Nas beach
Nas is a small "end of the road" place on the North Coast of Ikaria, a few miles west of Armenistis. The village beach is small but naturist friendly. Just follow the main track down past Astra Taverna and you'll find the path down to the beach. While we were there (early July 2006) even at its busiest there were no more than 30 people there of whom a good half were naturist. On other days we almost had the beach to ourselves.
The beach itself varies from fine grit through to pebbles. If the wind is in the wrong direction then the rocky cove can get too rough for swimming, but the locals have installed a safety rope to help any who get into difficulties.
My correspondents visited in July 2006. All in all a very pleasant and easy beach in a delightful friendly little village. They travelled there with Laskarina and despite the sniggers of the rep when describing the naturist nature of the beach, half the people at the meeting (four) were naked on the beach later that day.
Earlier reports described Nas as a small bay and tourist resort for "alternative" young people. It has always been a nudist beach since the beginning of tourism on the island in the late '70s. It is also a neglected archaeological site with the ruins of an ancient temple either of Artemis or Naiades. Though the beach is not large, the stream Halari creates a clear lagoon next to the ancient ruins. If the sea is too rough for swimming, young people escape into the spectacular canyon of Halari and they enjoy the river-pools and the small waterfalls.
Some years ago there were quite a lot of drugs around, but this has stopped more or less. It is a pity that camping is not officially allowed, however there is a lot of tolerance about sleeping on the beach or in the canyon (provided that there is no camp fire - locals are rightly very afraid of forest fires!)
Lots of Germans and Greeks, much live music in the tavernas on the hill over the bay and a great place for making friends. Nudism is not allowed (of course) but almost everybody down in the bay or up in the canyon follows the Naiades ancient tradition. Some uptight locals sometimes protest but they are not taken seriously, nor the police ever messes around, because a lot of people make a living out of this lifestyle. My correspondent rates this 75%.
Barefooters who visited in May/June 2005 described Nas beach as very small with large pebbles and very little sand. There were between 2 and 10 nude people, some couples, some single. It was quiet most of time.
2012: A lot of camping in the canyon including me and some people at the back of the beach. In August the beach was very busy and 99% textile, just a few of us not being bothered by all the material. Its past reputation has probably caught up with Nas and now it is very touristy. Best in early morning or around sunset. I liked the place but the water can be rough, a little dirty and gets deep quickly. There is a little mini-market near the tavernas.
2013: The local authority has put up new "No nudists" signs on the beaches around Arministis including the middle of Nas beach. The signs went up at the beginning of July and have reduced the number of people nude on the beach. There is no sign of anyone enforcing the order; however one Greek couple were shouting at 3 nudists, one male and two female, for being naked in front of their six-year-old daughter and pointing to the signs in justification. It will be interesting to see if the signs are still there at the end of the season.
2015: We visited Nas. The small beach was nice with 2/3 of the people nude.
The most amazing things were the little lakes along the river. A place you must visit.
Don't worry about the "no nudists" signs . Nobody cares! But be careful of the high waves if there is a north wind.
2018 June:
No signs anymore. We visited twice. On both occasions around 10 to 15 people on the beach, 90% naturist. But above the beach are quite a few tavernas and rooms, so not sure about late July and August.
2018 July:
As above, but with quite a few teenagers appearing once July hit, naturally too insecure to be stripping off in front of their mates at that age. No problem being nude here, even when it is busy.
2024 June:
Very few nude people until around 3 pm, increasing the number afterwards. Textiles seem to be the majority from the center to the east end of the beach. Nobody seems to have a problem though with the nude people from the middle to the western end. The former beautiful lakes are just a memory after the big storm in 2017 maybe 2018, don’t know exactly. The lakes that are left have only green stagnant water - I wouldn’t dare to swim there! I you haven’t got a tan yet, bring a parasol or some sun shelter!
2024 July:
The beach had an even mix of nudists and people wearing swimsuits. Most of the women were topless, but everyone was comfortable and accepting of whatever choice others made.
Fanari (Faros-Drakano)
Near the airport at the North East end of the island is the small resort of Fanari, which has an OFFICIAL beach. Well, it is marked on all the maps of the area and is signposted from the village. It's about a 15 or 20 minute walk from the village. It's a very long beach, loads of room, a few trees for shade. We visited very early June [2018], and only saw one other person using the beach. So we can claim it as 100% naturist!
Armenistis
A report from 2005 describes Armenistis as having clear water and very white sand and rocks - a magical, small and beautiful place.
July 2018: 2 beautiful beaches here, yes, but signs up on both stating 'No Nudism' - they are both pretty developed tourist beaches, so hard to see how one could go naked on either of them - I saw no-one nude here in the week I was in Armenistis.
Seychelles
This is one of Ikaria's most intriguing and beautiful beaches, and closely guarded by the villagers of the nearby village of Manganitis who would prefer to keep it their secret and for good reason. The pebble-rock beach is located within a picturesque and intimate cove setting. There are interesting rock formations all around and the colour of the crystal-clear water is unmatched. A small "private" cove beach adjacent to the main beach features a large cave. Seychelles Beach is located approximately 25 kilometres west of Agios Kirikos, just after the tunnel that leads further on into the village of Manganitis. The access to the beach is via a path which starts on the main road and descends along a river bed. The path is of medium difficulty and steep towards the end. Wear sturdy shoes. It is also sometimes possible to take a water taxi from Manganitis' fishing port. In 2015 1/3 of the people were nude.
2024 June
I thought that since it was a paradisiacal cove with very difficult access, I would be alone or at least in the company of like-minded. But I had forgotten one little detail: an infamous boat ferries hordes of families with hordes of children! 98% of the people were textile, with the exception of 2 or 3 topless women and myself, who began subtle protests: for example, I didn’t hysterically cover myself with a towel like everyone else there when changing or putting on my swimsuit. Harassed by children who haven’t understood yet that one meter is the absolutely minimum acceptable distance to play and bother a stranger around who looks at you as if he wants to burn you at the stake, I went to the sea. There, on the edge between the social farce and the deep blue sea, I had to choose between continuing with the social farce or offering my hairy ass to the sea: obviously, sanity and my hairy ass won. Okay, I did it on the left side of the big rock, where the topless women were; in any case, there were no protests. In summary, a beautiful cove that, however, is not worth it, unless someone gets there before you and informs you if it prevails a 'family' or natural state of mind.
Trapalo - Τραπάλου
2024 June
Trapalo is located about 4.5 km east of Karkinagri via a winding and uneven dirt road. If you rent a 50 cc scooter, be careful. Not a good idea to be 2 on such a scooter. It’s easier with more powerful motorcycles or cars. Upon arrival, you "drop down" towards the cove and will first come across a pleasant tavern (watch out for prices: they charged me €4 for a Mamos beer), and then you just need to go down a few steps to get to the beach. Up to the middle of the beach, there are some trees and vegetation. The few people there were all wearing swimsuits. In the eastern half, there was no one, so I was able to take off my clothes and be comfortable all day. After about an hour, a couple appeared, and they were both nude the entire time. The beach is very peaceful and the water is ideal for swimming. The pebbles are quite large and not comfortable to walk on though, but with footwear, you can walk without any problem.
Mileopo Beach
2024 July
It's not a very popular beach, and the road is a bit challenging, but manageable with a regular car. There were about six people there, all of whom were nudists.
