Koufonisia Boat Trip

A Koufonisia boat trip is a day cruise, sailing trip or private boat to Koufonisia, the small twin islands of the Small Cyclades south-east of Naxos, with swim stops in turquoise coves, a stop at Kato Koufonisi and time ashore in Chora. Tours across the rest of the country are listed on Greece Tours.

The sections below cover the formats, trips from Naxos and Paros, the coves and beaches, the Rina cave stop, private boats to Iraklia and Schinoussa, what is included, the season, who the trips suit and booking, with links into the Koufonisia pages. The cruises shown are checked on GetYourGuide and Viator.

What is a Koufonisia boat trip?

A Koufonisia boat trip is a day at sea to Koufonisia, the island group south-east of Naxos, with swim stops off Pano and Kato Koufonisi, free time in Chora and a return to the departure port the same evening.

Koufonisia lies on the south-south-east side of Naxos and west-north-west of Amorgos, inside the Small Cyclades, a cluster of 32 islands and rocks. The group has three main islands. Pano Koufonisi, also called Ano Koufonisi, covers 5.8 km² and holds the only village, Chora, with 391 residents at the last census. Kato Koufonisi covers 4.3 km² and has no village. Keros covers 15 km², rises to 432 metres and gave its name to the Keros-Syros culture of the Early Bronze Age.

A Koufonisia boat trip treats the group as a route rather than a single port call. The boat crosses from Naxos, Paros or Sifnos, anchors off Kato Koufonisi for swimming and ties up in the harbour of Pano Koufonisi, home to one of the biggest fishing fleets in Greece for the size of its population. Keros stays a view from the deck: landing there is forbidden, because the whole island is a protected archaeological site.

A boat trip differs from a scheduled crossing. A ferry lands passengers at the main port and leaves the return to them, while a Koufonisia boat trip keeps one vessel, one crew and one timetable for the whole day, with swim stops, a set return hour and, on the cruise formats, food on board. Travellers planning a night or more on the islands use the ferry from Naxos to Koufonisia instead.

Which Koufonisia boat trip formats can you book?

Five Koufonisia boat trip formats are on sale: shared day cruises from Naxos with the Rina cave, a traditional wooden boat with a barbecue, sailing cruises from Paros, private boats around the Small Cyclades and a private trip from Sifnos.

Listed durations run from 7 to 10 hours, and every format returns to its departure port on the same day. The formats differ on two points: who shares the boat, and how the hours divide between sailing, swimming and time ashore in Chora. Every one of the seven GetYourGuide listings for a Koufonisia boat trip carries a free-cancellation label.

• Shared day cruise from Naxos: 9 to 9.5 hours, with Kato Koufonisi, Ano Koufonisi and a swim at the Rina cave.
• Traditional boat cruise with barbecue: a 24-metre wooden boat from Naxos, lunch grilled on deck with unlimited wine, 9 hours, listed as wheelchair accessible.
• Sailing cruise from Paros: a sailboat from Piso Livadi for up to 10 guests, with lunch cooked on board, 9 hours.
• Private boat cruise around the Small Cyclades: six secluded beaches, natural pools and a shipwreck dive, 7 hours.
• Private trip from Sifnos: a RIB from Platis Gialos by way of Iraklia and Schinoussa, 9 hours.

Private formats change the pace rather than the destination. A private Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos by speedboat takes up to 7 guests with a skipper, fuel, wine, finger food and snorkelling gear. A private sailing day from Naxos runs 10 hours with village time and a swim at the Rina cave. The longest crossing belongs to Sifnos: a RIB leaves Platis Gialos, calls at Agios Georgios on Iraklia, passes the port of Schinoussa and spends the rest of the day around Koufonisia before the run back.

How does a Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos work?

A Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos leaves Agia Anna or Naxos Town in the morning, spends the middle of the day around Kato and Pano Koufonisi and returns to Naxos in the early evening, with the Rina cave or Iraklia added on one leg.

Shared cruises board at Agia Anna port, about 5 km from Naxos Town on the west coast. One cruise leaves at 09:30 and sails for 1 hour 45 minutes to Kato Koufonisi, where guests swim and eat a barbecue served on board. A 20-minute hop then brings the boat to Ano Koufonisi for 2.5 hours ashore. The Rina cave is the last swim before the boat docks at Agia Anna at 19:00.

The order of stops changes by operator. A second shared Koufonisia boat trip leaves Agia Anna at 09:45 and reaches the Rina cave after 1.5 hours, with 2 hours there for swimming and a barbecue lunch, then 3 hours at Ano Koufonisi. A private speedboat from Agia Anna crosses in about 45 minutes, gives an hour in Chora, anchors at Pori and Kato Koufonisi, and calls at Kalantos on the Naxos coast on the way back.

