"We'd like to say a big thank-you to you all for being such excellent companions during our stay on such a wonderful island. Also a special thank-you to Tobias for being such a understanding and helpful guide for a really wonderful week."
(A. Frazer, October 2010)
Spring at Pláka (c)Tobias Schorr
Chapel at Oía (c)Tobias Schorr
Pearl of the Aegean
8-day walking and study tour on Santorini, Greece
Tour type
Walking & study tour: nature & culture - geology & volcanism - archaeology
Difficulty
Easy to Moderate
Duration
8 days / 7 nights
Santorini is one of the most well-known and beautiful islands worldwide. Despite its popularity, it still has many hidden treasures to discover.
On this relaxed walking tour, we lead you through its volcanically shaped landscapes off the beaten track. Guided by seasoned photographer and philhellene Tobias Schorr, the tour offers ample time to snap some great photos and admire nature's little details, including volcanic minerals, rare animals, endemic plants and archeological ruins.
Meet local people and get to know true Greek hospitality. Tobias, who has lived many years in Greece, has many friends on the island and knows the country better than anyone.
As an enthusiastic amateur in geology and mineralogy, he also transforms the tour into a great introduction to Santorini's fascinating geological history, highlighting as well its connection to ancient myths and history.
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- Spectacular caldera and volcanic landscapes
- Nature (many rare kinds of plants and animals)
- Rare orchids in springtime!
- Archaeological sites spanning thousands of years
- Intriguing volcanic features
- Rare minerals and ores
- Picturesque villages
- Encounters with many local people
- Boat-trip to the active volcano island of Nea Kameni and its active craters
8 days itinerary Santorini
Day 1: Getting to Santorini
Make your way to Santorini and we'll be there to pick you up from the airport or port and take you to your cozy locally run hotel in one of two picturesque villages, Oia or Akrotiri. Enjoy a delicious local dinner in the evening.
Day 2: Caldera walking
Take a spectacular walk along the caldera from Fira to Oia after a hearty breakfast. This could arguably be one of the most breathtaking walk of a lifetime, full of great opportunities to take fabulous photos. Get an initial overview on the geology of the island. Relax for dinner at sunset.
Day 3: Walk old trails between the castles of Pirgos and Emporio
Start the day with a filling breakfast then visit the charming hilltop village of Pirgos, crowned by its Venetian fortress overlooking the island. Walk the old trail through a pumice canyon to the picturesque village of Emporio, a labyrinthine medieval village with a hidden castle in its midst. Sample the local cuisine for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
Day 4: Akrotiri excavations, "Red Beach" and the cape Akrotiri
Visit the archeological excavations in Akrotiri, a highly sophisticated Bronze-Age town buried under the volcanic ashes of the Minoan eruption around 1613 BC. A professional archeologist guide brings life on the island 4000 years back to life in our imagination.
Take a walking tour from the village of Akrotiri to the Red Beach and to the area's historic lighthouse on the cape. Discover the oldest volcanic rock formations complete with fossilized sea life and rare minerals!
Day 5: Ancient Thira and Perissa beach
Visit the medieval fortified hilltop village of Pyrgos, explore the ancient acropolis of Thira and head down to the famous black sand beach of Perissa or Kamari.
Day 6: Boat trip to the Caldera's active volcano islands
Embark on a fascinating tour with a private chartered boat to the volcanic islands Nea and Palea Kameni in the middle of Santorini's caldera. Explore the volcanic craters and old lava flows of some of the world's youngest islands. Meet Sostis, the only man who lives on Palea Kameni island!
Day 7: Free day
Take a day off and see the different sides of Santorini for yourself. Go showing, take a swim in the sea or go on a hiking excursion. Meet the group for dinner later on.
Day 8: End of tour
Stay on in Santorini if you like or head back home. We'll make sure to take you to the airport or port if you're leaving.
Arrival info:
This tour starts and ends on Santorini.
Tour guide
Tobias Schorr is a German photographer and hobby-geologist with a long experience in guiding tours. He has been living for many years in Greece and did many tours to the Greek volcanoes Methana, Milos, Santorini, Nisyros and even older volcanoes like Lesvos. He is always having an eye on the small details like orchids, ancient items or even rare minerals.
