Nisyros Boat Trip

A Nisyros boat trip is a day cruise from Kos, from Kardamena or Kos town, to the volcanic island of Nisyros, with a bus up to the Stefanos crater, time in Mandraki and Nikia, and on the 3-island route swim stops at Agios Antonios and Gyali. Tours across the rest of the country are listed on Greece Tours.

The sections below cover the formats, departure ports, the crossing, the volcano visit, the villages, the 3-island cruise, exclusive and private boats, what is included, trips from Rhodes and Tilos, the season and booking, with links into the Nisyros pages. The cruises shown are checked on GetYourGuide and Viator.

What is a Nisyros boat trip?

A Nisyros boat trip is a sea crossing of about 22 km from the south coast of Kos to Mandraki, the port of Nisyros, sold as a round-trip ticket or as a full-day cruise that adds the volcano bus, a meal or swim stops.

Nisyros is a round volcanic island about 8 km across, set between Kos and Tilos in the Dodecanese. It has no airport, only a heliport, so day visitors arrive by sea at Mandraki, the main port and home to 660 of the island’s 1,048 residents. Ships reach Nisyros from Piraeus, Rhodes and Kos, and in summer a Nisyros boat trip leaves Kardamena on the south coast of Kos every day.

Two products share the route. A scheduled ferry from Kos town sails to a published weekly timetable. A Nisyros boat trip is an excursion: the boat leaves Kardamena in the morning or at midday, waits at Mandraki while passengers go ashore, and sails back the same afternoon or evening. Listings on GetYourGuide and Viator run from 6 to 10 hours, counting hotel pick-up where it is included.

The crater walk, the lanes of Mandraki and safety at the volcano are covered in the Nisyros day trip from Kos. A Nisyros boat trip as a product comes down to four choices: the harbour of departure, the length of the crossing, the hours ashore and what the ticket covers. The municipality of Nisyros also takes in the islets of Gyali, home to 22 people, and the uninhabited Agios Antonios, both stops on the 3-island cruise.

Which Nisyros boat trip formats can you book?

Five Nisyros boat trip formats are on sale from Kos: the shared day cruise with the volcano bus, the 3-island cruise via Agios Antonios and Gyali, the exclusive cruise to the volcano and Nikia, boat tickets only, and private boat hire.

• Shared day cruise: an 8-hour Nisyros boat trip from Kardamena with the boat ticket and the bus up to the volcano.
• 3-island cruise: an 8-hour Nisyros boat trip on a pirate-style boat, with swim stops at Agios Antonios and Gyali and a souvlaki lunch.
• Exclusive cruise: a 7-hour Nisyros boat trip with a bus to the volcano, 45 minutes in Nikia and time in Mandraki.
• Boat tickets only: a round-trip Nisyros boat trip with free time in Mandraki and the volcano bus as an optional extra.
• Private boat: a Nisyros boat trip on a boat hired by one group, sailing to the group’s own timetable.

One 3-island cruise runs on an antique-style pirate ship that carries up to 340 passengers, with the crew working in English and Greek. The volcano-and-Nikia cruise sails on the boat Captain Dimitris, which also runs the morning and midday ticket-only sailings. The exclusive Nisyros boat trip leaves at 09:30 and the 3-island cruise at 10:00.

Transfer formats start at the hotel. The Viator Full-Day Tour to Nisyros, the Volcano Island lasts about 8 hours, collects guests from Kos town, Lampi, Psalidi, Agios Fokas, Tigaki, Marmari, Mastichari and Kardamena, and includes lunch and entry to the volcano. The GetYourGuide Boat Trip to Nisyros Mandraki with Lunch and Transfer lasts about 10 hours, with an air-conditioned vehicle, an escort guide and a lunch of pork and chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and tzatziki.

Boat tickets only suit visitors who plan the island day themselves. The ticket covers the round trip from Kardamena; food, drinks, the volcano bus and the crater entrance fee are paid separately. The morning Nisyros boat trip gives about 5 hours ashore before the 15:30 return, and the midday sailing gives 5 hours and 30 minutes before the 18:30 return.

Where does a Nisyros boat trip depart?

