Arrival and transfer to the hotel, welcome dinner and short introduction to Cos volcanic history. After this short introduction we will stroll through the lanes of the beautiful town of Cos. There are many romantic places near the Venetian castle or the ancient market (agorá).  There are many nice bars, taverns and restaurants and we will find a nice place for our dinner.

Cos is famous for its old Venetian castle and the ancient market square. There are many nice spots. There is also a little Roman theatre.

Today we will take the ship to the island of Nisyros. On our way we will see the volcanoes Strongyli and the mining area of the volcanic Yali island. After a while we will arrive in the harbour of Mandraki where also our hotel is situated. The friendly family of Antonis Nicolitisis will offer us the famous Greek hospitality.

A small bus will bring us to the village of Nikia where the new volcanological museum is located. We will get an introduction of the volcanic of Nisyros island and other Greek volcanoes. In the case the museum is closed, we will directly drive to the caldera bottom with its craters. There we will walk into the hydrothermal explosion crater "Stefanos" with its many fumaroles and boiling hot solutions. The craters around “Stefanos”, like the Polyvotis craters have been researched by the GEOWARN project to find a system to warn the people of Nisyros in case of a new volcanic eruption. After the craters, we will walk on the western crater walls of the caldera. The monastery Stavros will be a great stop for a view over the volcanic caldera of Nisyros and after a few kilometres Mandraki town is in sight.  After returning to the hotel , there will be enough time to relax until the meeting for dinner in Mandraki.

Today we will do one of the most beautiful hiking tours on Nisyros. We will start at the little chapel of Evangelistria and walk through the edge of the caldera walls to the Nymphios high-plain. We will enter a mysterious valley with archaeological remnants of thousand of years. There is a little rock that is told to be part of an Minoan sanctuary dating back to 1600 B.C.! In one part of a lava dome we will discover a hidden chapel that is used in a sanctuary of surely prehistoric origin. Later we will ascend to the highest tops of Nisyros with the round "garden of Diavatis" - one of the most romantic places in Greece! We will have a great view onto the neighbour islands of Cos, Yali and we will recognize even Turkey.

Even that Nisyros is a small island, it needs a lot of time to discover all of its interesting sites. So today we will have a small bus to visit for example the villages Emporio, Pali or Avlaki. On of our main targets will be the area of the Liés beach because there are pumice deposits that contain rocks (xenoliths) that contain rare minerals like garnet or even spinel.

In the morning (or evening – it depends on the ship) we will sail back to the Kos island. The rest of the day you can swim at the sandy beach near our hotel in Kos or stroll through the lanes of the old town. In the evening we will meet for dinner. (B, D)

Transfer to the airport of Kos (KGS) and flight back to Athens and to your home country... Optional you may stay a few days longer in Athens or you may sail from Nisyros back to Piraeus & Athens.

Additional info

Physical requirements:

Some walking on smaller steep passages. You will need to have a secure step and a good feeling for balance. Walking distances of up to around 5-10 km, climbing of up to 600 m, walking times up to 4-8 hrs during a full day. For details, see section in main text. You should be able to walk over 4-8 hours (with many stops:-). It is not strolling, nor trekking or mountain climbing, but walking on paths and trails, so a good physical condition is needed.

Arrival info:

Arrival at Cos KGS airport and transfer by airport bus / taxi to the hotel in Cos town centre. Your tour guide, Tobias Schorr will welcome you at the airport and will drive together with you to your hotel. If Tobias Schorr can´t pick you up, a taxi driver will be waiting for you!