The main points
- Klima, Arkoudes, Sarakiniko, Glaronisia, Pollonia, Polyaigos, Thiorichia, Gerakas, Kleftiko, Sykia and Vani Beach, all in one day.[1]
- Boat tours around Milos leave from Adamantas, in the centre of the island, where the quayside is easy to walk along.[2]
- This tour is listed at 10 hours, with meals on board and starting times shown when you check availability.[1]
- The season runs May through October, and the Aegean in July to September is 23-26°C (73-79°F).[3][4]
- From US$185, with reserve now and pay later and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
- Top choice Kleftiko & Polyaigos from US$185 Duration10 hours[1]Rating4.82 from 282 reviews[1]Live tour guideEnglish[1]Free cancellationup to 24 hours in advance[1] Check availability
- Milos & Polyaigos sailboat from US$144 Duration10 hours[5]Rating4.92 from 1,913 reviews[5]Live tour guideGreek, English[5]Free cancellationup to 24 hours in advance[5] See this tour
- Guided day cruise from US$152 Duration9.5 hours[6]Rating4.96 from 781 reviews[6]Live tour guideEnglish, French, Greek[6]Free cancellationup to 24 hours in advance[6] See this tour
Kleftiko has a rich history dating back to ancient times when it was used as a pirate hideout . The word Kleftiko actually means "stolen" in Greek, and the name is said to come from the pirates who were stealing supplies from passing ships and hiding them in the caves and coves of the area.
Kleftiko and Polyaigos in one long day
Check before booking
- Match your dates to the sailing season rather than to your ferry timetable
- Reserve now and pay later if your plans might change
- Compare sailboat, catamaran and speedboat options before choosing
- Book early for the busiest weeks of summer
On the day
- Sun cream, hat, sunglasses and something light to cover your shoulders
- A dry bag for your phone and a reef-safe sun cream
- Shoes with grip for wet decks and rocky swim stops
- A thin windproof jacket for the ride back in the afternoon
Leaving Adamantas: the start of the day
Boat tours around Milos start from Adamantas, the port town in the centre of the island, and the quayside there is easy to walk along to see what is heading out.[2] The Kleftiko and Polyaigos trip booked here is listed as a 10-hour day with a live tour guide in English.[1] You reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation is offered up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
Mornings at Adamantas are busy. Ferries slide in and out, charter crews load ice and boxes of food, and the small boats that will spend the day on the water sort themselves along the quay. Once you are aboard and out past the harbour wall the island opens up: first the low whitewashed edge of the port, then the bare volcanic slopes of the north west, where the rock changes colour in the morning light. Try to sit on the side of the boat that faces the island, because the best views of Milos come from the sea.
The north west shore and the boathouses of Klima
Klima is usually the first proper look at the island from the water. The village sits approximately 5 kilometres from the port of Adamas and is known for its multi-coloured fishing houses, painted in blues, greens, reds and whites.[7] They are syrmata, boathouses cut into the rock with a wide arched door at the waterline so a small boat can be pulled straight inside, and living space above. From the deck the paint stands out against the dark stone, and you can see how the houses face the sea and nothing else.
Next comes Arkoudes, a scatter of pale rock islets just off the coast, one of them shaped like a crouching bear. They are small, bare and sharply cut, and the boat usually slows for a look before carrying on. From there the coastline runs north east with cliffs, coves and outcrops. The listed order for this trip carries on through Sarakiniko, Glaronisia, Pollonia, Poliegos, Thiorichia, Gerakas, Kleftiko, Sykia and Vani Beach before the return to port.[1]
The white rock stacks and arches at Kleftiko, where boats anchor for the longest halt of the day.
Sarakiniko and Glaronisia
Sarakiniko is the most well-known shore on Milos, five kilometres from Plaka, and it does not look like a beach at first: pale, smooth, wind-carved rock that rolls down to water so clear it seems to vanish.[8] From the boat you see the whole sweep of it, with swimmers picking their way across the white stone and small caves at either end. The rock is volcanic and shaped by wind and salt, so the surface is smooth underfoot and strange to walk on.
A little further on, keep an eye out for Glaronisia. It is a group of three small uninhabited volcanic islets off the north coast of Milos, and the name means Seagull Islands.[9] They are famous for hexagonal basalt columns that rise straight from the deep blue sea, dark, upright and neatly jointed, as if they had been cut and stacked.[9] The boat cannot always come close, but the columns show clearly from the water, and seabirds wheel around the tops of the islets.
