Whilst visiting the gorgeous island of Kos, it is a must to take a day trip to the nearby volcanic island of Nisyros.
We booked again with JD Tours in Kefalos paying €25 for the return journey on the ferry which set sail at 0930 and returned at 1630. The tours depart from Kos Town or Kardamena to the main town and port of the island, Mandraki. You can also pay an additional €6 pp for a bus to take you to a volcanic crater of Stefanos. You don’t need to pre-book a tour to Nisyros if you turn up at the harbour you won’t have a problem purchasing tickets before you go.
After a lovely sail you will arrive in Mandraki, a sleepy, traditional Greek town with a few touristy shops and little beach side cafes. The streets are the cutest, with cobbled alleyways and white washed houses and the odd stray cat roaming around. We would encourage you to soak up the towns atmosphere by walking around and visiting the Monastery which is €2 pp and includes a rather small church museum with a small collection of artefacts.
If you have chosen the bus to the volcanic crater, this will be as you step off the boat. The bus will wind its way up the mountainous and fertile landscape to reach Stefanos crater. The 4 km wide caldera was formed within the past 150,000 years, with 3 separate eruptive stages. The volcano is currently active but is known as ‘sleeping’.
The bus will drop you for around 1 hour, you pay an additional €3 entrance to volcano crater, where you can walk down and around crater, and examine the 100° fumaroles smoking and bubbling. You will also, for sure, smell the sulphur, a rich pongy, eggy smell. A visit to the caldera is like stepping into another planet with lunar like landscape, it is only the herds of mountain goats, bells rattling, as they strut in the nearby mountains that reminds you where you are.
Nisyros’ volcano is one of the few anywhere in the world that can be easily visited, one minute be inside a crater and the next be relaxing in a beach café or taking a swim in the sea.
Nisyros is a place that can and should be visited more than once, each time you visit Kos! It is such a gorgeous island!
We booked with JD Tours in Kefalos and would highly recommend it!
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