With thousands of islands, endless coasts and an intriguing mainland, Greece will offer you some unforgettable, adventurous holidays. If you happen to be a sports aficionado, head to Greece, follow our tips and get your adrenaline rush now!
Windsurfing at the Island of Lefkada
Lefkada’s waves offer ideal surfing conditions and is considered to be among the most famous destination for both Greek and international surfers. The wind’s strength that reaches its peak in the afternoon has put the beach of Vassiliki, a globally acclaimed surf spot, in the TOP 10 beaches in the world and the TOP 3 in Europe. This is the place to try your slalom or freestyle skills. Windsurfing schools and shops facilitate light travellers and those deciding to take part in the thrilling activity on a whim.
Kite surfing at the Island of Paros
The “hot spot” list for windsurfing fans would never be complete without the “sports-oriented,” “noisy” beaches of Santa Maria and Pounta, on Paros Island, known for their high winds. The daring kite surfers handle the ropes of their kites with great ease and glide over the waves at great speeds! Kites of all colours; orange, golden, lime green and scarlet, a panorama of colours and shapes cover the sky over this picturesque beach. Awe-inspiring figures in the air are part of this special experience.
Climbing to seventh heaven in Kalymnos
Kalymnos, is a small island located in southeastern Dodecanese between the islands of Leros and Kos, which is ideal for rock climbing all year round. Particularly, in September, you can enjoy pleasant temperatures for climbing and swimming.
Kalymnos became a climbers’ paradise in mid-90s as the word spread that giant cliffs by the sea made an astonishing backdrop for this activity. Nowadays, there are over 70 climbing fields, which make the island one of the best climbing destinations. The island has everything a traveling climber looks for: abundance of challenging rock formations but also simplicity and authenticity.
Try new routes and new areas; less than 10% is explored, even though on Kalymnos the rock climbing experience can last for a month: surrounded by some of the finest limestone crags in the world (the Grande Grotta cave forms a giant limestone amphitheater), the island provides a huge range of climbing on slabs, big walls, overhangs, and tufas to suit every level and style.
Diving in Kefalonia
Kefalonia has a breathtaking coastline with underwater walls, caverns, caves, extended reefs and a few impressive lake caves, accessible to divers.
Thanks to the strong sunlight and clear waters, underwater visibility usually exceeds 30m, offering U/W photographers unique opportunities to capture marine life and species of the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea (such as the Monk seal Monachus Monachus and the Loggerhead Turtle Carreta Carreta).
The sea around the island holds a treasure of ancient shipwrecks from prehistoric times (2750-2000 BC) up to the late Roman and Byzantine Period (600 AD). Furthermore, WWII airplane and ship wrecks are also found at depths accessible to recreational divers.
Among these, the most iconic is the HMS Perseus Submarine, which is one of the most impressive wreck dives a diver can experience and also considered as one of the top 10 WWII dives worldwide.
Crossing Gorges around Chania
Apart from the imposing Samaria Gorge, Chania area includes several more gorges, which are smaller in size but as beautiful. Their crossing will be a unique experience for you.
Nibros gorge is 6-7 km long and is one of the narrowest and deepest in the country. At some points its two slopes have just two meters distance from each other and its depth is 300m. In other parts they come so close that you cannot see the sky.
Topoliano gorge is 1.500m long. It has very high, vertical slopes where you will be able to see many cavitary hollows. One of them is the explored Agia Sophia cave at an altitude of 80m. It is located on the right side of the road that passes through the gorge. It is full of amazing stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is also of archaeological interest as scientists found conches (a variety of sea mollusks) dating back to the Neolithic Era.
Other remarkable gorges are:
– Anopolis, located between Anopoli and Aradena that leads to the beach of Dialiskari (7km long)
– The verdant gorge of Agia Eirini that ends up to Sougia beach (a 4hrs walk)
– The historic gorge of Therisos, which was used by Cretans as a base for their revolution
– Malaxa Gorge that has a depth of 400 m
– The marvelous gorge of Anydroi – Gianiskari in Palaiochora (a 30 minutes walk)
