At an altitude of 850 metres, Embonas village on the Dodecanese Greek island of Rhodes is the highest village on the island.
Because it’s a Greek name translated into English, you might also see Embonas referred to as ‘Emponas’ or ‘Embona’.
We go with ‘Embonas’ because it was the first name we came across the for the village. And that first discovery online was the one that made us think we really needed to visit this place!
An Afternoon In Embonas Village, Rhodes
Rhodes is an easy journey for us over from Fethiye with the high speed ferry.
We’ve done numerous day trips to explore Rhodes Town over the years. But when we decided on a short break, it was the perfect opportunity to hire a car for the day and wander further afield.
Road Tripping
The woman in the car hire place gave us a helpful map. She also told us the best circular route to take to fit in as many of the main places of interest as possible.
She didn’t mention Embonas, but it was top of our agenda so we asked her about it.
And as Lindos was one of the places she suggested – we’d been there previously – that was the place to be skipped in favour of our ‘little’ driving detour up the winding roads on the slopes of Mount Attavyros.
It was a hot June day. By the time we were heading up to the village, we were tired, a tad dishevelled and hungry!
‘Hungry’ is good, though. Because that was our main reason for winding our way along the steep roads on Rhodes’ highest mountain.
I’m always reading about different places. An avid armchair traveller when the physical process isn’t an option. And I’d read somewhere, at some point, that Embonas village is famous for its meat.
Lamb in particular.
It had stuck in my memory for over a year.
And, as we climbed, the hot June weather became pleasantly fresh and breezy. The sea-level summer temps had become more like spring.
All the better for enjoying our envisaged feast!
Attavyros Fame
Attavyros is known to many around Fethiye.
Especially in the clear air of the winter months, its silhouetted summit often reveals itself on the Çalış Beach horizon at sunset.
You get an even better view from the high coastal road between Faralya and Ölüdeniz.
And now, here we were, actually on its lush green slopes.
The village of Embonas is around 50 kilometres from Rhodes Town and its fame for meat is actually an aside…
Embonas Vineyards
Because Embonas village is also the most important grape producing village on Rhodes, with wineries and vineyards stretching up the slopes of Attavyros.
At the end of August, the village hosts its annual wine festival, complete with dancers in traditional costumes and a symbolic grape treading that brings the tradition to life.
Throughout August, villagers harvest grapes from the vineyards and pile them high in baskets scattered around the village.
It must be a great sight.
Amongst others, Alexandris Winery is one of the well known local vineyards which offer tours and wine tasting sessions.
There are also a couple of places where you can enjoy some wine tasting, purchase some of the tipples and also some of the famous Embonas extra virgin olive oil, honey and souma (Rhodian ouzo).
No wine tasting for this driver, sadly, but that can be an experience for another day.
If you fancy a bit of wine tasting and an organised tour of a vineyard, there are organised trips you can book. Or you could also hire a driver for the day. There are numerous wineries to visit both in Embonas and nearby areas.
This is the heart of the Rhodes wine region.
Elsewhere around the tiny village centre, small souvenir shops sell souvenirs made by locals.
And there’s the main church of Embonas which is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Football With Views
There’s also a rather impressive football pitch…
Look at those views!
We can only imagine how many footballs have soared over the boundary fence over the years and bounced their way down the mountainside!
Time To Eat
But anyway, we’d driven all this way – from the east side of the island – for food!
We’d mentioned about my lamb memory to the woman in the car hire office. She immediately said we must be talking about Bakis Manolis Taverna.
And it didn’t take us long to find Bakis Taverna with its unassuming sign outside, informing those entering that they have been here since 1903.
Two other foreign diners. Plus a group of burly Greek guys tucking into their mezze and washing it down with souma.
Embonas Lamb
We asked the waitress about the lamb – which pleased her no end. Then she gave us a couple of suggestions.
One of each, then.
Lamb souvlaki and slow-cooked fall-off-the-bone lamb.
If you know Turkish food, think kuzu tandır.
Except this Greek version – a kleftiko minus the potatoes – was cooked in a tomato and wine sauce.
Pork Sausages
Not photographed but we also couldn’t resist ordering a couple of pork sausages. Pigs as well as lambs prevail up here on the mountain, too.
Would we like a salad for the table, too? Yeah why not.
Best meal we’ve ever had in Greece?
For us, ‘best meals’ are as much about the time and the place as well as the great food. We both agree, this was the best meal we’ve had on any of our little adventures in Greece.
A family taverna that has obviously seen some great village gatherings over the years, judging by the size of the place. And the numerous photos adorning the walls and shelves.
We’d been up since early morning; fitting in Kallithea Springs, Seven Springs and a hike through the Valley of the Butterflies. After all that driving and scrambling, the cool mountain air felt like a reward. Now we were finally sat down with a tableful of great home cooked food.
No fancy presentation. The two sausages really were just two sausages on the plate.
The lamb plates were just perfect.
There was rustic garlic bread.
And the salad – we just didn’t know where to start with it! It was huge!
Under the obligatory slab of feta cheese was a pile of chopped salad stuffs and vegetables.
One leaf we couldn’t place.
The waitress told us they were caper leaves. A common addition to dishes in Greek cuisine, I’ve since found out.
We didn’t rush over our late lunch, early dinner.
It was a leisurely affair which more than fulfilled any hunger pangs we had on arrival. And none of it had disappointed.
Very much the opposite!
Back to Sea Level
But the time did eventually come for us to press on.
We headed down and down from the village of Embonas towards the sea level of the more rugged west coast of the island.
Still time to visit the ancient city of Kamiros before dropping the car off. Then enjoying a well-earned cold beer or two back in the old town.
We certainly didn’t need to eat again that day!
And as usual with us, the more we see and do, the more we realise we haven’t seen and done.
We’ll be back again for more.
Embonas Village, Rhodes – Useful Info
- We hired a car to get to the village of Embonas because we were also driving around other areas. If you’re keen to explore local wines, book a tasting tour or hire a driver to take you around. There’s also a couple of places where you can book an overnight stay in Embonas, too.
- There is also a public bus from Rhodes Town to Embonas. A journey time of approximately 90 minutes. These are few and far between so make sure you know the return time. When we asked about the bus on a previous visit, it wasn’t running on Sundays.
- If you’re visiting Embonas in cooler weather, this is a good place for nature lovers – there’s a national park with hiking trail. It’s also possible to hike to the summit of Attavyros from the village (described as challenging).
- Other sites of interest close by are Artamitis Monastery – built on the site of a Temple of Artemis – and the 15th Century Kritinia Castle. Both on our list for another day…
- If you’re a fan of villages as well as coastline, check out another Rhodian village we visited; Koskinou.