A Nisyros boat trip sold as a cruise on GetYourGuide or Viator leaves from Kardamena harbour on the south coast of Kos. Kos town harbour has the scheduled ferries to Mandraki, and Kamari bay at Kefalos has local boats in season.

Kardamena sits midway along the south coast of Kos, 7 km from Kos airport at Antimacheia and 25.5 km by road from Kos town. The KTEL Kos bus covers the road from Kos town in about 40 minutes. For a stay in Kardamena on Kos, the meeting point is the Kardamena Port Authority on the harbour; the Nisyros boat trip listings ask passengers to arrive 5 to 15 minutes before the boat leaves.

Kos town harbour is the departure point for scheduled ferries rather than excursion boats. The Dodekanisos Seaways catamaran crosses to Mandraki in 45 to 50 minutes, and Blue Star Ferries take about 1 hour 15 minutes on sailings that leave after midnight. Around 3 sailings a week run on this line, and the timetable changes with the season. Visitors based in Kos town join a Nisyros boat trip through the hotel pick-up included on transfer listings.

Kefalos is the last town at the western end of Kos, 43 km from Kos town, above the Bay of Kamari. Local boats at Kamari run a Nisyros boat trip alongside fishing and sunset barbecue outings, with a season from April to October. A seasonal ferry from Kamari port has been listed at about 45 minutes and up to 2 crossings a week, though the route is not on every season’s timetable. The town and its bay are covered in Kefalos on Kos.

How long is the crossing, and what is the sea like on a Nisyros boat trip?

The crossing on a Nisyros boat trip from Kardamena covers about 22 km and takes 40 to 60 minutes each way. In summer the meltemi wind blows strongest in the afternoon, which is when the boats sail back to Kos.

Kardamena and Nisyros lie 21.88 km apart, or 11.8 nautical miles of open water. The listed crossing time depends on the boat and the operator, from 40 minutes on the Viator full-day tour to 1 hour on the midday sailing. A direct Nisyros boat trip spends between 80 minutes and 2 hours at sea over the round trip; the 3-island route adds the legs to Agios Antonios and Gyali.

• Viator full-day tour from Kardamena: about 40 minutes
• Exclusive cruise and volcano-and-Nikia cruise from Kardamena: about 45 minutes
• Morning sailing from Kardamena: 50 minutes, 09:30 to 10:20
• Midday sailing from Kardamena: about 1 hour, 12:00 to 13:00
• Catamaran from Kos town: 45 to 50 minutes
• Conventional ferry from Kos town: about 1 hour 15 minutes

The meltemi is the summer wind of the Aegean. It blows from late spring to mid-September, comes from the north-west in the southern Aegean and reaches force 7 to 8 on the Beaufort scale on strong days. It peaks in the afternoon and drops at night. On a Nisyros boat trip the outward leg in the morning meets lighter wind than the return leg in the afternoon.

On board the pirate-style 3-island boat, passengers find shaded seating, toilets and a bar. Drinks are sold on board, and own food and drinks are not allowed on that cruise. The same listing accepts wheelchairs, prams and pets but marks the trip as unsuitable during pregnancy. A seat low and in the middle of the boat moves least in a swell, which helps on the afternoon leg of a Nisyros boat trip.

What does a Nisyros boat trip include at the volcano?

A Nisyros boat trip reaches the volcano by coach. Buses meet the boats at Mandraki, drive to the caldera floor, 3 to 4 kilometres across, and stop for about 45 minutes at the Stefanos crater, with the entrance fee paid at the gate.

The Captain Dimitris ties up at Mandraki at 10:20 after a crossing of 45 to 50 minutes, and the coaches wait on the quay. The road climbs out of the harbour through the interior of the island and reaches the base of the caldera. On a Nisyros boat trip with the Captain Dimitris, the bus ride from the crater back to Mandraki takes 25 minutes, and passengers board the boat home at 15:30.

What the ticket covers depends on the format. The Island Spy cruise to the volcano, Nikia and Mandraki includes the bus to all three stops. The Island Spy 3-island cruise includes the volcano bus, and only the entrance fee is extra. The Sail Away Tours day trip and the Captain Dimitris boat-ticket sailing sell the volcano bus as an optional add-on, so a Nisyros boat trip on those boats can stay in Mandraki all day.

