Kayaking in Greece

We fly from Oslo in the afternoon and are met by our Greek friends at the airport in Athens when we land in the evening. We drive to the city of Rio (approx. 2 hours) and check in to our pleasant apartment hotel for the night. We arrive so late that we won't make it in time for dinner at the hotel, so we will stop along the way to have a simple meal.

We get up early in the morning and are driven to the island of Lefkada. Here, we meet our local kayak guides and go through the equipment, safety routines, and the day's paddling route. We start our paddling adventure from the harbor in Nydri and paddle to the small, privately owned island of Madouri. One of the greatest Greek poets, Aristotelis Valaoritis, used to live here on Madouri. His house is now a museum, and it is the only house on the island! We continue paddling for a few more nautical miles and arrive at Meganisi on the northeastern side. This area features a beautiful coastline with fjord-like formations, gorgeous beaches, and picturesque small villages. We paddle to Fanari beach, where we stop for lunch and a swim. After a good break, we paddle a few more kilometers and arrive at the idyllic Elia beach. Here, we stay overnight in a traditional guesthouse. After taking out the kayaks and having a shower, we enjoy dinner at a local taverna and take a nice walk to stretch our legs through idyllic Spartochori.

We take a refreshing morning swim in the crystal-clear water at Elia before breakfast. After breakfast and a good cup of coffee, we continue our kayaking trip. Our goal today is the green island of Kalamos, and for the next 4 nautical miles, we will be crossing over to the island. It is common to encounter dolphins here, so we hope to be lucky today! When we arrive at the lush island, we see that the trees grow all the way down to the water's edge. With turquoise water surrounded by impressive cypress trees, it is hard to resist a swim and a delicious lunch break. After eating and resting here on Episkopi beach, we paddle on to the village of Kalamos with its small, picturesque fishing harbor. We enjoy dinner and set up our camp for the night.

We’ll have a simple breakfast on the beach, and once we’ve packed the kayak, we’ll paddle toward the island of Kastos. This is an easy day with a shorter stretch than the previous two days. But we’ll visit many beautiful beaches where we’ll have the chance not only to swim but also to snorkel in the crystal-clear water. It’s incredibly beautiful here even below the water’s surface! We’ll test our fishing skills, and if we’re lucky, we’ll cook the day’s catch for dinner! We’ll have lunch, enjoy kayaking, and relax in the sun. When we’re ready to go again, we’ll head to the small, nearly car-free village of Kastos for dinner and a short evening walk in the beautiful sunset. Here, we’ll stay at a cozy guesthouse for the next two nights.

We’ve had several days of paddling in a row now, and today will be a “rest day” from paddling, but we won’t be sitting around doing nothing. Today there will be a kayaking course with local guides for those who want to join in. Educational and fun! In the afternoon, those who wish can go on a short paddle trip, take a walk on the island, or how about visiting the island’s museum of marine life? We’ll have dinner together or on our own at a charming local restaurant.

We start the day with an early morning swim, with the longest paddling day of the trip ahead of us! Today, we will paddle along impressive, chalk-white limestone cliffs in a landscape that takes our breath away with all its colors and contrasts. The kayaks glide past caves and volcanic rock formations. The island of Meganisi, and particularly the "Papanikolis Cave," is considered the secret hiding place of the Greek submarine Papanikolis during World War II. The size of the cave is astounding, and it is actually the second largest in Greece. It is believed that the Papanikolis submarine would hide in this massive cave following its "blitzkrieg" against the Italian armada. It is a limestone cave that is currently partially submerged by the sea. This cave was also used by ships looking to anchor during bad weather. After this "history lesson," we paddle to several other caves (Giovanni) and continue to Rouda harbor, where we check into a cozy guesthouse for the night. We will find a nice taverna to enjoy dinner at this evening.

We start the day with a good breakfast before getting our kayaks ready for the final day of paddling. Our first stop today is the most spectacular cave yet: "The Blue Cave," where we will go snorkeling and experience the marine life. After a refreshing experience in the water, we paddle onward along the coast of Lefkada, where the landscape constantly shifts from rugged cliffs to dense forest. We enjoy a nice picnic lunch on the beautiful Desimi beach and soak up the sun before paddling back toward Nydri. We reach our final destination, Nydri, where we check into our guesthouse and take a well-deserved shower before meeting up for a lovely farewell dinner together.

The time has come to say goodbye and thank you for now to our Greek friends. We will have breakfast and spend some time in Nydri during the morning before we are transported to Athens (5 hours) and fly home to Norway. The flight departs in the evening, and we will land late in Oslo after a fantastic kayaking adventure in Greece!