Day 1: Arrive and unpack
We had only a 4 night break here (Jet2 holidays), staying at a slightly tired but friendly Kamari 2* hotel in Kefalos, on the far southwestern tip of the island of Kos. We arrived early evening of the first day so didn’t really do much other than have a couple of beers in the hotel bar.
Day 2: Quad biking
Next morning we hired a 50cc quad bike. I’m not a fan of quad bikes, I’m much more accustomed to being on 2 wheels. Despite being woefully under-powered to carry 2 adults, and having tragic handling capabilities, we had a fantastic day exploring the hills, bays and coves of the mountainous and wild far southwestern corner of Kos. The late afternoon was spent on Agios Theologos beach. We stayed to watch the sun go down and ate some delicious food at the only restaurant on the beach. This meant travelling the roads at night to return to Kefalos on a quad that struggled to reach walking speed on the uphills. The roads were quiet though so we just took it easy and enjoyed the wobbly handling. All in all it was a very cheap day and we had a whole lot of fun.
Day 3: Nisyros boat trip
Boat trip to the volcano on Nisyros. Boats leave from Kardamena, taking an hour or so to make the crossing. It was a very nice trip. A coach picks you up from the main village on Nisyros and takes you up the mountain, passing beautiful scenery along the way. The volcano itself is stunning. It is a proper caldera, with streaming vents encrusted with sulphur.
As with all these types of tours, they are a bit rushed and a bit touristy, but you get a brief taste of what the island is like. On the boat across to Nisyros we got chatting to two retired ladies. They were island-hopping their way around the Dodecanese using local ferries, travelling light, and with few plans. It sounded like a great adventure and so I added this onto my ‘to do’ list.
Day 4: Car hire to Kos town and back
We decided to hire a car for the day to explore a bit of the island. We drove up to Kos old town, where we looked around the old town and booked a boat trip for the next day. We then went to the sprawling Asklepieion ruins, and had a drive round the hills. I could see a salt pan on google maps near Tigkaki. We headed there and the pan was mostly dried up. A 4WD track led around the edge of the pan, and you could see where cars had been going off-trail and getting stuck. Only having a small 2WD hire car we sensibly stayed on the trail, which got a bit lumpy towards the end but nothing our plucky little hire car couldn’t handle! We then drove to Mastichari to watch the sun set and had dinner at a beach-front restaurant. What a lovely day.
Day 5: Kalymnos boat trip and return home
An evening airport transfer meant we could enjoy a full day of activity. We packed up and left our things with the hotel reception before being picked up by a minibus to take us to Kos town for the start of our boat trip to Kalymnos. A bit shit but it was nice to see some scenery. The boat just goes to the main town on Kalymnos, then you have 3 hours to mill around the town before leaving again. Not enough time to really do anything on this beautiful island. There are many other tours which will include visits to other parts of the island, I’d advise shopping around and checking the boats itinerary rather than just opting for the cheapest tour.
We had a fantastic meal at a Kefalos beach restaurant before out airport transfer arrived.
Conclusion:
I could easily spend a lot more time here, Kos is fantastic. We only had 4 days and so could do only a small number of amazing activities. Just a cursory glance at google maps will reveal an endless number of beaches to suit all tastes: from parasol and bar-lined beaches to remote little coves that you will have all to yourselves.
Kefalos village: It is very quiet here, its a bit scruffy and rustic, but still very charming. It is very different to the more polished party town of Kardamena. If you want to party all night, don’t come to Kefalos. If you want quiet beaches, good restaurants, and easy access to the rugged and remote south then Kefalos is perfect. There are some interesting ruins of a monastery at the far eastern edge of the beach that are fun to explore.
