What a beautiful secluded beach Diakoftis is, located right behind the airport! Actually, it is not one beach but actually has two. More here later in this blog. It used to be a somewhat unknown beach, but in recent years Italians have discovered it.

Where is Diakoftis beach located?

The two little beaches of Diakoftis are located behind the airport, see coordinates below. The airport is located at the south-western tip of Karpathos. This requires you to drive quite a long way on a dirt road. We prefer to do this by car or quad bike. By scooter it is possible but you have to be careful of the stones.

Road towards Diakoftis

Seen from the airport, first turn left into the road to Arkassa, then immediately left again at the T-junction. Now you drive around the airport. When the asphalt road turns right away from the airport, turn right onto the dirt road (there is also a sign with Diakoftis). Follow this all the way to a T-junction. Here you turn left after which you will probably see some cars parked.

Parking at Diakoftis beach

You can park your car, quad bike or scooter here easily. However, it can be very busy during the high season. Then you will have to park a bit further back. The tip is therefore to go nice and early ;).

The two beaches of Diakoftis

The first beach

The first beach is right by the car park. This is the most popular beach of the two because it really is a dream beach. It is a sandy beach which is shallow for a large part, allowing the water to warm up nicely. The water here is so beautifully clear. You really are at the end of the island!

Second beach

For the second beach, you have to walk a bit further. This is a much larger beach and often a lot quieter. The water gets deeper a bit faster here, making it a bit cooler than the first beach. Definitely visit both beaches.

Good to know about Diakoftis

Here we are going to share with you some fun facts about Diakoftis. When it is wise to go to Diakoftis and what you should definitely do!

Don’t go when there is lot’s of wind!

Diakoftis is really a sandy beach and around the airport it can sometimes blow hard. Hence it is also a good windsurf spot 😉 . It is not wise when the wind is strong to go to Diakoftis. Then you will literally be sandblasted! With strong winds, it is better to go to the beaches to the east of Karpathos. Think Amoopi, Ahata, Kyra and Apella.

Planes

Especially on the second beach at Diakoftis, the planes come right over the sea! Especially in high season there are ”many” and big planes flying. But yes what is a lot on an island like Karpathos 😉 . We also sometimes experienced helicopters landing from the military. In fact, the plane also has a military base directly on it. As a result, you regularly see military jeeps driving by.

Photoshoot

Be sure to bring your camera! Both beaches are very photogenic, especially the first beach is also very shallow. We regularly see people having a whole photo shoot. The middle part between the two beaches is also photogenic. It is a rocky area surrounded by beautiful clear blue water.

Taverna

In the past, there was always a canteen between the two beaches. Here you could get a nice cold beer, but they also had some hot meals. Since a few years ago, they had to leave and a tarverna was built. Personally, we think this is a shame, because the canteen did have something and added to Diakoftis. The new taverna is modern and sometimes loud music is played.

Snorkelling

Surely Diakoftis is one of the best snorkelling spots on Karpathos. Both beaches are very different for snorkelling. The first beach is shallow for a long time, allowing quite a bit of shallow snorkelling. On the second beach, it gets deep faster and you can see large plateaus at depth. The great thing about Greece is and remains its clear water. So you can still see everything perfectly at depth!