Karpathos is a long, narrow island — about 50 kilometres from north to south — and for many years its northern part remained practically unreachable by land.
The road connecting the centre of the island to Diafani was only asphalted recently, and before that anyone wanting to reach the north took the ferry. Diafani still exists within that logic: a small harbour, a few restaurants, few hotels, and the feeling of having reached a border.
From Diafani you set off for Olympos — the village perched on the mountain that's the true attraction of the north — on a small bus that climbs a breathtaking hairpin road. You also set off for Saria, the little island to the north, by boat. And this is where the ferries from Rhodes stop before continuing on to Crete.
Diafani is a place you arrive at. The fact that it's also a place you can stay is a bonus you don't expect.
The harbour of Diafani has a calm that isn't solitude. The fishermen go out at dawn, the little boats come and go for Saria, tourists heading to Olympos gather waiting for the bus. It's a place that works in its own way, on its own rhythms, and that asks nothing in return for simply being there.