SAMOS is one of the larger islands in the Greek eastern Aegean, and one of the nearest to mainland Turkey, with less than 2 km of sea between them. Kokkari is situated on the north coast of Samos, 10km west of Samos Town, and sheltered from the southwest by the tall limestone range of Mt Ambelos. The mountain, with its once dense woodland cover, intercepts passing rain clouds and keeps the area lush and green in summer, in striking contrast to the other parts of the island such as the popular resort of Pythagorio (formerly known as Tigani – "frying-pan") in the southeast. It can also mean high ambient levels of humidity, which may make some of the steeper hills tiring, at least during your first few days.
The resort of Kokkari is built behind an older fishing harbour and around the two roads into the village, though it now has a bypass that skims off some of the north coast traffic. West from Kokkari are the beaches of Limonakia, Tzamadou and Tzabou, the coastal villages of Avlakia, Kambos, Sodoma, Platanakia, Agios Konstandinos and Livadaki, and the hill villages of Vourliotes, Manolates, Stavrinides and Ambelos.