Tobias Schorr with a piece of fossilized palm leaves from Santorini island.
Physical requirements
Normal good physical condition is required and you should have some experience walking on unpaved trails in hot, dry climate. The hikes on tours range between 1 and 5 hours, but include frequent and sometimes longer breaks and the pace of walking is very relaxed.
Reisen in Covid-Zeiten / Santorin 19-26.9.2020
Thorsten bei den Windmühlen von Emporio
Hallo Tobias,
es war sehr schön auf Santorin und ich möchte mich an dieser Stelle bei dir
und deiner Freundin für die gute Organisation bedanken.
Ihr habt mir das Gefühl von Sicherheit in dieser Corona geplagten Welt gegeben.
Das du mich dennoch betreut hast,
obwohl ich der einzig übrig gebliebene auf dieser Reise war, ist irgendwie ein kleines Wunder.
Und für mich kaum in Worte zu fassen.
Danke für die schönen Momente und für die sehr informativen Eindrücke,
die du mir sehr gut vermitteln konntest.
Man hat gemerkt, dass du dein Hobby lebst und anderen weitergibst.
Vielen Dank auch noch einmal für die Fotos, welche überwältigend geworden sind.
Diese werden mir helfen, diese besonderen Erinnerungen in Farbe festzuhalten.
Ich hoffe, dass ihr gut aus diesen schlimmen Zeiten herauskommt und einen fantastischen Neuanfang hinlegt.
Ich werde, falls mir das Schicksal wohlgesinnt ist, in Zukunft noch weitere Reisen buchen.
Geplant sind diese zumindest.
Liebe Grüße
Thorsten aus Hessen
"Thanks for making our visit a great experience" (Larray & Linda from Oregon about the tour on Santorini)
Feedback from our guests
The small group, guided by Tobias Schorr
The cinder cone and red beach at Acrotiri.
Often, we receive very nice cards or other small signs of appreciation after a tour has ended. Here's an example from our recent tour tour on Santorini in May 2019. More photos of the tour you can find here Tour Photos.
Feedback Milos-Tour April 2012
Customer feedback for the Milos-Tour in April 2012
"Dear tom,
Thanks a lot for great cooperation : travel agent called us to say guests had an outstanding tour with a wonderful guide J
All the best."
Olivier Jeannier
Agent de voyages Sales & Operations Specialtours & Groups
Tourisme Pour Tous
Myriam from France about our recent tour on Santorini
Les ponces de l'éruption Minoenne
Chèvre sur Palea Kameni
Le groupe avec des amis
"Bonjour de France, enfin du soleil ici pas le même que celui de Santorin bien sûr, mais c'est toujours agréable.
Le retour en France a été difficile après avoir vécu une semaine hors du commun dans un décor extraordinaire. Je remercie Tobias et toi pour votre façon de partager votre passion et de nous faire entrer dans cet univers décalé avec la vie "normale" de tous les jours.
J'ai apprécié la découverte géologique de l'île, l'initiation à la compréhension de la formation de l'île et des volcans, les rencontres avec des gens simples mais de caractère de Santorin.
Le temps s'est arrêté pendant une semaine et je garde des souvenirs d'odeurs, de couleurs, de plats partagés avec le groupe.j'ai revu les photos prises pendant le voyage, les couleurs et les paysages étaient tellement extraordinaires que les résultats sont surprenants même avec mon simple appareil photo. J'aimerais envoyer les photos de groupe prises dans la taverne de nicolas à "yurgos", peux-tu m'envoyer leur adresse?Egalement j'aimerais commander le livre de Walter Friedrich, mais je n'ai pas noté l'éditeur.Merci pour ces renseignements.
Bonne continuation dans tes voyages
ps: quelques photos jointes... Myriam" (Myriam T., Orléans)
Margrit from Potsdam about the Faszination Volcano tour on Santorini (Oct 09)
"Hallo Tom,
wieder einmal war es sehr schön auf Santorin und ich möchte mich für alles bedanken. Die Organisation, unser Hotel und die vielen neuen Eindrücke, welche du uns vermittelt hast sind kaum in Worte zu fassen. Vor allem aber danke, dass ich noch so kurzfristig teilnehmen konnte.
