Sokastro Islet in Karpathos

The islet of Sokastro in Karpathos, Dodecanese: Sokastro is a tiny islet located opposite the port of Lefkos, on the western side of the island. It used to be a peninsula of Karpathos, but a strong earthquake in the ancient times detached this peninsula from the main island and the small islet of Sokastro was formed.

The islet is today uninhabited and can be visited by a tour boat from Lefkos. It has some small sandy beaches to swim and a wild rocky landscape. From there, you can get lovely views of Lefkos and the sea. Some remains of Medieval settlements can be seen in Sokastro and ruins from Byzantine fortifications. In fact, tradition has it that the Byzantine emperor Nikiforos Fokas had his shelter in Sokastro, while he was fighting the pirates plundering the Mediterranean Sea at that time.