Kalymnos, the sponge fishers islamd

 

A different island which is not only ideal for clubing and relaxing, but also gives the opportunity to try something different like climbing and diving.

Climbing in Kalymnos

Now the number of routes bolted in Kalymnos are more than 1700 and are ready to be climbed all the season. With approximately 10 months summer Kalymnos became an attraction for climbers all over the world, from amateurs to pros this island has to offer a climbing style that is very rarely expected in climbing. A climbing paradise in the Aegean. It is not random that Kalymnos has been choosen between, China, Tailand, Spain as one of the most popular climbing destinations worldwide! From the unique tufa formations, till the fact that in limited places so many different climbing sectors are so close one with another.

 

Climbing in Kalymnos started when popular climbers from Italy visited the island for holidays, but watching the endless possibility of climbing they returned as soon as possible with drills and bolt to start bolting routes in Kalymnos. All started in the late 90s something that makes Kalymnos one relatively new climbing destination. The first Italians that were bolting routes in Kalymnos got themselves arrested, because climbing in the island was something completelly unknown to the Kalymian, who were thinking that those people are trying to steal their rocks and stalactites.

 

If you have the impression that climbing in not for everyone.. think twice! take your family, friends with no age limitation and try an unforgetable experience in Kalymnos! Of course for something like this to happen you need a certified instructor to make what looks difficult to you, a piece of cake. You can find all the information needed OVER HERE. There is no doubt about the safety of climbing, considering that Kalymnos builted it's reputation with climbing. Visiting Kalymnos nowdays equals = climbing! Over the 15 years of climbing in Kalymnos there are no incidents of severe injuries.. But if you are a newby in this experience an instructor is highly recommended!

 

The last year the first indoor climbing gym operates in Kalymnos, Pothia under the management of Loukas Ntourdourekas, one the best greek climbers!

 

Sightseen in Kalymnos

Specially interesting are the "Castle of the mainland" and the "Castle of Chrisoheria". The first is belongs to the Byzantine period while the second was built in the times of Knights and was used as a residence for the governor of Kalymnos at that time.

There are four museums in the island. The "Archeological Museum" that guests variet treasures that have been pulled out from the sea, the "Sailing Museum" which is associated with the rich sailing activity in the island, the "Valsamidis Sea Findings Museum" which exhibits different kinds of sponges and other finding from the depths of the Meditteranean sea. Finally there is the "House of Kalymnos" which is a copy of a Kalymnian house as it used to be in the past years.

There are numerus churches all over the island with beautiful images and many holy utensiles and hagiographies. The one's that you should definately pay a visit are the 'Church of Saint Savas', and the 'Saint Nikolaos' which won't leave you untouched.

Although if you happen to be in Kalymnos in the Easter you will be amazed by the sounds of the homemade explosives that are being exploded tha night of the Resurrection.

Flavours and local delights

Although you can eat any kind of food in Kalymnos, it would be interesting to seize the opportunity to try some of the island's special dishes. You should try grape leaves, mousaka, filled tomatoes and the Kalymnmos greek salad.

The original Kalymnian product are the 'Krithines Kouloures' which is a kind of rusk that was initially made by the Kalymnian sailors who took the in the long sea trips because it was the only food that could preserve for a long time without preservatives.

Mermizeli (see the image to your right), is the greek salad of Kalymnos which includes rusk and tastes like heaven. One mermizeli get get your hunger disappear.

Also the Easter Mouri is a Kalymnian delight made in an earthen utensile and contains lamb filled with rise. Of course we can't forget about the sea food, where is normal to be hundreds of recipes, all of them delicious combined with some Tsipouro, or Ouzo, or Retsina...

Getting to Kalymnos

Getting to Kalymnos is the difficult part because the island is pretty far away in the Aegean sea and a long trip is nessesary. The  access is feasible through the air and the sea which totally depends of the financial budget available for the holidays. Despite tha fact that the flight tickets are too expensive compared with other domestic airlines tha life in Kalymnos is one of the cheapest of all islands in Greece.

The options to reach Kalymnos are the following:

With a plane from Athens to Kalymnos(no direct flight from Thessaloniki but there are flight connecting Thessaloniki - Athens - Kalymnos). This is an expensive option, but the only one if someone can't afford to spare 2 days travelling. If you choose to fly, make sure that you'll book your flight as early as possible to get a better price.

The Ship is of course the cheapest option but requires 2 days to spare. Every year the schedule changes so you have to visit the official ferries webpages to check it out. In 2010 there was one ship per week connecting Thessaloniki with Kalymnos. In 2011 there were ships only from Peiraius, Athens. The ones who enjoy travalling with a ship, will find the trip quite exciting.

