins and toilets and it also has a beach bar. I was curious to see what the camping element looked like. Would the beach be covered in pop-up tents or would it be a bit more discreet? I head off to explore.
Rhodamanthus drops me in a small car park behind the Ktina Rakounas Rooms and Papadia Taverna. The grounds of the rooms and taverna have well-tended flower beds and vegetable plots. I follow the path alongside a dry riverbed backed by swathes of tall bamboo plants. To the left is the shower and toilet block and on the right is the entrance to the path that leads up to Loupa Bar. Soon after is the entrance to the beach.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see that the beach is clear of tents. There is a small cluster at the back of the beach under the trees but quite unobtrusive. It’s a beautiful sand beach backed by tamarisk trees. It’s larger than Klisidi Beach but also more popular with visitors. This means that finding shade is more challenging even early in the morning.
In addition to the small pop up tents, there are also some very interesting makeshift camps that take advantage of the natural environment. The first one seems to have all the facilities necessary to spend days, weeks and maybe even months residing on a beach. Strung from the branches of the tree is a patterned sheet forming a shade-giving canopy. It’s kitted out with several camping chairs, a water container and solar lanterns suspended from the branches. The ‘pitch’ is big encircled by a boundary of rocks that seems to demark their territory. If that doesn’t say “Private Property – Keep Off” I don’t know what does!
The back of the beach is on a slope and quite rocky so this didn’t work for my aged bones. The only place with enough shade was on the very edge of the encampment that I’d just described. I was able to spread out my towel on a little patch that was relatively free of rocks. It wasn’t the most comfortable place but it gave me enough shade for a couple of hours.
Over to the right of me there was another structure that could have been taken out of the book of Robinson Crusoe. It’s rectangular frame had been woven from bamboo canes. The roof created for shade was covered with bamboo leaves all freely available along the edge of the river bed. At one point during the day, the owner of the pitch went off and returned with an armful of freshly cut bamboo and set about weaving more canes into the structure. It’s a work of art!
The beach shelves much more steeply than Klisidi Beach – you know it’s one of those beaches that results in a very un-elegant entry and exit to the sea – wobbly legs and flailing arms etc. Although it’s a sand beach there are a number of large stones along the shoreline and into the sea so reef shoes are a real benefit.
After several hours at Rakounas I call in at Loupa Bar for a drink. A track leads up to the bar, a wooden structure shaded with canvas canopies. The views over the bay and towards Kalamos Rock are pretty fabulous.
An Aperol Spritz? It would be rude not to!
There you have it – Roukounas Beach, Anafi!
Another fab beach – love Anafi!!
My favourite beach was Klisidi though this one was good too! ❤️