Greek Islands Gulet Cruise & Hike #2
Southern Dodecanese

Arrive independently in Bodrum, Turkey, today if you have not already stayed here the night before. Bodrum is a lovely town with a fascinating history and it is well worth a visit. We meet today at 13:00 for lunch in town (we have an office where you can store your luggage if required). We board the boat, usually at 15:00. After a pleasant 1.5-hour cruise, we arrive in Kos harbor, where our agents will clear us through Greek customs. While they do that, we can get off the boat and take in a sampling of the island’s rich history that is reflected in its architecture and historic monuments. The harbor is guarded by the imposing castle of the Knights of St. John, while 17th-century Ottoman mosques stand next to austere Italian public buildings built during the Fascist period. Weather and time permitting, we will leave for a 1 hour passage to tiny Pserimos island (population 130), where we moor in an idyllic bay. Dive into the crystal clear water or stretch your legs with a 45-minute loop hike before dinner dinner on board beneath the stars. Overnight Pserimos Island. Lunch and dinner included.

Enjoy breakfast on board as we cruise to Tilos Island. We disembark late morning for a hike along the coast and then inland to Mikro Chorio, an eerie village that was abandoned in the 1950’s. We hike amongst the ancient terraces of olive, walnut, and carob trees before descending to Lavidia village for a late lunch in a wonderful beachside taverna.  Later in the afternoon, those who want to get some exercise can disembark for a beautiful and relatively vigorous hike that follows an ancient trail that linked Tilos Port with a settlement of stone and thatch houses that have long been abandoned. Return to the boat for dinner on board. The Hike: Morning: 3 hours. 7.9 kms/5 miles. 310 m/990 feet Elevation gain and loss. Good path all the way. The final km is on a paved road to the village. Afternoon hike: 2 hours. 5.6 kms/3.5 miles. 195 m/620 feet Elevation gain and loss. It's a good, wide path most of the way, with the final km on a narrow, rocky path down to the beach. Overnight Tilos Island. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Dive into the tranquil turquoise waters of the Aegean for an invigorating start to your day. Follow up with breakfast on board as we head for Chalki Island, one of the smallest inhabited islands in Greece. We pull into a spectacular mini fjord on the island's North side for a swim and lunch. Afterward, we drop off at the beach for a beautiful hike that takes us over the island's spine to Kania beach, where we enjoy a leisurely swim before getting back on board the yacht. A short cruise to Imborios lets you see the charming pastel-coloured village houses from the sea. We moor here and watch the last rays of the setting sun light up a line of stone windmills that sit in profile on a ridge above the village. Dinner is at our favorite seaside taverna in the village. The Hike: 2 hours. 5.4 kms/3.2 miles. 260 m/850 Elevation gain and loss. Rough, rocky path with a short, steep beginning. More gradual climb and then an easy descent on a rocky path. The final km is on a paved road to the beach.  Overnight Chalki Island. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

A relaxed morning starts with a swim and then breakfast while looking onto the peaceful village of Imborious. We disembark for a hike up to the 13th-century castle of Saint John. The path takes us through the ruins and into the castle to a wonderful 360-degree lookout. We rejoin the boat for a short cruise to Alimia island, where we anchor for a swim and lunch in the horseshoe bay watched over by a crusader castle. An afternoon cruise brings us to the southern shore of Symi Island, where we get dropped on the beach to hike up a narrow path into the hills for a  spectacular south-to-north traverse across the island. The hike ends in colorful Symi town. At the turn of the 20th century, Symi was a prosperous port thanks to the sponge fishery. The town boasts stylish “mansions” built in the late 1800’s. Sadly, the island was bombarded during WWII and suffered an economic decline, which has recently been reversed as the Symi diaspora has returned to repair and restore their noble homes. The gulet will be tied up in the harbor, so you have time to explore Symi’s shops, cafes, and tavernas. This evening, we have a fabulous seafood dinner at a local taverna. The Hike: Morning: 2 hours. 5.6 kms with 270 m/860 feet of elevation gain and descent. Paved road, then stone flagstone steps that descend to a gravel road. Afternoon: 2 hours and 15 minutes. 290 m/930 feet of elevation gain and descent. Initial ascent on a narrow, rocky trail. Some asphalt road, descent on an ancient flagstone path to the top of Symi town, and stairs down to the sea. Overnight Symi town. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

