Hiking in the Greek Isles

Trip Level

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. 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. 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. On a couple of days, ferry rides may take longer due to weather or schedule changes. We do our best to use the fastest ferries, but this is not always possible. 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 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.

Weather

Greece has a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters. Daytime temperatures in the summer peak in the high 70s F, while the winter temperature rarely drops below 50F.