At the crater, a narrow path drops into Stefanos, an oval hollow 330 by 260 metres and about 27 metres deep. Fumaroles on the floor vent steam and leave yellow sulphur crystals around the openings. The order of stops changes by operator: the Island Spy coach drives from the quay to the crater and then to Nikia, while the Cretanholidays trip visits the crater before one hour of free time in Mandraki.

Which villages does a Nisyros boat trip visit?

Every Nisyros boat trip from Kos docks at Mandraki, the island’s port and capital. The Island Spy volcano route adds 45 minutes in Nikia, 390 metres up on the caldera rim, and the private driver tour adds Emporios. No listed cruise stops at Pali.

Mandraki is where passengers spend the longest block of shore time. The Captain Dimitris schedule gives free time on the island from 10:30 to 15:30, around the optional bus to the crater. Cruise listings send visitors to Ilikiomeni square for coffee and local sweets, and up about 200 steps to the Panagia Spiliani monastery above the harbour. Lunch in a Mandraki taverna stays outside the ticket on the Island Spy and Captain Dimitris sailings.

Nikia is the village stop on the Island Spy Nisyros boat trip to the volcano, Nikia and Mandraki. The coach climbs from the caldera floor to the village, which stands at 390 metres and lies 13 kilometres by road from Mandraki. The 45-minute stop covers the pebble-mosaic Porta square and the Volcanological Museum in the restored old school, which the private tour operator describes as the only museum of its kind in Greece.

Emporios sits at 330 metres on the caldera rim, 8 kilometres from Mandraki, and of the listed tours only the private half-day tour from Mandraki port goes there. That tour stops at the Natural Sauna, a cave of hot vapour once used for inhalation treatments. Pali, a fishing harbour and marina 4 kilometres east of Mandraki, appears on no shared Nisyros boat trip itinerary.

What does the 3-island Nisyros boat trip to Agios Antonios and Gyali include?

The 3-island Nisyros boat trip leaves Kardamena at 10:00 on a pirate-style boat, stops at Agios Antonios for a swim and an on-board BBQ lunch, spends about four hours at Mandraki and ends with a swim off Gyali before the 17:30 return.

Two operators sell this Nisyros boat trip from Kardamena on the south coast of the island of Kos: Sail Away Tours and Island Spy. Both depart at 10:00 and arrive back at 17:30. The first stop, reached within the first hour, is Agios Antonios, an uninhabited islet in the Nisyros municipality with a church of St Antonios and clear water for swimming. The crew prepares the BBQ during the stop, and the boat reaches Nisyros around noon.

• Boat tickets for all three islands, from Kardamena and back
• Lunch on board: pork souvlaki, salad and bread, with vegetarian meals on request
• Legal fees, taxes and liability insurance
• The volcano bus on the Island Spy sailing, with the crater entrance fee extra
• Toilets on board, a bar for drinks and sun mats on the open deck

Gyali, the last stop, lies halfway between Kardamena and Nisyros. The islet runs 6 kilometres long and splits into two parts joined by a narrow isthmus and beach: the northeastern part is obsidian, and the southwestern part is pumice, strip-mined in large quantities. The 3-island Nisyros boat trip stops off the island for swimming, diving from the deck and drinks from the bar. The latest census counted 7 residents on Gyali.

The two versions differ at the volcano. On the Island Spy sailing the crater bus is part of the ticket, while on the Sail Away Tours sailing the volcano is optional and arranged through the crew. Sail Away runs a boat with two decks, and Island Spy lets non-swimmers stay on board during the swim stops. The Cretanholidays Nisyros boat trip copies part of the route over 10 hours, with hotel pick-up, an Agios Antonios swim and BBQ, the volcano and one hour in Mandraki.

Which exclusive or private Nisyros boat trip options can you book?

The exclusive Nisyros boat trip is a shared 7-hour sailing on the Captain Dimitris from Kardamena, covering the volcano, Nikia and Mandraki. A private day pairs a crossing to Mandraki with a four-hour private driver tour, or uses a skippered RIB from Kos.