Eure Touren sind schon etwas Besonderes und mit viel Esprit, sehr persönlichen Einsatz, so dass man sich sofort wohlfühlt und immer gern wiederkommt.
Herzliche Grüße, Margrit" (Margrit from Potsdam, Faszination Volcano tour)
Gudrun from Dresden about the "Fascination Volcano" Tour in October 2009
"Hallo Tom,
nochmals vielen herzlichen Dank an Dich und die anderen für die schöne gemeinsame Woche mit dem gelungenen Mix aus Natur und Kultur, Sonne, buntem Stein und blauem Meer, Wandern und Neues Lernen, ein bisschen Anstrengung und Genuss!
... Weiterhin viel Glück bei allen Euren Unternehmungen und herzliche Grüße - Gudrun"
Sandra from California about the "Fascination Volcano" tour on Santorini:
"...Somehow I missed Tobias'link to photos and, fortunately, saw it through your note. Just finished looking at each image. Now, I"m exhausted! Stunning, and brings back keen memories, indeed. A whirling, dizzying journey to a version of Santorini unknown to most travelers. From moment we dropped luggage at Aktori to wine-tasting, to walk between villages, to our magical boat trips, to trek around caldera ledge, to climb up limestone mt., to smoking sulpher, to ancient city of Thira, to dreamy soups, best goat cheese, limpets and baklava...on and on. Tom and Tobias, our intrepid, ever-onward guides are a terrific team. Such compatibility among group of 17--wondrous again. How lucky was that??
Crazily, I just returned from 12 days in China...thus, a combo Greece/China 5-week adventure to savor and treasure. From yogurt, white villages & volcanoes to noodles, mountain temples & cave grottos. All intrigue and mystery and contrasts galore...
Best hugs,
Sandie"
Valerie's feedback from the trip on Santorini, May 2009
"Dear Tom & Tobias. Thank you for our remarkable trek in Santorini and Methana--for the beautiful memories and breathtaking photos.
... Coming home to Tobias'pictures gave me time to slow down and appreciate the remarkable experience we had.
I braved edges with Tom's help, jumped on boats with swirling seas (Daphne said I landed, elephant like, on poor Steve flattening him). ... The views took my breath away. ... Remember the oasis where we drank fresh squeezed orange juice and cake? I doubt whether juice will ever taste that good again. ... Little did I know that a bonus to our trip was the leader's desire for good food--and wine-- at the end of the day.
I have new appreciation for magma, volcanic bombs, the beauty of the caldera, smoking sulphur, adjectives that describe volcanic formations and olive trees found preserved in volcanic ash.
Thank you Tom and Tobias for a remarkable experience, and for your good choice in participants. It was a great group. Valerie" (Fascination Volcano, Santorini tour)
"... This was one of those wonderful adventures that we loved at the time, but loved even more as we looked back at all of the places we'd been, the lovely people we met, the great bond we developed. And......a birthday - high atop a volcano - that I will remember forever!
...Many hugs, Daphne" (D. Lewis, Washington, Santorini tour)
"Hi Tom,
This trip had everything! It was so much better than the standard tourist trip to Santorini (we felt so superior the folks who arrived on the 10 story floating skyscrapers and who apparently devoted their time on the island to shopping!). The hikes were good exercise, but with your encouragement to the less athletic among us, not too tough. We got to see so many parts of the island that most visitors don't get to see. And our reward for energetic hiking was delicious food, and lots of it. I appreciated that we got to eat a whole variety of local foods and wines which do not appear on the conventional menus of Greek restaurants in the U.S. I ate like a champ but didn't gain any weight!
