Handpicked experience · Santorini
Santorini, Greece
Ground that surfaced in 1707 and grew until 1950, iron-rich springs that dye a pale swimsuit permanently, and the Oia sunset seen from the water instead of the wall.
A walk up to a live crater with steam still escaping
A swim in warm, iron-heavy water reached straight from the boat
Time in a village of a few hundred people on the caldera's quiet side
Dinner aboard as the western cliffs take the last light
A full day on the water inside the Santorini caldera, with landings on the volcanic islet of Nea Kameni and on Thirassia, a swim at the hot springs off Palea Kameni, and the run back past Oia as the sun goes down. Around eleven hours from pickup to return.
The rhythm alternates: an hour or so ashore, then back aboard and across the bay. The two landings ask different things of you — one is a climb over loose volcanic rock in full sun, the other a village up a flight of steps from the quay. Between them there is a swim, and after that the boat simply turns for home and takes its time about it.
The islets in the middle of the bay are new. Nea Kameni broke the surface in 1707 and kept growing through a series of eruptions until 1950, which makes it the youngest land in this part of the Mediterranean. Its neighbour Palea Kameni is older by a century or so. Walk up to the crater rim and you are standing on ground that did not exist when the villages on the cliff above were already old, and steam still rises through the cracks.
There is no jetty at the hot springs, so you go in from the boat and swim the last stretch. The warmth is patchy and strongest right where the water seeps from the rock; a few metres out, it is Aegean cold again. The water carries a heavy load of iron, and it will turn a pale swimsuit a permanent rust-orange. Wear something dark or something you do not mind losing.
Thirassia was part of the same landmass until the eruption cut the ring apart, and it now has a few hundred residents where its neighbour has thousands of visitors a day. The port is at the bottom and the village at the top, connected by a long zigzag of steps. It is the closest thing here to what Santorini looked like before the ships came.
Oia is where everyone goes for it, and the crush on the castle walls is famous. From the deck you get the same light on the same cliffs with the town in front of you rather than around you, and the whole western face of the island turning colour at once.
The caldera runs about four hundred metres deep, and there is no wading anywhere: swimming happens off the boat. Volcanic rock is sharp and hot underfoot, so proper shoes matter on Nea Kameni. Cancellation is free up to a day ahead.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Around eleven hours in total, alternating between short spells ashore and stretches of cruising across the bay.
Nea Kameni first appeared above water in 1707 and kept building through eruptions until 1950, making it the youngest land in this part of the Mediterranean. Steam still comes up through the cracks.
No. There is no jetty and no shallow shelf, so you enter from the boat and swim in. The warm patch is right against the rock where the water seeps out.
Pale fabric comes out rust-orange and stays that way, because of the iron in the water. Dark colours or old swimwear are the sensible choice.
Quiet. A few hundred people live there, the port sits below the village, and a long zigzag of steps connects the two. It is the closest thing here to Santorini before mass tourism.
It is a different view of the same event: the town in front of you rather than around you, no crowd on the castle wall, and the whole western cliff face changing colour at once.
Closed shoes with a solid sole. The path is loose volcanic scree, the rock is sharp, and the ground gets very hot under midday sun.