The Exclusive Cruise to Nisyros Island, Volcano and Nikia Village leaves Kardamena at 9:30 on the Captain Dimitris, the same boat that runs the standard day trip. After a crossing of about 45 minutes, passengers ride the coach to the crater, spend 45 minutes in Nikia and finish in Mandraki, with the optional climb to Panagia Spiliani. The boat leaves Nisyros at 15:30 and reaches Kardamena at 16:30, with a snack bar and toilets on board.

• Exclusive cruise: shared, 7 hours, Captain Dimitris from Kardamena, volcano, Nikia and Mandraki
• Kos volcano total package: 8 hours, pick-up near the hotel, live guide, ferry from Kardamena and a bus tour to the crater
• Private driver tour: 4 hours on Nisyros for one group, meeting point at Mandraki port
• RIB rental: 150-horsepower boat for up to 7 people, licence or paid skipper required

The private half-day tour is run by the Diakomihalis travel agency from its port office in Mandraki, with a driver who speaks English and Greek. One group visits Nikia and the chapel of Profitis Ilias, the Volcanological Museum, the Stefanos crater and the Natural Sauna at Emporios, then returns to Mandraki for free time. The crossing from Kos is a separate booking, such as the Kardamena to Nisyros ferry ticket, so the sea leg of this Nisyros boat trip stays shared.

For a boat of one’s own, the 4seakos RIB from Agios Fokas on Kos carries up to 7 people on a 150-horsepower engine for three hours, six hours or a full day, and the operator lists Nisyros among its destinations. It needs a boat licence or a paid skipper, and fuel is extra. The Kos boat rental without a licence fleet runs under thirty horsepower inside a zone marked at the dock, with Pserimos and the south coast as its listed runs.

What is included on a Nisyros boat trip?

Every Nisyros boat trip includes the return sea crossing from Kos, and the packages add the island bus to the Stefanos crater, a BBQ lunch, swim stops or hotel pickup. The crater entry fee and bar drinks are paid separately.

The inclusion line on each listing sets what the ticket covers. A tickets-only Nisyros boat trip lands you in Mandraki with about 5 hours ashore and no island transport, so the volcano bus is an extra paid on the day. The volcano and Nikia packages add a bus that climbs to the crater and stops in Nikia. The five formats on sale from Kos bundle these items:

• Boat tickets only: the return crossing from Kardamena, taxes and insurance.
• Volcano and Nikia day trip: the return crossing and the island bus to the crater and Nikia.
• Shared day cruise from Kos: the boat ticket and the transfer up to the volcano.
• 3-island cruise: the crossing, swim stops at Agios Antonios and Gyali, the bus on Nisyros and a souvlaki BBQ.
• Mandraki lunch trip: hotel pickup by air-conditioned vehicle, an escort guide and a souvlaki lunch at Agios Antonios.

Three costs sit outside the packages. The Stefanos crater entry fee is paid on site, and the Viator volcano listings mark it as excluded; the Kardamena operator also lists a separate island entry fee. Drinks come from the bar on board, and the Mandraki lunch trip takes cash only for them. Lunch is not part of the tickets-only crossing or the volcano and Nikia trip, so that meal is bought at a taverna in Mandraki.

Can you take a Nisyros boat trip from Rhodes or Tilos?

Yes, a Nisyros boat trip from Rhodes or Tilos runs on the scheduled ferry lines to Mandraki. The fastest Rhodes catamaran takes 2 hours 35 minutes, and the Tilos crossing takes 40 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Rhodes lies 66 nautical miles, about 122 km, from Nisyros by sea, and Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways and SAOS Ferries share the route. The Dodekanisos Seaways catamarans leave Rhodes at 08:00 or 10:00, while the Blue Star ships leave at 16:00 or 18:15 and take about 4 hours 15 minutes. A same-day Nisyros boat trip from Rhodes works only on a morning catamaran day; the Nisyros day trip from Rhodes plan fits the crater and Mandraki into the hours ashore.

From Tilos, the ferry leaves the port of Livadia and docks at Mandraki. Dodekanisos Seaways runs the fastest crossing at 40 minutes, Blue Star Ferries and SAOS Ferries also call on the route, and Blue Star and Dodekanisos each list 2 sailings a week. The GetYourGuide and Viator cruises all sail from Kos. The Tilos day trip from Rhodes covers Livadia and the island villages.

