Guided hiking and trekking holidays on Kalymnos Island Greece

Fantastic hiking holiday Trekking guided hiking tours on the island Kalymnos Greece

IMPORTANT NOTE: At the moment we have suspended our activities on the Island because the local situation

Who wrote the information on hiking trekking holidays in Greece

Sometimes it is helpful to know the author of a trekking book, a walking guide or hiking information because you can consider better whether the routes are suitable for your capacity and physical condition. For this reason I wrote something about myself. I am an internationally licensed mountain guide (UAGM) and I have been working as a rock climbing school director in our Alpine Mountaineering School of Arco - Lake Garda Italy for 20 years. In the year 2003 I was invited to visit the Island, the new rock climbing paradise and I quickly fell in love with this small Island in Greece. Within a very short period of time I "produced" my website www.kalymnosclimbing.eu. Up to date we have about 1.200 visitors per day on this domain and I believe to have contributed a lot to the development of climbing and trekking tourism. Year by year I have visited Kalymnos with my "old" customers or young participants of our rock climbing courses and often it happened that we spent a lot of time "walking" on the paths to reach our programmed climbing spots. Every time I was fascinated by the views, wildness and solitude of this territory. I am convinced that once I have reached the age to no longer being able to go rock climbing, I will definitely spend my walking holidays on Kalymnos.

Why choose Kalymnos for yuour guided walking holidays

Do you now the famous "Grand Randonnee" in Southern France or Mallorca Island with its fantastic paths directly above the sea? Kalymnos is much better regarding the panorama and untouched nature! Do you now the famous "High routes or the so-called Alte Vie" in the Italian Dolomites, full of walkers, hikers an trekkers walking in a noisy queue? These "main road paths" do not exist on the wild Island Kalymnos in Greece. Everywhere you encounter silence, beautiful views and your only company is goats. Sometimes you are even happy to find an empty plastic water bottle because this is means "someone was here before and I am on the correct path". Everywhere there are mountains, crests, ridges, antique monasteries and small deserted bays were you can swim alone. Sometime you visit villages where the friendly inhabitants are happy to ask "How are you?" because this is the these only phrase they know in English language. Hiking and trekking through the Island is for me a personal great satisfaction: I have to train my senses to find the direction (follow the nose) which is one of the many characteristics of a mountain guide. Only in Patagonia or in the Jungle of Thailand I fell similar sensations as here: Kalymnos is totally different than the most touristy and busy Islands in Greece. For the fans of jungle walking: please do not come to Greece for your walking holidays: here are only small bushes and the air is fragrant of sage and mint.

Accommodation and travelling on Kalymnos Island

Up to the year 2000 the hotels have been open only from June through September. The first rock climbers which came found their first roof over their head in the so-called "studios": small apartments with kitchen, bedroom, balcony or terrace. The cleanliness and furniture however was not very much acceptable. Some of them are still in the same condition as years ago and so it happens that you reserve in internet a very "romantic" studios with seaview for only 20 Euros per night and when the night is over you leave disappointed the next morning: either you try to experience on your own or you trust our recommendations because we know exactly which accommodation on the Island you should avoid. Good studios on the Island or generally in Greece cost from 30 to 45 Euros per night, the same price you have to pay for a hotel room BB.
How do you get to the Island? Please forget a "romantic cruise" from Athens by ferry (10-12 hrs.): I have tried this terrible trip myself! On Kalymnos there is a new airport and why not fly directly on the Island? Forget this option too because the scarce connections from Athens make you spend a night in the airport and you have to spend more money. The best way to came is to book a flight in internet (or with your travel agency) to KOS with a low cost company such as AEGEAN AIRLINES - OLYMPIC AIRLINES - RYANAIR. From Kos you take a boat ca. 30 minutes. This way you are able to start from London in the morning and be arrive in the late afternoon. How to get around on the island: by scooter with automatic gear suitable for 2 persons (please bring along your drivers license and wind-proof jacket) or by rent-a-car. Cost for a scooter per day: ca. EUR 15 - 20; rent-a-car per day: ca. EUR 40 - 50. In case you are scared to drive a motorbike or scooter, in our guided walking holidays in Greece, we offer the possibility share a rent-a-car (for 4 persons) among the participants and divide the costs.

Maps routes and paths on the Island

Every year after my arrival on Kalymnos I bought my a new map of the island but every time was disappointed as the maps were only suitable for a "car tourist' s holidays". On the island there is the so-called "Municipal Athletic Organization" whose young members have taken the praiseworthy and useful task of tracing and maintaining the rock climbing routes, building of new climbing spots, etc. Many years ago they gave me a handwritten "Trekking routes guide" with some descriptions of old walking routes between the small villages of the Island and the monasteries on the mountains. These paths have been called "donkey' s paths" in the past. On the paths which are leading to the appx. 50 climbing spots on the Island we found many multi-colored signs. Once you are beyond the climbing crags, the situation turns out to be much different: all of a sudden there are no more marks, no signs, sometime only "Steinmann' s" but NOTHING else.. From each of Kalymnos' s paths you have a fantastic view and sense of "lonely planet" but sometimes it needs a lot of spirit of adventure to find the right way within a in a NET of "goats' paths". The 15.000 inhabitants do not walk because is too hard for them and they prefer to move by car or motorbike: why walk or hike in the mountains? The 50.000 goats on the Island have an different opinion and they are running up and down everywhere. For this reason there are so many paths on on Kalymnos. In April 2009 I have finally found a new map for hikers and trekkers (Anawasi Edition Athen) scale 1:25.000, even with GPS marks, fantastic, you can order the map in internet. Finally I can read on a map my favorite round trip on the Island, finally I do no longer miss the correct path! But please be careful with the interpretation of the legend of the map regarding the description of the paths, for example "difficult crossing with unclear path" or "a long traverse above the cliffs on a faint but passable goat track" or "Two step sections with stairs", ecc.

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