Sail across Santorini’s beautiful ‘caldera’ (flooded crater) and visit the islands of Nea Kameni and Thirasia on this 6-hour cruise. Board a sightseeing boat from the old port, and admire Santorini’s cliffs and as you cruise to Nea Kameni. Enjoy free time to walk around its volcanic crater, swim in the warm springs, and visit Thirasia island. Explore and have lunch here at leisure before cruising back to Santorini.
Departure
The excursion starts from the picturesque old port of Santorini. This port is only accessible by cable car which is the most common way as it takes only 3 minutes to go down, 587 steps on foot or for those who love the adventure, the local donkeys is the ideal choice to reach it. Important note : You should pay 6€ more per way either for the cable car ticket or to ride one of the donkeys. Gialos, the Old Port, lies below Fira, nestled at the foot of a rocky cliff. You will be surprised with the steep slopes of the Caldera and in the end the tiny port will appear under these huge rocks and the cave houses that seem to dangle on the cliff. There the guides of your excursion will be waiting for you, to give you all the important information and to orientate you on the boat. For more information or clarifications, don’t hesitate to visit our travel agency which is located down at the port.
Volcano
Our first destination will be the famous volcano of Santorini! After 20 minutes sailing, we will reach Nea Kameni’s jetty. Should you are interested to be guided at the volcano, you should pay 2.5euro/ per person as an entrance fee. Then, you will walk to the volcano’s ridge with your guide and he is going to explain you everything about the history and the geology of the volcano. You will stay at the volcanic island for 1.5hr and in the end you will embark again to our boat for the next stop.
Hot Springs
Our next stop will be the island of Palea Kameni where the famous hot springs are located on the west side. A place that is really popular for its thermal waters. We will stop there for 30min at a distance of 30 meters from the shallow waters of Agios Nicholaos’ beach. The waters are mixed with mud that they are full of sulfur, iron and other metals coming from the volcano and they are very good for the skin, rheumatism, arthritis and other physical pains. Important Note : In order to reach Agios Nicholaos’ beach is essential to swim extremely well.
Thirassia
Next stop is the island of Thirassia. Thirassia is a miniature of what Santorini used to be several years ago. Today is a virgin island, still untouched by tourism and modern life style. The island of Thirassia is only 9 sq. km in size and has approximately 300 permanent inhabitants. We will stay there for 2 hours, so as to explore this picturesque and traditional village as well as to taste the authentic Santorinian cuisine. Should you wish, you can also walk at the main village of Manolas, which is the capital of Thirassia. The view over Santorini is spectacular from there.
Return
After departing from your last destination, the tour will be finished at the old port of Fira. After your disembarkation, in case you have a transfer service you will be guided to our bus in order to drive you back to your destination, otherwise you are free to take your own transport.