Embonas is a small mountain village situated in the west of the island of Rhodes, close to Kritinia and the castle of Kritinia and just north of the village of Siana. It has a little over a thousand inhabitants and sees few tourists. Around the village many grapes are grown for wine production. There are fields of olive trees and pear trees. In the Embonas there are a number of factories where wine is produced and the village is therefore regarded as the wine capital of the island of Rhodes. In the village you can find a couple of nice tavernas and kafenions and there is a nice view of the sea and islands such as Aliminia and Chalki. There is also a good sized supermarket at the entrance of the village. In this traditional village there are pots with plants and flowers in the streets in front of the old white houses and there are a couple of squares with terraces where you can have a drink or something to eat. During a meal that we had here we were suddenly surprised by a number of musicians that started to play real live Cretan music, including a singer. Embonas has a large white church with a bell tower, and a Folklore Museum.

The village lies halfway up the mountain Attavyros, which is Rhodes highest mountain measuring 1215 meters. Embonas lies at 850 meters altitude, making it the highest situated village on the island. On top of this mountain the first king of Crete built a temple which was dedicated to Zeus and there are remnants of the Minoan period. For a picture of the remains of the temple of Zeus click here.