We have introduced our Greek gulet based swimming holiday cruise trip in 2017. Living on the Mediterranean sea for a week offers a special and unique holiday experience.
This trip gives us a chance to get in and swim straight from our luxurious liveaboard boat, have our own chef to cook meals for us and have a great captain to drive us around. Living on the boat not only offers us plenty of swimming options but also gives us a chance to explore and move around a lot more than on our hotel-based trips.
We board our boat in Rhodes, Greece and cruise around the southern Dodecanese Islands: Symi, Nisyros, Tilos, Chalki. These islands are located east of the Greek Cyclades and therefore offer one of the best climates in the Mediterranean.
The plan is that we swim twice a day, in the morning and afternoon and we move locations day to day. Such trips require some flexibility due to weather conditions, but we generally always have options to swim every day.
We eat meals outside on the deck and especially dinners are usually one of the highlights of the day; a long leisurely meal sitting under the stars listening to the water lapping at the hull of the gulet.
Islands to Visit
Symi
Beautiful Symi island has a very diverse landscape with high hills and numerous long inlet bays. Symi is surrounded by a few smaller islands including Nimos and Sesklion which offers us an incredible variety of swimming options. Our favourite swimming spots on the Eastern side are Pedi, Nanou and Marathounda bays. Historically, Symi had a rich tradition of shipbuilding and sponge fishing.
Nisyros
This is a volcanic island built of pumice and rock. The soil is incredibly fertile and produces a unique flora popular with botanists. Vineyards, fig and almond trees thrive and there are many wild flowers. Most people who come to the island will climb to see the volcanic crater and enjoy time on the black or red sandy beaches.
Tilos
The island of Tilos offers serene mountains, valleys, and meadows surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs. Many isolated beaches offer us unspoiled, quiet swimming venues. Avid bird watchers find this island attractive due to many rare types of Mediterranean birds nesting here.
Chalki
Together with neighbouring Alimia, Chalki offers sheltered bay swimming and chances to walk off the boat and explore. Chalki has a rocky landscape and variety of wildlife including butterflies, bees, goats and wild flowers. The old, picturesque mansions around the harbour area were once occupied by sea captains and add to the interest of the area
Swimming locations Distances
SYMI ISLAND
- Pedi – Nanou Bay 2.5 km
- Nanou Bay – Marathounda 3 km
- Nimos island coastal 2.6 km
- Diapori – Nimporios 3.2 km
NISYROS ISLAND:
- Madraki – Pali beach 3.4 km
TILOS ISLAND:
- Gaidaros – Livadia town 2.5 km
- Tholos Bay – Segios Bay 3 km
CHALKI ISLAND:
- Pondamos – Nimborio 2.2 km
- Nisaki island – Chalki island 2.5 km
- Theodoros isl. – Alimia island 3.5 km
RHODES ISLAND: Coastal swim 2 km
Flexible Travel Note!
Our cruise will depart and return to Rhodes, Greece and we will be travelling around the southern Dodecanese islands as part of the journey. Such trip requires a certain amount of flexibility due to the current weather. This means we plan our final route and swims (day-to-day) on location and according to the weekly weather forecast. Our daily schedule includes morning and afternoon swims with meals and cruising time in between. We also go off the boat to visit some islands and stretch our legs!
Note! This trip is no longer in operation and we now run two similar Turkish gulet trips below. One cruise departs from Marmaris and one from Fethiye. Both are easily accessible via Rhodes (Greece) by ferry or you can fly into Dalaman airport and take ground transport.
Cruise trip 1: Swim Sail Cruise – Lycian Way
Cruise trip 2: Swim Sail Cruise – Gulf of Hisaronu
Symi Island Hopping trip: Greece Swimming Holiday
