Sailing Cruises: Dodecanese Greece from Rhodes

Arrival at the mythical port of Mandraki, famous for being one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World thanks to the colossus who used to guard the entrance of the port. Embarkation from 17:00, captain’s briefing and distribution of cabins. Later, you will have time to discover Rhodes and its intact medieval intramural town. You will be free to visit the city on your own and then, in the evening, you will have dinner in the best restaurant of the island, where you can taste the famous Greek specialities.

After having breakfast on board or in town to try the typical “Frappe” the famous Greek iced coffee, we will sail to one of the most incredible bays in the Mediterranean, the bay of St. George on Symi island. Its impressive huge rocky cliffs and the crystal-clear waters are perfect for snorkeling, but also for a bit of relaxation on the beach or for hiking to the small hidden church of St. George. After the sunset that will turn the facing Turkish mountains into pink, we will enjoy a BBQ on our yacht under the stars.

In the morning, you will have the possibility to take a swim and enjoy the luxury of being alone in this heavenly place. After breakfast, we will sail to a secret peaceful bay with a spectacular monastery. You can hike around, go snorkelling, and than, after having lunch on board, we head towards the majestic bay of Symi, the most photographed island in Greece. We will berth in the heart of Symi island, surrounded by multicoloured houses on the hills and narrow pedestrian streets. In the past, this island used to be very wealthy because of the sponge fishing, the specialty of the islanders; today Symi lives mainly from tourism, but you can still discover this old tradition in many little shops selling natural sponges and shells. Dinner at the best tavern on the island (one of the Captain’s secret places).

Breakfast either on board or in one of the numerous cafes of Symi Harbor. After about four hours of sailing, we will arrive to our secret shelter on the northern side of the island of Tilos. On our way, you will easily see dolphins, that usually never miss a chance to join the boats sailing in this area… it’s always a magical encounter to watch wild free dolphins in their natural habitat! Once in Tilos, you can go snorkelling in this wonderful uncontaminated paradise, and then you will have lunch. In the afternoon, we head towards Nisyros, an out of the beaten track island, famous for its wild beauty and its impressive volcano. We moor on the north coast of Nisyros, and then you can have a walk in the alleys of Mandraki, a traditional Greek village. Possibility to have dinner on board or at a typical local restaurant.

Today you can either hike or rent scooters or cars to drive around the island and reach the volcano. You will be enchanted by the landscapes of the inner island and the volcano with its 10 hydrothermal craters. Later you will visit of Nikia, a charming village on the heights of Nisyros overlooking the volcano, where you can have lunch. After about three hours of sailing, we arrive at Tilos. We moor in the small traditional port of Nivadia, the main town on the island. Being far from the touristic circuits, Tilos has preserved its authentic character and its inhabitants live in perfect harmony with nature. After dinner, you can take a special transfer and reach the famous “Mikro Chorio”, a one of a kind bar that was built in the abandoned village of Mikro Chorio, where you can walk around between the ruins of the old stone houses… A true unique experience!

Today we head towards the island of Alimia. After about three hours of sailing, we moor in a beautiful bay with turquoise waters, next to an abandoned little Greek church: the perfect place for going snorkelling or swimming. This uninhabited island was a German base during World War 2, and today we can find  graffiti and paintings that soldiers left on the walls of their bunkers. There is also a wreck of a sunken ship, you can snorkel around it and see many species of fish sheltered inside. After lunch, we sail to Khalki island, and we moor in a small port, central nucleus of the island. You can walk around and discover this typical village and then enjoy a wonderful sunset on the terrace of a tavern... Unforgivable! Dinner in a tavern onshore to taste the local traditional specialities. 

In the morning, we wake up early and sail to one of our secret hideaways. After about four hours of sailing, we reach a tiny island with a wonder white sand beach and crystal-clear waters, perfect for going snorkelling. Mooring and lunch on board. In the afternoon, we head towards Rhodes and on our way we will get closer to the windward side of the island, where hundreds of wind surfers and kite surfers intersect and form a colourful ballet. Later, we sail around the north coast of the island to admire the famous beach of Rhodes, where you can take the last swim before entering the harbour and mooring inside. Possible dinner and night out in town or on our yacht.

Last breakfast on board, and disembarkation at 09:00 am.