The small port of Naxos Town serves the island-hopping version. Guests check in by 08:30 and board the boat Alexander at 09:00 for a 9-hour round trip. Iraklia comes first, with about 90 minutes in its natural harbour, followed by just over four hours on Koufonisi for Chora, a beach or a taverna meal, since lunch is not part of the package. Pairings of Koufonisia with Iraklia or Schinoussa sit among the Small Cyclades trips from Naxos.

How does a Koufonisia boat trip from Paros work?

A Koufonisia boat trip from Paros leaves Piso Livadi on the east coast of Paros and runs 8 to 9 hours, either as a sailing cruise for up to 10 guests, an excursion boat that adds Iraklia or a private boat.

Piso Livadi is a fishing harbour about 17 km south-east of Parikia, on the side of Paros that faces Naxos. The sailing cruise boards at 09:30 and returns at 18:30, and guests meet at the quay 10 minutes before departure. The sailboat carries a maximum of 10 passengers, needs a minimum of 2 and has a shaded deck area and a toilet.

• Pezoulia Bay, Kato Koufonisi: swimming, snorkelling and a light snack.
• South coast of Kato Koufonisi: a passage along the shore under sail.
• Laki Bay: a swim stop while the crew prepares lunch.
• Pano Koufonisi: a sail past with a view of Chora from the water.
• Rina cave, Naxos: the last swim, with fruit for dessert.

Inclusions on the sailing Koufonisia boat trip are morning snacks, a Greek lunch with a vegetarian option on request, fruit dessert, beer, wine, soft drinks, water and snorkelling equipment. The cruise sells as a semi-private trip for 1 to 10 people or as a private charter, and it allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.

The excursion boat runs on a fixed timetable. It leaves Piso Livadi at 10:00, stops for about 90 minutes at Agios Georgios, the port of Iraklia, then lands guests on Koufonisi for four and a half to five hours of free time before the evening run back. Hotel pickup in Paros and boat tickets are included, while meals and a guide are not. Private boats from the same coast, which add Schinoussa to Iraklia and Koufonisia, sit alongside the other Paros boat tours.

Which coves and beaches does a Koufonisia boat trip reach?

A Koufonisia boat trip reaches the coves of Kato Koufonisi, the Pori bay and Xylompatis sea caves on Pano Koufonisi, the Gala formation and Italida, with Glaronisi and Keros seen from the deck; the exact list depends on the boat and the wind.

Kato Koufonisi is the anchorage that a shared Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos uses for the swim and lunch stop. The island covers 4.3 square kilometres and has a single seasonal taverna. On the traditional barbecue cruise from Agia Anna, guests swim and snorkel off the boat while the crew prepares lunch. Caiques also reach the sheltered pebble cove of Lakki, and the Panagia chapel stands on a jetty built over ancient ruins.

Around Pano Koufonisi, a 5.8-square-kilometre island that rises to only 114 metres, a Koufonisia boat trip traces the south coast from Chora towards Pori, a large enclosed bay of white sand. About 150 metres north of Pori, the two Xylompatis caves open at the foot of a vertical cliff, and the first runs straight through the rock. Gala, also called the Devil’s Eye, is a narrow opening where the water glows milky blue-green, and Italida at Platia Pounta has fine sand and no facilities.

Private boats widen the circuit. The private Small Cyclades cruise on GetYourGuide lists six secluded beaches, natural pools and a shipwreck dive, and RIB routes add Glaronisi, a rocky islet in the group. Keros, the uninhabited 15-square-kilometre island beside Koufonisia, rises to 432 metres and is a protected archaeological site where landing is forbidden, so every Koufonisia boat trip views it from the water.

• Kato Koufonisi: swim and lunch anchorage
• Pori: enclosed bay of white sand
• Xylompatis: two sea caves north of Pori
• Gala: narrow opening of the Devil’s Eye
• Glaronisi: rocky islet on private routes
• Keros: protected island seen from the deck

What is the Rina cave stop on a Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos?

The Rina cave stop is a swim break at a sea cave on the south-east coast of Naxos, built into a Koufonisia boat trip from Naxos either as the first swim of the morning or as the last stop before the boat returns to port.

The order shapes the day. The daily Koufonisia boat trip from the small port of Agia Anna leaves at 09:30, anchors first at Kato Koufonisi for the barbecue, spends 2.5 hours on Ano Koufonisi and keeps the cave for the homebound leg before docking at 19:00. The Rina cave and Koufonisia cruise on GetYourGuide reverses the pattern and reaches the cave first, so the cave swim comes before lunch and the island time closes the day.