I particularly appreciated the interpretation of the geology that you provided. On the way to the airport, you asked what was my favorite thing we did. I liked all the hikes, and especially the accomplishment of doing so much in a short time, but the big thrill, I think, was visiting the small geology museum in Perissa and seeing the critically significant preserved olive tree that you discovered and having you tell us about the find. Thanks for a really wonderful experience!" (Linda K, Olympia (WS), Santorini May 09)
"Hallo, Tom Zuerst vielen Dank für die tollen Photos, ich zeigte sie auch Helene und wir schwelgten wieder in Erinnerungen an unsere gemeinsamen Ferien. Es war eine wirkliche lehrreiche und zur gleichen Zeit auch sportliche Reise gewesen. Vor allem wurden auch unsere grauen Zellen aktiviert........
Auch über die Organisation muss ich Dir noch nachträglich ein grosses Lob aussprechen!!!!!
Irgendwann werde ich wieder eine Reise mit Deiner Organisation durchführen. Ich habe ja Einiges lesen können ( sites internet). Ich wünsche Dir eine schöne Adventszeit sowie natürlich auch vielleicht ruhige Weihnachten und einen tollen Rutsch ins Jahr 2009, sowie weiterhin viel Erfolg auf Deinen Reisen.
Und vielleicht irgendwann einmal wieder ?! Alles Liebe und Gute Uta" (
Fasination Vulkan, Santorin - Okt. 08)
"Tom, I'm thinking you might be on your way to Krakatau now -- I hope you all have a great trip. We had such an excellent time on our Santorini tour and I keep going back to your web site to figure out which volcano tour I want to try next... " (Jill, USA)
Thanks again, Tom, for
this great week in Santorini.
Thanks for your competency, your kindness, your support in all situation. Thanks for the ouzo, the orange juice, the wine ...Keep in touch, Marie-Paule (
Fascination Volcano, Santorini)
One of the participants sent us this nice spostcard she made herself.
Sacred Sites in Greece 2007 tour - hand-made postcard.
"Bonsoir Tom,
Merci pour les photos de Santorin qui sont magnifiques! Et encore
félicitations pour l'organisation de ce voyage. Quand on revoit les photos et le film qu'a fait Yvon, on se rend compte qu'on a non seulement
bien vu l'aspect Géologie de cette île, mais aussi l'aspect humain... Bonne continuation (les Suisses disent "bonne suite")
und alles gute. Nathalie et Yvon" (
Santorini tour, Sep. 2006)
"Un
très grand merci, Tom. Quel plaisir de revivre ces moments fabuleux grâce à tes photos ! J'espère que ton périple italo-sicilien se déroule aussi bien que le nôtre et je te redis ma reconnaissance pour la
qualité de l'organisation et les commentaires dont tu nous a fait bénéficier. Cordialement, Geneviève" (
Santorini tour, Sep. 2006)
Pirgos village on (Greek Easter) Good Friday (21 April 2006)
"Hi Tom, Now that we are back home, I wanted to thank you for your patience in showing us so many different aspects of Santorini: the history of volcanic eruptions and geology, local wine and food, Easter pageants, great walks and views, ancient excavations, etc. We enjoyed our stay very much! ... please give our regards to Koula and her family. We really appreciated that they invited us to share their fabulous Easter meal with them. It was very kind of Tobias to meet us for an evening on such short notice. ... Viele herzliche Gruesse Ursula and Bill" (May 2006, Ursula & Bill from Canada)
"Hi Tom,
just a note to
thank you for a great tour in October, it was great fun and I learned much, the food and company were excellent, the whole experience was fantastic. I see I even made it to the picture gallery! I have been busy with the thin sections, and have attached a few photos for you to look at. As is often the case ones that you expect to be good are disappointing, e.g. Cape Riva Ignimbrite, while Dacite, which looks to be just glass, shows a lot of structure, flow aligned crystals and good zoned feldspar and pyroxene. The sale of slides seems to be going well and I have stared a 'shop'on ebay
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Geosec-Slides which is difficult to keep stocked as they sell so quickly. The fund for future collecting expeditions is growing nicely! ... Once again thanks for October, send my regards to your Mother, and have a happy Christmas. Rob" (UK, Dec. 2005)
Karen inside a spectacular cooling fracture on the volcano of Methana.
Regina, Tobias and Karen in a cafe on Poros Island, Greece (Saronic Gulf tour, Oct. 2005).
