Camping in the Greek Islands
During our days in Greece, we devoted most of our time to visiting and enjoying some of the islands. For backpackers like us, Greece is a luxury destination, fortunately we managed to find camping facilities in all the islands we visited and prepared the majority of our meals by shopping at local markets. These strategies made Greece less expensive. After all, we felt that our island-hopping experience was priceless, Greece is beautiful and worth seeing!
Starting on June 20, 2014, we spent 7 days traveling along the Mediterranean Sea and visiting the islands of Kastellorizo, Rhodes, Santorini, and Mykonos. We traveled a total of 30.5 hours in ferry and 40 min in an airplane. Our journey began in Kas, Turkey from where we embarked on a 30-minute ferry to Kastellorizo Island. We had planned to get a connection ferry to our next destination without visiting this island, but our ferry was cancelled. This incident has been the most pleasant tragedy of our world trip! We loved Kastellorizo’s small town and picturesque harbor surrounded by houses with colorful facades. With not many tourists, plenty of spectacular views, and a very calm vibe Kastellorizo will always remain as our most precious and authentic Greek experience. On one side of the island we were lucky to find a land available for free camping. The lack of restrooms or water did not stop us from staying there one night; it was like wilderness camping with a VIP ocean view included. What more could we ask for?
View from Kastellorizo Castle
The next day we opted to take an airplane to Rhodes Island. The replacement ferry would have taken 3 more days to leave Kastellorizo and we had other connections that were pre-booked. In Rhodes, we enjoyed a day walking around the medieval streets of the old town; we were entertained by the evidence of passing time along the twisted roads; and we were mesmerized by cannon balls from ancient battles that still lay in the ground between the city walls. In the afternoon, we walked by the promenade contemplating the view of the ocean before finding a place to cool off and watch a World Cup game for the evening.
In a 21-hour overnight ferry, we traveled from Rhodes to Santorini Island. We spent 2 full days in Santorini and set camp in Fira town at a place with “affordable” rates, good facilities, and a nice swimming pool. It did not feel like camping at all! In the first day, we hiked 6 km (3.7 miles) from Fira to Oia town. We were overtaken by the spectacular views of the caldera and the dramatic volcanic formations, the white houses of Mediterranean architecture, the numerous infinity pools along the cliff, and the churches with blue cupolas.Ā
We stopped at a winery for tasting and finished the hike at the north tip of the island. On our second day, we wanted to visit the Santorini Geological History Museum but it was closed. Instead, we walked around the little white allies with rocky streets in Fira town that are gorgeous but suffocating with numerous tourists. We decided to escape, pick up some gyros in the central plaza, and chill by the swimming pool the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we were happy to see the “famous” sunset from Oia town with our good friends from Los Angeles, Juan and Sergio, who were visiting Greece as well.
We left Santorini on a ferry to Mykonos the next day. We camped in Paraga Beach, a very nice location with a strong party mood. On our first afternoon we bathed in the sea, rested by the pool, and watched more World Cup games. The next day, we visited Hora town and felt fascinated getting lost in between narrow streets of white houses, blue balconies, and flowers. Little Venice and Mykonos’ famous windmills were perfect postcard locations we also enjoyed.
We finished our Greek island excursion on a ferry to Athens. Looking back, we became aware of the innumerable images we collected from these special places. Although the four islands were part of the same nation, they all have a very unique taste and feeling. It was not only the architecture what differentiates them, but also the topography and natural beauty of their landscape. Unfortunately, we left after seeing only a few of the islands. We had dreamed of visiting Greece so many times and the reality did not disappoint us. These Mediterranean islands are exquisite gems of history and elegance. The white and blue corners are a source of inspiration and enjoyment for the soul š
