"Dear Tobias and staff,
Many thanks for the excellent tour on the Best Kept Secret, Nisyros island. The volcano was of course a vivid memory and just one of the higlights to the tour." Eleana, V. April 2010
The caldera of Nisyros volcano
Spiliani monastery
Spring on Nisyros
The ancient acropolis Paliocastro
At the Diavatis chapel
Aerial photo of Yali and Nisyros island
The crater Stefanos
Fomaroles at Ployvotis crater
A rare spinel crystal
Discover the island of Kos with its beautiful ancient town centre, its Venetian castle and the sanctuary of Asclepios! It is also a good starting point to our main target, Nisyros island. The small volcanic island of Nisyros, in the shadow of neighbouring Cos Island, is one of the most fascinating of Greece. It's well worth spending more than just a brief visit: formed entirely by colourful volcanic rocks, it is green, lush and not overcrowded by tourism. On this tour, we walk on century-old trails and see spectacular evidence of young volcanic activity, ancient ruins, endemic plants and animals. We will discover prehistoric sanctuaries and unknown ancient sites.
- The beautiful ancient town center of Kos
- Unspoiled nature and spectacular scenery
- Active craters and fumaroles on Nisyros volcano
- Beautiful villages & ancient places
- Romantic atmosphere
- Greek hospitality and island life
8 days itinerary
Day 1: Arrival on Cos island
Welcome on Kos island and a first round trip
Day 2: Discovering Cos
Discovering Cos town
Day 3: Sailing to Nisyros
Sailing to Nisyros
Day 4: Walking to the active craters of the Caldera
A visit of the active volcanoes in the middle of the island
Day 5: The hanging garden of Nisyros "Diavatis"
The highest tops of Nisyros volcanoes
Day 6: Round trip on Nisyros
Today we discover the island by car. We discover the villages, the Liés beach and may discover rare minerals.
Day 7: Return to Cos island
Transfer to Kos island by ship
Day 8: Departure from Cos
Flight back to your country
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!
Tour type: Walking & study tour: nature & culture - geology & volcanism - archaeology
Difficulty: Moderate
Group size: 6-10
Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Dates:
no scheduled dates at present
Price (per person): 1460 €
Included:
- 2 nights accommodation on Kos island
- 5 nights accommodation on Nisyros
- Half-board (breakfast & dinner)
- All transfers on Nisyros and on Kos
- Entry fees in Kos and on Nisyros
- Experienced tour guide (English, German & Greek speaking)
Tour guide:
Tobias Schorr
8 days itinerary
Day 1: Arrival on Cos island
The ancient market of Kos
A cat at the old mosque at Kos
Inside a windmill
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.
Day 2: Discovering Cos
The entrance to the ancient market of Cos town
The platane tree where the famous ancient doctor Hippocrates was teaching
The watermill café at Zia village
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.
Day 3: Sailing to Nisyros
The ancient acropolis Paliocastro of Mandraki/Nisyros
Ancient columns at the acropolis
Pilow lavas at the beach Kohlaki
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.
Day 4: Walking to the active craters of the Caldera
The caldera of Nisyros and the crater "Stefanos"
Sulphur crystals from the craters
Inside the new volcanological museum of Nikia
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.
Day 5: The hanging garden of Nisyros "Diavatis"
Part of the Minoan sanctuary at Nymphios valley
The hidden chapel of Nymphios
The "hanging garden of Diavatis"
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.
Day 6: Round trip on Nisyros
Looking for rare minerals on Nisyros
Spinel crystal (ca. 2-3 mm)
Garnet crystal (Grossular)
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.
Day 7: Return to Cos island
A nice road near the Venetian castle of Cos
Little chapel in the mountains of Cos
View over the ancient market of Cos
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)
Day 8: Departure from Cos
Arrival at Cos island with Aegean Airlines - the best & recommendable airline for domestic connections in Greece!
We depart from Nisyros with a local ship company
If you like, you can return to Piraeus (and Athens) by a ferry boat
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.
Prices for tours at custom dates: on request
Included:
- 2 nights accommodation on Kos island
- 5 nights accommodation on Nisyros
- Half-board (breakfast & dinner)
- All transfers on Nisyros and on Kos
- Entry fees in Kos and on Nisyros
- Experienced tour guide (English, German & Greek speaking)
Not included:
- Travel to and from Kos, Greece
- Drinks and extra meals
Discounts:
Returning customers receive 5% (or 8% - if you have been on at least 3 trips with us) discount on the base tour price.
Group booking discount: If at least 4 people together book this trip, 5% (additional) discount is given, combineable to a maximum of 10%.
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!
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