Hiking in the Greek Isles

Greece casts a spell, with its honey-colored isles fragrant with frangipani and encircled by azure seas. In the stunning beauty of the Cyclades, an archipelago named for the circle it forms around the sacred island of Delos, we explore on foot in Tinos, Naxos, and rugged Amorgos, each a tranquil realm of bougainvillea-draped hill villages above the gleaming Aegean. As we hike each day on stone paths past blue-domed churches, up to cliff-perched monasteries, and through tiny whitewashed villages, the “good life” of sunny Greece surrounds us, with picnics on terraced hillsides, swims in the sea, and meals al fresco on the verandas of tavernas. Our journey finishes on legendary Santorini, with its white villages clinging to cliffs.

Itinerary at a Glance

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Days 1-2
Athens / Tinos

From Athens, we ferry to craggy Tinos, whose port is a quintessential Greek harbor town with plenty of color. It is also a venerated Christian pilgrimage site, and we may see pilgrims at the imposing Panagia Evangelistra church. We hike a kalderimia, or cobbled mule path, to picturesque villages and along the Roman road up to the great Venetian fortress of Santa Elena.

Days 3-4
Sacred Delos / Mykonos / Tinos

Ferrying to Delos, holy island of the ancient Greeks, we stroll a vast open-air archaeological museum, then continue to cosmopolitan Mykonos, with its winding alleys and fishermen’s dwellings, before returning to Tinos.

Days 5-6
Naxos / Chora / Mount Zas

We cross the blue Aegean to Naxos, Lord Byron’s favorite Greek island, with its rolling vineyards, to explore the twisting lanes of Chora, the main town, and hike up Mount Zas to a sacred cave with a marvelous view. In Greek mythology, this spot is the place where the mighty god Zeus was born.

Days 7-10
Amorgos / Tholaria

Beautiful Amorgos has golden beaches and a well-designed network of cobbled paths connecting its villages. One of our rambles leads to the great monastery of Agios Theologos above the Aegean, while another brings us to Mt. Krikelos, then down to the beautiful beach at Egiali.

Days 11-13
Santorini

As we approach Santorini by ferry, we behold the dramatic sight of the five-mile-wide caldera of this collapsed volcano, its towns built atop the caldera’s rim. In the cliff-perched capital, we enjoy wine tasting and a visit to Akrotiri, a fascinating Minoan archaeological site. Depart on Day 13.

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What the Trip is Like

This trip is Level 3+, Moderate to Strenuous. Hiking times vary from 3 to 6 hours on moderate trails. Although you carry only a daypack on the hikes, be prepared for steep ascents and descents and some sections that cross uneven terrain and rough or rocky trails. Travel between islands is by ferry (or high-speed catamaran, if it is available); ferry rides are likely to be an average of two to five hours. Some days are a full day of hiking; others involve a half day or more exploring one of the towns on foot. On some days, we taxi or take a local bus to a starting point for our hike and also use a taxi or local transport to return to our night's lodging. There are many opportunities for swimming on this trip.
    
Accommodations are in small local hotels chosen for their atmosphere and location.  Although the rooms in these pensions are not always of uniform or international size, our leaders always try their best to assign rooms in a fair way so that all participants experience an equal advantage throughout the trip as a whole. We enjoy our lunches picnic-style or at small tavernas. Our dinners also feature local food and a chance to sample traditional specialties of the Cyclades. Some evenings we dine in our pensions and other nights at local restaurants. The delicious cuisine of these islands comes straight from the land or the sea. Please note that in Greece, the dinner hour is considerably later than what it is in the US. We do our best to secure early reservations for our groups, but most often the evening meal will be at 8:00 PM.

For your own enjoyment, we recommend you make a special effort to be in good physical condition for the trip. Daily walking and/or regular hiking (or using a stair-climbing machine at your gym) are excellent preparatory exercises. You should wear sturdy, well-broken-in hiking boots for maximum comfort on the trail.

Explanation of Trip Levels