Hiking Kimolos Island

We started our day with a 6:30 taxi ride to the Pollina Marina to catch the 7:15 ferry to the island of Kimolos. Once we arrived we were hiking by 8:00am.

The first part of the 9.5 mile hike was around the fishing village of Goupa. Goupa is an old traditional fishing village. The old sea caves / cliffs have been converted into garages. In many places the waves were right up against the doors. The views were stunning in the morning sun. It truly feels like you’re walking through a time capsule. There are no vendors, stores, cafes or anything catering to tourists.

The trail did get a little tricky to follow. Fortunately, someone got tired of people coming into their yard and painted the way!

We continued along the water until it was time to start the climb! Whew! Was it ever a dusty climb!

A couple facts about the island of Kimolos. In the 2021 census, there were 810 residents. Only about 600 stay during non tourist season. Also, there are 80 churches and chapels on the island. We didn’t have time to see them all… but here are a few.

A few fun pictures and cats from the hike.

The goal of this part of the hike was to see Skiadi. Skiadi is a natural rock monument that resembles a giant mushroom. It is location high in the hills means there’s often strong winds, and the softer rock at the base erodes quicker than the harder rock above. Due to its size and shape, it’s catalogued in the Atlas of Geological Monuments of the Aegean. Without further delay I share with you Skiadi.

We were a slightly underwhelmed. But made up for it by taking silly pictures. We sat in shade and ate our snacks before heading back down. The little lizard wanted to be friends.

The views of the sea were breathtaking.

If you decide to take this hike. Do the first part and have someone drive you up to the trail for Skiadi. You can skip the climb and it would be about 1.5 hour round trip. You won’t miss much….

Nonetheless, we had fun. We walked through the heart of town and enjoyed ice cream. And then finally the finish line beer! Well earned!

We boarded the 4:30 ferry back to Milos. We enjoyed dinner at a spot recommended by our driver Yiannis. It was delicious. Snapper and Grouper.

A few last shots of the marina. Check out the ink draining from the octopus!!

Yiannis picked us up and asked if we had time to stop at Sarakiniko Beach. Sure! Wow! Talk about a lunar landscape. According to Wikipedia, this is the most photographed beach in the Aegean Sea. Definitely not hard to see why!

Thanks for reading. We had a full day! Tomorrow we take a break from hiking and go sailing!

Today we caught the SeaJet II ferry to Milos.

We left Athens on the 7:40am ferry. To be sure we had plenty of time – our transfer delivered us an hour early. There was a little bit of drama getting our voucher turned into a ticket. Bottom line it worked out just fine. It was a 3 hour ferry ride to the island of Milos. Most of which I snoozed on and off. Here’s a couple pics of the transit.

An island along the transit with so many windmills.

Our next transfer promptly picked us up and we were at the hotel in minutes. Unfortunately, it was too early for check in. So we decided to grab lunch and then head out on our hike. We found a spot for lunch and they were still serving breakfast- or not using the oven. So we opted for a salad.

This was at the restaurant. It was a place to tie up your dog. The ice cream cone is a trash can. And there is a cat who all the employees would pet.

It was almost 1pm by the time we finished lunch and grabbed some water. It was warm and sunny with a delightful breeze as we started our 9.5km hike. The views were spectacular.

I must bring attention to all the doors in Greece. They are so welcoming and cute. Oh and plus the cats!🐈 they were everywhere today. I’ll make a separate post about all the nekos. They were the best. Here are a few of my favorites.

As we hiked up the mountain side – the views were even more stunning. We finally reached the town of Plaka. It was picturesque in every way.

At the top of the hike, we were pretty hot and ready for a break. We enjoyed ice cream in the shade. I was so hot and thirsty – I forgot to snap a picture of my lemon ice cream and my Mom’s mango ice cream. It was a delicious treat. We started back down the hillside and again the views didn’t disappoint.

The trail was so dusty. I was so sweaty. 🥵 we finally made it to the coast. I truly wanted to dive into the water! But we still had about a mine and a half left.

As we left the coast, we had to climb up these stairs. 😰 Glad I’ve been doing squats!

We continued our journey back to town and we were passed by a tractor. As we followed him, he stopped at his house and all his cats came out to see him. So cute

By the time we made it back to town it was a bit after 5 pm. We were both almost out of water. We noticed a restaurant near our hotel and decided to head there for a beverage before showers. This was the BEST beer of the trip so far. Whew! About a 5.6 mile hike. Beer me! and pass me the home made fries!

Look who joined us for snacks…

Tomorrow we are catching another early morning ferry to the island of Kimolos for a 15km hike. This time the ferry ride is short (20 minutes) and we are starting earlier. Plus we are stocked with water. Good night!

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: 2024