Agios Efstratios or Ai Stratis, as the locals call it, is an island of unique natural wealth and beauty. Picturesque beaches, rare geological formations, and sea caverns compose the enchanting scenery, while the countless oak trees that decorate its beaches offer their rich shade, a welcome coolness in the hot summer. Endless walks in nature and hiking trails amidst picturesque chapels and historical monuments will pleasantly monopolise your holiday.

A retreat and a refuge, equally for people tired by daily life in the urban beehive and for our rare fauna, it is here, in the sea caves of Ai Stratis, that the Mediterranean seal, Monachus Monachus, finds an ideal haven. The steep cliffs are home to predatory birds and seabirds. The steep coastal cliffs are home to predators (Eleonora’s Falcon) and other important sea birds (European Shag, seagulls, Yelkuan Shearwater), while rare plants can be found in spring lakes. 

Just when you think you have found yourselves on the island in the stories of the exiled, you are in for one last surprise: in the southeast part of Ai Stratis, vegetation is dominated by a one of a kind of oak forest that gives you priceless opportunities for walks and reveries. Besides, on such a small island, a road network of 50 kilometres of patent dirt roads reveals the intention of locals to utilize every inch of their land.

Agios Efstratios belongs to the “NATURA 2000” network of protected areas, since it includes important land and sea habitats.

Source: North Aegean Region - https://www.pvaigaiou.gov.gr