For more information about departures/arrivals with a ship you can visit the two website mentioned. www.ferries.gr and www.bluestarferries.gr where you can also book your ticket online.

 

Be aware that departures might be canceled if the weather conditions are bad.

 

ARE YOU STUCK IN KALYMNOS BECAUSE OF THE BAD WEATHER?

Search for the harbour "Kypraios" which is a smaller harbour for the fishing boats right from the main harbour. It is very common to have this kind of issue due to bad weather conditions (if the weather predictions indicate winds stronger than 7 boffors meaning around 70km per hour the ships will be forbitten to leave the island).. But what concerns most of the people is the connection of Kalymnos with Kos, from most of the flights departure. In "Kypraios" you will find small fishing boats which can travel in bad weather even if the ships are not allowed to. Unfortunatelly it is quite expensive (20€) per person.. but from loosing your flight it might be your only option, so it is kind of temptation.

 

SEE KALYMNOS FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE... THE NAME OF IT TELENDOS

For climber -Unlimited climbing routes, which are in a great condition if you compare with sectors like Odyssey were the routes are becoming polished. Also the view from Telendos is something completely different. After climbing you can enjoy yourself in one of the most beautiful beaches in Telendos located behind Evangelia Studios in the left side (as you see Telendos from Masouri) of the island. You can find many options to have your launch in Telendos and enjoy sea food delights. The timetable from Melitsaxas to Telendos is every 30minutes until midnight. Climbers can go directly to the climbing sectors of Telendos with a fee around 60-80€ (the boat has a capacity of 20 people maximum) a price you can negotiate. To arrange the trasportation to sectors in Telendos visit the harbour of Melitsaxas one day earlier and go straight to a captain of the fishing boats in the harbour.

 

For the visitors - Special celebrations in Kalymnos is the celebration of Virgin Mary in 15th August, with local traditional dancing in Telendos were everyone can participate. Also during the full moon in August there is every year the "Full Moon Party" in the beach in Telendos. Loud music and dancing until the morning. The music will direct you to the right place! Those days the timetable of the boats to Telendos are all day long.

 

No matter what your reason of visiting the island of Telendos, it is definately worth it.. and why not few days of accomodation over there! Peace and relaxing are the main reason.

 

GETTING FROM POTHIA TO MASOURI

Unfortunatelly every year things are changing in Kalymnos so this year(2011) the bus timetable remains as during the winter time meaning that you have to wait for about 2 - 2.5 hours for a bus to take you to Masouri. It was a convinient and cheap solution, if you consider that the price is only 1,5€ for a distance of 16km.

If your only solution is to take a taxi, make sure that you ask the driver to start the counter! Most of the drivers will ask you an amount of 15 to 20€ to drive you to Masouri. Asking the counter on, you won't pay more than 13€ (we have payed also 11€).  Of course we are not refering to midnight when the counter is running faster and you don't have the possibility of taking the bus (the fisrt bus starts at 06.30).

 

 

ACTIVITIES IN KALYMNOS (OTHER THAN CLIMBING)

-Diving in Kalymnos. Diving is something you must definately try. The bottom of the sea hides the other half beauty of Kalymnos. The cost of the diving experience is about 50€ per person for an adventure that lasts more than 3 hours. Everyone can participate so don't miss this opportunity. You can find all the information needed in Kalymnos Diving Center.

 

-Deep Water Solo in the area of Vathy. You should check the avaiability of the canoes few days before because of their limited number.

 

-Sailing in Pothia. Rent a boat with a captain an make a trip in the nearby islands like Pserimos, Plati, Telendos.

-Windsurfing usually between Kalymnos and Telendos where the sea gets narrow and the wind is 3-5 knots and even more most of the

time.

-Diving A tradition in Kalymnos. There is an organizes diving center in Vlychades which organizes diving lessons for begginers and advanced divers.

-Caves Because of the rocky surface there are plenty caves to visit such as "Kefalas", "The seven Virgin's" and "Skalion".

 

-Mountain bike There are many routes for mountain bike in Kalymnos. Ask the touristic information about the details.

 

-Hiking is also an option but definately not in the summer. All the hiking paths are organized and marked. You can get more details from the touristic information in Kalymnos.

 

Kalymnos Climbing Guide

Publication info

The all-new 2010 edition features:

- 64 climbing sectors
- Nearly 1,700 routes
- A concise crag planner
- New photo-topos and stunning images
- Detailed maps with approach paths
- More useful crag info: conditions, rock type, sun, orientation, ‘child-friendliness’ of each crag
- More details on how to equip new routes
- More tips on travel, accommodation, amenities, local interests and rest-day activities
- A new, more user-friendly page layout

See preview of the Sikati Cave in the new climbing guide HERE