Crossing to Polyaigos
Pollonia is the last harbour on the north east tip of Milos, and past it the boat turns for the crossing to Polyaigos. Polyaigos is the Aegean Sea's biggest uninhabited island, and it appears as a low, dry, rocky shape on the horizon, with sandy bays and coves along its edge.[10] The water on the crossing is often the deepest blue of the day, and the anchor usually goes down somewhere along that coast for a swim.
On the way the route passes Thiorichia, a beach backed by the ruins of old mineral works, where rusting chutes and loading structures still stand above the sand. Milos has been mined for a very long time: mineral activity on the island began circa 8000 BC with the mining and trading of obsidian, a hard black stone of volcanic origin used for tools and weapons.[11] Seeing the industrial remains from the water gives the day a second layer beyond swimming and cliffs.
from US$185
Ten hours on the water with a live English-speaking guide, meals on board and swim stops from Klima round to Vani Beach.[1]
Down the south coast to the caves
Sikia Cave is one of the stops on the south coast and one of the strangest. It was once completely covered, and at some point in the past its roof collapsed, leaving a sea cave with an open top that shows the blue Aegean sky above you.[12] Boats nose in through the wide entrance where the light comes down from above, and when the water is calm, swimmers can move around inside while the walls throw the sound back.
Past Sikia the coast turns rugged, with the tall cliffs of Tsigrado and the long sandy curve of Gerakas below them. This is the stretch where swimming is at its best in high summer. Around Milos, the Aegean Sea in July to September sits at 23-26°C (73-79°F), which is described as ideal temperatures for long swims and snorkeling.[4] If you only get in the water once all day, make it here, where the colour of the shallows against the cliff stays with you.
Kleftiko, and the longest halt of the day
Kleftiko is the stop everyone photographs. The name means 'stolen' in Greek, and the place has a history as a pirate hideout, said to come from the pirates who stole supplies from passing ships and hid them in its caves and coves.[13] For anyone planning a Kleftiko boat tour on Milos, Greece, this bay is the centrepiece of the day. What you see when you arrive is a cluster of white and grey rock stacks, arches and sea caves standing in clear water, with narrow channels that a small boat can thread through.
You do not need a boat tour to get here: most visitors arrive by sea, but it is also possible to hike to Kleftiko on your own.[14] Either way, the halt is long enough for a proper swim and a snorkel around the arches. Full-day boat trips on Milos last between 6 and 8 hours and can go up to 12 depending on the sea conditions.[15]
The way home, and why the order can change
The last stop on the list is Vani Beach, after which the boat turns back towards Adamantas and the day winds down with people asleep in the sun. Booking is flexible: this tour offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later.[1] It carries a rating of 4.82 from 282 reviews.[1] The sailing season on Milos runs from late spring through early autumn, specifically May through October.[3]
The order of the stops is not fixed. The Meltemi is a strong seasonal northerly wind that blows from late spring to early autumn and often peaks in July and August, and on windy days skippers work the sheltered side of the island first.[16] Sea conditions matter more than any printed plan, so treat the route above as the shape of the day rather than a timetable, and enjoy whichever coves you end up in.
How long each kind of Kleftiko cruise lasts
Each value is the duration stated on the tour listing: 5 hours[17], 6 hours[18], 8 hours[19], 9.5 hours[6], 10 hours[1].
From prices for a Kleftiko boat day
From prices per person: US$185[1], US$144[5], US$152[6], US$155[17].
When to sail this route
Planning the boat day
Pick your season
The sailing season on Milos runs May through October, and the Meltemi wind often peaks in July and August.[3][16]
Choose your boat
Sailboat, catamaran or speedboat all reach Kleftiko, and the full-day options give you more stops along the coast.
Book ahead
You can reserve now and pay later on this tour, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
Pack light and salty
Swimwear, towel, sun cream, hat, a light windproof layer and shoes that grip a wet deck.
Meet at the port
Boat tours start from Adamantas in the centre of Milos, so give yourself time to walk the quay and find your boat.[2]
Kleftiko and Polyaigos, a full day on the water
from US$185Reserve now & pay later