Which months and sea conditions suit a Nisyros boat trip?

A Nisyros boat trip runs through the summer season, and the Kardamena listings still sell dates to late October. June, September and October bring warm water and lighter winds, while July and August bring the meltemi at full strength.

The meltemi, the Etesian wind of the Aegean, blows from late spring to mid-September as a north-westerly over the Dodecanese. It peaks in July and August at force 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale, at times force 8, and is weaker in June and September. It builds through the hot hours, drops at night and gains strength in the channels between islands, such as the strait between Kos and Nisyros.

For a Nisyros boat trip, that daily pattern means a calmer morning crossing and a windier return leg, since the boats leave Kardamena at 09:30 or 10:00 and dock back in Kardamena between 16:30 and 17:30. The Mandraki lunch trip lists the day as unsuitable for passengers prone to seasickness. The volcano trips run only in suitable weather, and a sailing cancelled for wind or sea state moves to another date or is refunded in full.

Water temperature shapes the swim stops at Agios Antonios and Gyali on the 3-island route. The sea off Kos averages 22.8°C in June, 24.9°C in July, 26.1°C in August, 25.6°C in September and 23.2°C in October. The 3-island Nisyros boat trip from Kardamena keeps sailing on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 through late October.

How do you book and cancel a Nisyros boat trip?

You book a Nisyros boat trip online by choosing the format, the date and each traveller’s age band. The GetYourGuide and Viator listings give free cancellation with a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time.

Each listing splits the party into age bands. The Kardamena BBQ cruise and the exclusive volcano cruise use adult (13 and over), child (4 to 12) and infant (3 and younger) bands, and infants still go on the booking. The 3-island volcano cruise adds youth (12 to 14) and senior (66 and over) bands. Booking a Nisyros boat trip runs in this order:

• Choose the format, then check the departure port and time on the listing.
• Enter every traveller in the right age band, infants included.
• Use the reserve-now, pay-later option where the listing offers it.
• Call the operator to confirm the pickup time on trips with hotel transfer.
• Reach Kardamena port 10 to 15 minutes before departure with the voucher.

Cancelling runs through the same account that took the booking. A cancellation made at least 24 hours before the start time returns the full amount, and one made inside that window is not refunded. The reserve-now, pay-later option on the GetYourGuide cruises holds a seat with no payment on the booking day. The Kardamena ferry tickets confirm instantly and accept a mobile or printed voucher at the quay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Nisyros boat trip suitable for children?

Yes. The Sail Away boats from Kardamena welcome toddlers and take foldable strollers on board, and on the Viator shared cruise from Kos infants sit on an adult’s lap. On the 3-island Nisyros boat trip, children who do not swim stay on board during the swim stops, and the Mandraki lunch trip notes that the crater walk is strenuous for young children.

Can wheelchair users join a Nisyros boat trip?

Yes, on the Sail Away boats from Kardamena, which list wheelchair access for the tickets-only crossing, the volcano trip and the 3-island pirate cruise, with manual wheelchairs allowed. Ashore, the volcano listings describe uneven ground at the crater and moderate fitness for walking and stairs, and the climb from Mandraki to the Panagia Spiliani monastery runs to about 200 steps.

Do you need cash on a Nisyros boat trip?

Yes. The crater entry fee and the island entry fee listed by the Kardamena operator are paid on the day, outside the package, and the operator asks passengers to carry cash and a debit or credit card. The bar on board sells drinks and snacks, and the Mandraki lunch trip states that drinks on its boat are paid in cash only.

How large are the boats on a Nisyros boat trip?

The Captain Dimitris motorboat on the Kardamena crossings, known as the Shark Boat, carries up to 380 passengers. The antique-style pirate ship on the 3-island route lists a capacity of 340, and the Viator listing for the 3-island Nisyros boat trip caps its group at 320. Groups that want a boat to themselves book a private option instead.

Is a Nisyros boat trip open to pregnant travellers?

No. The Sail Away boats from Kardamena list both the tickets-only crossing and the 3-island cruise as not accessible to pregnant women. The Viator shared day cruise from Kos also marks the trip as not recommended for pregnant travellers or for travellers with poor cardiovascular health, and it states that entry into the volcanic crater is at each visitor’s own risk.