"Hi Tom, Hi Tobias,
Just a very brief message to say "hello" and to thank
you for making my first encounter with Greece such a special one.
I have many fond recollections and stories to last a lifetime. ... I am slowly adjusting to life back in the states, but missing my traveling companions very much. Please send my best regards to Regina and remember too that you will always have a place to stay should you come to San Francisco. With warm regards. Karen" (San Francisco, Oct. 2005)
Some nice words from a mixed group on Santorini ... (French, English, German speaking)
"Thank you Tom for a wonderful week of discovery & wonderful surprises! Judith."
Lunch break on the volcano of Santorini (1)
Lunch break on the volcano of Santorini (2)
"Dear Tom
Many thanks for a wonderful trip to Santorini, it was great!Hope things go well at the conference. Well, I said I would send you the octopus photos so here they are, hope they don't clog your mailbox I have no zip function on this computer!
All the best
Ann" (Newcastle, UK)
"Hi Tom, Thanks again for the super week on Santorini! It really was the experience I expected and I would heartily recommend your trip to anyone interested in combining a holiday on the Greek islands with geologically fascinating day walks. Well done!" (Bob Davenport, Germany)
"…I am so pleased to tell you about Tom's Santorini tours! My preference for travel is to be "as close to the ground" as possible. By that I mean I avoid tourist areas and really look for unusual or cultural/educational experiences.
Tom's tours are both intimate and professional. Tom is an expert in not only volcanic activity past and present, but he is also an expert on Greek life and culture. He knows the people, and they love him. Because Tom has lived in Greece for several months of the year for several years, he is well known and appreciated by the locals. This appreciation for Tom and the people he brings on his tours is rewarded by the community with absolute joy in service. For example, the last night of the tour we had a meal at a taverna on a beach. The restaurant gave us each a choice of anything on the menu. We were treated to amazing traditional Greek food, from small fish to hardbread, feta and olives, and amazing desserts. All of this was served in casual fashion on a makeshift outdoor patio almost in the sea! (not quite)
My favourite day was the trip to the volcano. We boarded a small boat and were transported to the volcano by the most humerous and typically Greek character, Sostas. Sostas is a friend of Tom's and can be seen on the Discovery show featuring Tom and Sostas and this tour. We landed on the volcano and Tom explained its history and answered any questions we had. We then swam in the volcanic waters at Sostas's house as Sostas prepared a traditional fish soup, hardbread, feta made from the goats that wander around the hills surrounding Sosta's property, olives, ect. An absolutely marvelous day. I must point out local tours to the volcano generally involve large boats with hoards of tourists who are dropped off and picked up with no explanation of the volcanic activity or history. Tom ensures a personal and educational cultural experience." (Shelly Logan, Canada)
"Hello Tom, I send our last Bulletin because there is one article on the excursion Santorini. I profit to thank you again very much for the way you lead this tour all the people were very happy." (Pierre Vetsch, Société Vulcanologique de Genève, SVG) - the report (in French) is found in the Bulletin Nr. 45 of the SVG.
Extract of the bulletin report mentioned above, referring to the Oct. 2004 tour: "...L'histoire de Calliste (le très beau nom donné à cette île par les anciens Grecs) est extraordinairement bien inscrite sur les flancs de sa caldeira (plutôt des restes de ses caldeiras successives). Des évidences ont été trouvées pour au moins 4 caldeiras, suite à autant d'éruptions explosives. La dernière, la Minoenne, date de 1645 BC. Elle est gravée dans la mémoire de l'humanité... tellement elle est récente ! C'est tout cela, et bien d'autres choses encore, que nous sommes allés admirer (et tenté de comprendre) au cours de ce voyage.
Le magicien dans cette affaire, c'est Tom Pfeiffer, géologue-volcanologue mandaté par notre président pour nous accompagner. Tom a parfaitement répondu à notre attente. Passionné, attentif, pédagogue, à l'humour taquin, volontiers francophone, il nous a fait découvrir les secrets de cette île en sept jours bien remplis. Je parlerai plus loin de son parcours professionnel..." (Jean-Maurice Seigne, Genève, Switzerland)