At the cave, guests leave the anchored boat and swim in. The GetYourGuide itinerary lists three choices for the stop: swimming inside the cave, diving from the rocks above, or stepping onto the pebble beach beside it. Azul Cruises sails a 24-metre traditional wooden boat on the same pairing of Koufonisia and Rina. For the cave itself, its dome and its spring, read the page on the Rina cave on Naxos rather than this cruise overview.

Private boats use the cave too. The Koufonissi Island and Rina Cave Sailing Tour from Naxos is a private 10-hour day for up to 15 guests, with village time on Koufonisi and a swim at Rina. From Paros, an Aliki RIB route ends its Koufonisia boat trip with a snorkelling stop at the cave before the run home to Paros.

Which private Koufonisia boat trip options take in Iraklia and Schinoussa?

The private Koufonisia boat trip options that add Iraklia and Schinoussa start on Paros, at Aliki, Piso Livadi or Paroikia, last seven to eight and a half hours, and carry one party on a RIB or a crewed private boat.

The Viator Private Boat Tour to Koufonisia and the Small Cyclades meets at Piso Livadi and leaves at 10:00 for an 8.5-hour day with up to six guests. It spends about two hours on Koufonisi for Chora and Pori, one hour on Kato Koufonisi at a taverna that runs without electricity, and two hours at Schinoussa with a picnic and a swim over a Second World War wreck. A final stop at Kalandos on Naxos precedes a sunset run back to Paros.

From Aliki on the south coast of Paros, the private Small Cyclades cruise on GetYourGuide runs for seven hours with up to nine guests per booking. One Aliki RIB operator publishes a 10:00 to 17:00 route through Iraklia, Schinoussa, Kato Koufonisi and Ano Koufonisi, with RIBs seating 6, 9 or 11 passengers. On Iraklia, the wreck swim takes place in Alimia bay at the south-western tip, where a German Arado AR196 seaplane lies at about 9 metres under a marker buoy.

The Viator Private Boat Tour Paros: Koufonissia, Schinoussa and Iraklia names all three islands in its title, and a Paroikia charter runs an eight-hour Koufonisia and Schinoussa day for up to 11 guests. Schinoussa, an island of 8.5 square kilometres with its port at Mersini, sits between the island of Iraklia and Koufonisia, so one private Koufonisia boat trip links all three in a single day. Village and beach detail sits on the Schinoussa island page.

What is included on a Koufonisia boat trip?

A shared Koufonisia boat trip from Agia Anna includes the boat, a barbecue lunch, water, soft drinks and wine, plus snorkelling gear and life jackets; private charters add fuel, a skipper, towels and snacks, while lunch varies by listing.

The traditional barbecue cruise from Agia Anna departs at 09:30 for eight hours and serves souvlaki, local potato salad and tzatziki, with unlimited water, soft drinks and house wine. Azul Cruises pours unlimited wine with its on-board barbecue. The 9.5-hour daily cruise adds on-board WiFi, life jackets, lifebuoys and foam swim noodles for every guest, and it does not allow passengers to bring their own food or drink on the Koufonisia boat trip.

Private charters book the whole boat, so the inclusion list grows. A Paroikia charter lists crew, a hostess, lunch, beer, wine, seasonal fruit, towels, snorkelling equipment, WiFi and fuel. A private day boat from Agia Anna includes the skipper, fuel, finger food, wine, snorkelling equipment and pick-up from the marina, and it lists a taverna lunch, paddle boards and sea scooters as optional extras rather than part of the Koufonisia boat trip.

The exclusions differ by format. The shared Iraklia and Koufonissia cruise from Naxos covers the boat only, so lunch is eaten at a taverna on Koufonisi and no pick-up is provided. The Aliki RIB route excludes lunch, premium drinks and transfers, and personal spending on the islands sits outside every listing. One Rina cave and Koufonisia cruise from Naxos adds hotel pick-up and drop-off, a barbecue with vegetarian and vegan options, and drinks to the boat ticket.

• Barbecue lunch on shared cruises
• Water, soft drinks and house wine
• Snorkelling gear and life jackets
• Skipper and fuel on private boats
• Towels and snacks on charters
• WiFi on board selected boats

Which months and sea conditions suit a Koufonisia boat trip?

The main Koufonisia boat trip season runs from late spring to late September, when the boats from Naxos sail daily and the sea sits between 19°C and 25°C. The northerly meltemi wind, not the calendar, decides each sailing day.