We have a relaxed morning, breakfast on board, and then time for a swim in a sheltered bay before disembarking for a pleasant 45-minute coastal hike to our friend Smeralda’s charming traditional home on the beach. Here, we have a fun and informative cooking lesson. You’ll never skimp on olive oil again after seeing how much they lavish on their stuffed grape leaves! We enjoy lunch in their good company and then hike back to Symi village where you will have some free time to peruse the shops before returning to the boat. This evening, we anchor in a secluded bay whose spectacular limestone cliffs plunge into the sea. Dinner on board.  The Hike: Morning: 45 minutes. 2.5 kms/1.5 mile. Elevation gain negligible/ 70 m/250 feet. Afternoon: 1 hour. 3.5 kms/2.2 miles. Elevation gain is negligible. Overnight Eastern Symi Island. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Our eastern-facing bay means the sun greets us first thing this morning, perfect for a pre-breakfast swim. We weigh anchor and cruise to the volcanic island of Nisyros. Upon arrival, we have a bus transfer to the white-washed village of Nikia for lunch. We then have a spectacular hike that takes us down from Nikia to Mandraki village along an ancient path that has existed since the time of Homer. Indeed, along the way we stop at the ancient Doric fortress that overlooks the coast. You will also hike above the volcano whose 4-km wide caldera provides a surreal landscape of smoking fumaroles and yellow sulfur-tinged vents. The path eventually loses itself amongst the labyrinth of white-washed alleys and lanes in enchanting Mandraki. We dine tonight at a superb waterfront restaurant before returning to your floating home. The Hike: 3 hours, almost all downhill. 11kms/6.4 miles 210 m/700 feet elevation gain, 630 m/2,010 feet elevation loss. Ancient flagstone paths, gravel paths, cobblestones, and some paved roads. Overnight Mandraki harbor, Nisyros Island. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.

Disembark this morning for a hike through the narrow and colorful streets of the town, past white-washed houses with brightly painted balconies and shutters. Return to the yacht for a short cruise over to the tiny and uninhabited island of Gyali, which has been mined for its pumice for centuries. We moor here for lunch and a swim before clearing customs in Kos and cruising back to the bustling port of Bodrum. Head into town for some last shopping or a snack of honey-laced baklava. The Hike: 1 hour in the morning. Dine on board tonight for one last farewell meal with your shipmates. Overnight Bodrum harbor.

Your adventure concludes this morning after breakfast. We will be tied to the dock in Bodrum harbor so you can depart directly from the boat this morning, even for very early flights. We must disembark no later than 09:30. You can either fly out from Bodrum or return to Kos on the 9:15 ferry, which arrives in Kos at 9:45, and then catch a flight to Athens from Kos. If you want to do that, it is best to book flights after 13:00. You can also elect to spend a night in Kos and fly out the following day.  Breakfast included.

Note on Itinerary: Some details of the itinerary may change according to the departure date of your tour. Whenever we run a tour we make new discoveries. Sometimes they are good discoveries, like a wonderful new trattoria, and sometimes they are bad, like a trail has been washed away. The result is that we sometimes change our itinerary to improve it by adding new wonderful elements to the tour or by removing something that does not work anymore. Rest assured, our goal is to always provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary prior to departure.  

For those of you who have done our Turkish gulet tour, this is similar but very different. On both tours we travel by gulet, which is a fabulous way of getting around. The food is fantastic, and the comfort of lazing on deck, cold drink in hand and watching the sunset, is hard to beat, as is diving into the warm waters of the Aegean before breakfast. On this tour we often moor in little Greek villages because they are so delightful. Also, we want you to get a taste of Greek culture, both literally and figuratively. We will have several lunches and dinners in tavernas and the food is really excellent.The crew are always professional and yet friendly and obliging. The hikes are similar to those in Turkey in that we usually drop off from the boat, hike, and we are then picked up again at the end of our hike.

One of the great features of the Greek islands are its beautiful villages and ports, while in Turkey it’s not the towns themselves that are the draw. The Greek villages have a rich patrimony and their own colorful architectural style.

1. We thus spend more time in villages, both to enjoy their charm but also because there are fewer secluded bays than in Turkey. We will have two nights out of seven in secluded anchorages, and five nights in charming harbors.
2. Dinners: we eat off the boat more often for dinner. Firstly, because we use a Turkish gulet and crew so we want to make sure you get a taste of the local cuisine. Secondly, it’s always fun to get out at night and mingle with the locals we meet along the way.

We can assure you that they are both fabulous tours.