Land-Based Adventures
in The Greek Islands

The Greek islands, while being a great playground for relaxing and soaking up the culture, it does offer a whole lot more things to do to keep your mind active and your body fit.

You can scale precipitous rocks, hike hidden gorges, cycle a bike or even higher a yacht. This widely scattered archipelagos is just waiting for you to get active and exploit it.

Mountaineering in Greece is a deceptively popular sport, with 98 mountaineering clubs, the first of which was formed in 1926, and a total membership in excess of 30,000.

The range of activities related to this mountain sport is quite extreme. On the one hand there is the less challenging trekking and hiking options whilst on the other you will find some of the most demanding rock climbing challenges in the world.

Kalymnos for example, has some of the more perilous exhilarating routes on offer and may involve the climbing of sheer vertical rock faces, thousands of feet high over a period of several days.

Participants in this extreme sport are motivated by the self testing of both their physical strength and skill; a common trait of most athletes, both amateur and professionals alike.

They also love the buzz they get from being at such high altitude in remote places far away from the crowds and noisy resorts.

The Greek islands offer up some surprisingly rugged terrain and mountaineering is popular all year round. Crete dominates with its wide selection of sites for climbing and hiking, while Rhodes has at least one sizable peak. In the north Samothraki offers a less well known option.



The Greek islands are a veritable paradise for hikers, offering an extraordinary variety of landscapes ranging from remote coastal paths to dramatic mountain gorges.

The months of April and May are without doubt the most sublime time for a hiker to visit the islands.

Walkers will find the countryside green and fresh from the winter rains and carpeted with the spectacular array of wildflowers and herbs for which the islands are justly famous.

September and October is another good time, but July and August, when the temperatures constantly hit the 40° centigrade mark on not much fun at all.

Whatever time of year you opt to set out, you’ll need to come equipped with a good pair of walking boots to handle the rough, rocky terrain, and a wide brimmed hat along with a high UV-factor sunscreen.

Some of the most popular hikes are detailed further down the page, but there are possibilities just about everywhere.

On small islands it’s fun to discover pathways for yourself, and you’re unlikely to get into danger as settlements or roads are never far away.

You will encounter a variety of paths – kalderimia are cobbled or flagstone paths that link settlements and back date to Byzantine times – but sadly, many have been bulldozed to make way for roads.

If you’re going to be venturing off the beaten track, a good map is essential. Unfortunately, most of the tourist maps sold around the islands are pitifully inadequate.

The best hiking maps for the islands are produced by an Athens company Anavasi.

Almost every island has an existing network of traditional footpaths and byways crisscrossing the landscape. Some have been redeveloped and are well marked, others are awaiting renovation.

Throw on a pack, boots and a hat and get out there. Good islands to walk are Sifnos, Skopelos, Hydra and Amorgos.

Where else can use climb cliffs with the startling view of blue seas before you.

Kalymnos has been drawing in climbers for a few years now, while Crete, with its abundant mountains, also has its fans.

The most notorious area of Greece for rock climbing is found on the island of Kalymnos, in the Dodecanese.

It is a relatively small island very close to Kos. In fact, it is a 25 minute journey on the hydrofoil from Mastichari in Kos to Pothia, the island’s capital.

It’s a first class sport climbing resort which has great weather throughout most of the year.

There are lots of superb bolted limestone routes at every grade.The area where the rock climbers congregate is in a small village called Massouri, which is a twenty minute ride in a taxi or bus from where the ferry arrives.

The bulk of rock climbing activities occur within walking distance of the village and once there you will find mainly 1 and 2-pitch sport routes from fine 4+ slabs to overhanging and pumpy 8c+ routes.

Cycling and the Greek islands... so wonderful, so delightful!

You can’t do all of the 3000 islands at once, but you can make a start by doing to some of them.

The intrinsic beauty of the Greek landscape is quite breathtaking, especially when you see them from in a bicycle.

There is more than ample sunshine, innumerable stretches of local beaches, the wonderful contrast of the magnificent azure colour of the surrounding seas and countless archaeological sites, monasteries and picturesque villages on every coastline that contribute to a fabulous cycling experience.

Minimal pollution and traffic and clear open skies means cycling is ideal, and cycling an island is close to perfection: you get the wind in your hair, the smell of the flora and the chance to stop off at any beach you like at a moment’s notice.

Islands that lend themselves to a leisurely ride are, Kos and Corfu.

Kos is rich in archeology and the interior of the island is still underdeveloped, fertile and agricultural, and best of all it is in the main, largely flat, which means that cycling is a relatively easy and a really fun and enjoyable way to get around.

The neighboring island of Rhodes, which is one of the largest islands in the Dodecanese archipelago, would be put at the top of the list of any keen adventure. If ancient temples and statues, small Byzantine churches, medieval palaces, castles and Turkish baths are what interests you, and this is the place you should head for.The round women chance the romantic cyclists amongst us.

Test yourself, if you’re fit enough, on Crete’s torturous mountain roads.

Leave Land Based Adventures and Return to Islands Adventuring

Go to the Homepage of Heavenly Greek Islands