The meltemi, the Greek name for the etesian wind, blows across the Aegean from late spring to mid-September. In the central Aegean it comes from the north and can reach force 7 to 8 on the Beaufort scale. It peaks in the afternoon and tends to drop after dark. Koufonisia lie south-south-east of Naxos, so the return leg of a Koufonisia boat trip to Agia Anna heads into that wind.

Water off Naxos averages about 19°C in late spring, 22°C in June, 24°C in July and close to 25°C in August, then 23.5°C in September and 21.5°C in October. When strong winds hit the Aegean, the Hellenic Coast Guard issues a sailing ban, known as apagorevtiko apoplou, that keeps tourist boats in port. One private sailing listing from Agia Anna ran daily from late March to the end of October.

Who suits a Koufonisia boat trip?

A Koufonisia boat trip suits families with children, couples and swimmers who want hours in open water. Non-swimmers need to read each listing first, since one Rina cave cruise lists them as unsuitable, alongside wheelchair users and people prone to seasickness.

Families with children find an all-ages welcome on the Naxos cruise to the Rina cave and Ano Koufonisi. The Daily Cruise to the Rina cave and Koufonissia carries life jackets, a lifebuoy and snorkel equipment on board. The day runs about 9.5 hours, from 09:30 to 19:00, and the long stop on Ano Koufonisi gives children time ashore between swims.

At the Rina cave, passengers jump from the boat or climb down a ladder to swim, so a non-swimmer watches from the deck. The traditional BBQ cruise spends 3 hours on Ano Koufonisi, enough to walk the lanes of Chora without entering the sea. That Koufonisia boat trip gives a non-swimmer more time ashore than a sailing day built around swim bays.

Couples who want a quiet deck choose a semi-private or private Koufonisia boat trip. The semi-private sailing day from Piso Livadi on Paros takes a maximum of 10 passengers and lasts 9 hours. A private sailing tour from Agia Anna comes with its own skipper, snorkelling equipment, finger food and wine, and the boat carries only the couple’s own party.

How do you book and cancel a Koufonisia boat trip?

Book a Koufonisia boat trip online through the GetYourGuide or Viator listing for the date, port and group size. Cancel up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and a weather cancellation brings a new date or a full refund.

Each listing shows a calendar of open dates, the departure port, the start time and the stops. Shared cruises sell single seats, while a private Koufonisia boat trip books the whole boat for one group. The checks below cover the details that change from one listing to the next. If no date fits, the wider choice of boat trips from Naxos covers other routes from the same island.

• Departure port: Agia Anna on Naxos or Piso Livadi on Paros.
• Start time: 09:30 or 09:45 from Agia Anna.
• Stops: Kato Koufonisi, Ano Koufonisi, the Rina cave or Iraklia.
• Group size: shared boat, semi-private for 10 or private charter.
• Return time: 19:00 at Agia Anna or 18:30 at Piso Livadi.

The standard cancellation terms give a full refund for a cancellation made at least 24 hours before the start time. A cancellation inside those 24 hours earns no refund. Every Koufonisia boat trip requires good weather. When the operator cancels for wind or sea state, the booking moves to a different date or returns a full refund. Booking the cruise for the first days of an island stay leaves spare days for a weather move.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you pack for a Koufonisia boat trip?

Pack swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a change of clothing and comfortable shoes for the walk into Chora on Ano Koufonisi. Add a camera and a bottle of water for the hours ashore. The shared cruises supply snorkelling equipment and serve water, soft drinks and wine on board, so a mask and fins stay at home.

Can vegans and vegetarians eat on a Koufonisia boat trip?

The Daily Cruise to the Rina cave and Koufonissia lists vegan menu alternatives next to its pork or chicken souvlaki, and the Rina cave and Ano Koufonissi cruise prepares vegetarian and vegan meals on request. The barbecue sides of tomato, potato, pepper and onion salad, tzatziki, fresh bread and fresh fruit contain no meat. Note the diet in the booking form.

How early do you reach the port for a Koufonisia boat trip?

One Naxos operator asks guests to reach Agia Anna port 15 minutes before departure. With boats leaving at 09:30 or 09:45, that means standing on the quay by 09:15 or 09:30. Agia Anna lies about 7 km from Naxos Town, so guests staying in town add the road transfer to their morning. The Paros sailing day meets at Piso Livadi port instead.

How large are the islands on a Koufonisia boat trip?

Pano Koufonisi, home to the village of Chora, covers 5.8 km² and had 391 residents at the last census. Kato Koufonisi covers 4.3 km², and Keros, the third island of the group, is uninhabited and protected as an archaeological site. The whole Koufonisia unit spans about 26 km², and its highest point stands 114 m above the sea, so the islands sit low on the horizon.