Apolakkia Dam

Basically it is an artificial dam-lake with fresh and permanent water. From a lake, it was converted into a dam-lake, after the construction of a dam perpendicular to the stream of streak-river Stanitis, mainly for irrigation purposes. Three periodic streams feed water into the lake except for the Stannite stream. The slopes of the lake are relatively steep and only very few slopes are small and little wetland vegetation has been developed, mainly shrubby and superhard. The watershed is dominated by typical tree-lined, shrubby and toasted typical Mediterranean vegetation, while much of the pine forest appears to have burnt down a few years ago. The lake is within the boundaries of the Natura Special Conservation Area and Special Protection Area as well as within the Important Bird Area.

Near the dam-lake of Apolakkia lies the stone monastery of St. George of Varda, one of the most important Byzantine monuments of Rhodes, which was built in 1289 by Andronikos Paleologos and is famous for its icons.

It is a dam-lake / reservoir that was created in 1989 and was also included in the HBWC (Hellenic Biotope-Wetland Center) inventory. The environmental value of the lake resulting from its particular flora and fauna has made it a part of the Natura 2000 network as a protected area.

The Apolakkia dam is located about 3.5 kilometers north of the Apolakkia settlement in SW Rhodes. The road, for the most part, is asphalted, but there are also dirt roads. Sometimes in the winter, access becomes difficult as the ground slips due to the rain.