Kos flotilla - 2 weeks | Sailing Choices

About the Kos Flotilla

The Kos flotilla visits the areas north and south of Kos.

Quick Choices - Dodecanese Flotillas

Base:	Kos		Difficulty: Windy	Airport: Kos
Flights from:		Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, Glasgow & Belfast
Qualifications:		to sail yourself: minimum ICC or RYA Coastal Skipper Practical
Other options:		Skippers available to hire

FLOTILLA PRICES from KOS

Once you leave the popular holiday island of Kos, you will visit places that see few tourists, mixed in with some larger stops.

Going north, Kalymnos was once the centre of the sponge industry. Lakki is covered with art deco buildings whilst little Lipsi is like a low level miniature Santorini.

To the south, you get a chance to explore the volcanic crater on Nisyros. The holiday town of Symi, with its bright coloured buildings is an impressive sight. The small harbour at Tilos offers a traditional Greek fishing village.

In July and August, this flotilla is potentially one of the windiest available anywhere. If the Meltemi wind system kicks in, it can reach force 5/6 or even 7. But the Meltemi is unpredictable. It can appear for a day or a week, or not at all. Even at the start and end of the season, winds can reach force 4/5.

2026 Dates

Flotilla	May	June	July	August	September	October
Kos flotilla
....north then south	2nd 16th 30th	13th 27th	11th 25th	8th 22nd	5th 19th	3rd 17th
....south then north	9th 23rd	6th 20th	4th 18th	1st 15th 29th	12th 26th	10th

Kos flotilla itineraries – 2 weeks

Kos Itinerary – North then South

View the Kos flotilla – north then south on a map

See About the maps for Key and more information. You can see photos of the area in the Dodecanese gallery. For details of what’s included see Flotilla inclusions and options.

Day	Miles	Destination
1: Sat	0	Check in Kos Town Kos is an ancient settlement, originally founded on agriculture and fishing, with one of the largest market places in the ancient world, and known for its wines and silk. The home of Hippocates, the island still shows much evidence of past glories but today the main industry is tourism. There’s plenty to do and see whether ... Read more
2: Sun	17	Kalymnos / Kalimnos / Pothia Once the centre of the Greek sponge trade, Kalymnos Town, also know as Pothia, sits in a lush valley at the foot of two hills. These form a natural amphitheatre around the large harbour. The town has plenty to occupy visitors, with beaches, caves, museums, ruins and a wide choice of eateries all close by. Harvesting of ... Read more
3: Mon	31	Lipsi With it’s whitewashed buildings and blue domes, Lipsi is like a miniature version of Santorini, but at a lower altitude, and with better beaches and fewer tourists! It’s a great place to relax with virtually no traffic and everything within walking distance. Indeed, the island is small enough you could walk from one end to another. There ... Read more
4: Tue	12	Patmos Skala Skala is the main port on Patmos, a couple of kilometres north of the capital, Chora (or Hora). The island is reputedly the place where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. Patmos is a popular stopping off point for cruise ships as the high number of souvenir shops will attest. There are several monasteries of which ... Read more
5: Wed	21	Lakki / Porto Lago (Leros) A superb natural harbour, Lakki is a town unlike any other in the Dodecanese. Art Deco and futuristic buildings line the wide buildings with little sign of the narrow alleys and traditional buildings one would expect. The buildings date from the Italian occupation, when the bay was a major Italian Naval Base. Some are now falling in ... Read more
6: Thu	24	Free sailing. Why not try: Pserimos This is one of the smallest inhabited Greek islands with a declining population now thought to be down to double figures. There are no cars as there are no roads. Provisions not sourced locally arrive by boat. As do the tourists. The arrival of the trip boats multiplies the population for a few hours. But after a ... Read more or: Panteli / Pandeli (Leros) This traditional Greek fishing village is clearly identified by the line of windmills on the hilltop. It lives an odd double life, with fishing boats moored up just feet from large yachts. So far it’s holding it’s own; you’ll still find fishermen sewing their nets and be greeted by the locals as a welcome guests rather ... Read more
7: Fri	7	Free Sailing. How about; Vathi (Kalymnos) This picturesque village lies at the end of one of the two green valleys on Kalymnos (the other is at Pothia). Entering the bay through it’s fjord like entrance, you can see the orange and lemon trees stretching up the lush hillsides. The village that now stands on what was once the settlement of Rina is a ... Read more or for a quiet night try Emporios / Emborios (Kalymnos) The most northerly village on Kalymnos – the town at the end of the road – Emporios is a cluster of whitewashed houses separated by narrow alleys, on the edge of a beach lined bay. Beyond the maintained trees and holiday properties on the beach edge, the surroundings are more barren than at Pothia and Vathi, ... Read more
8: Sat	9	Free Sailing. I suggest: Mastichari (Kos) It’s nice to find somewhere on Kos that seems to have escaped the ravages of mass tourism. The small fishing village of Mastichari welcomes the quieter kind of visitor. There’s a good sized beach with much of the water based activities wind powered and kept to one end. A short walk inland there’s the ruin of ... Read more
9: Sun	30	Mandraki (Nisyros) Mandraki (Nisyros): Houses crowd the waters edge The island of Nisyros is essentially a volcano, which is still technically active. Mandraki, home to the majority of the island’s 1000 strong population is on the north west corner. The village is a maze of pebbled streets and alleys, between the whitewashed and natural stone buildings with their wooden ... Read more
10: Mon	40	Symi Town Once a major shipbuilding and sponge fishing centre, Symi is now primarily a tourist destination. The island has had a chequered history but after much restoration (heavily controlled by the authorities) its multi coloured buildings now make a spectacular sight. The harbour of Symi town (also called Yialos) includes a small nautical museum and is connected ... Read more
11: Tue	13	Panormitis (Symi) Sailors stopping the night get to see Panormitis at it’s best. This bay, on the south west of Symi, is a tranquil contrast to the bustle of Symi Town, but only once the plethora of trip boats have left for the day. The central attraction is the Greek Orthodox monastery of the Archangel Michael which dominates the ... Read more
12: Wed	24	Livadia (Tilos) The little harbour at Livadia is actually the main port for the island. Once populated by miniature elephants, remains of which have been found on one of the caves, Tilos is now a bird sanctuary. There are plenty of traditional buildings in Livadia, with the main concession to tourism being the many restaurants. There’s a good ... Read more
13: Thu	31	Free sailing. Why not try: Kamari / Kamares & Kefalos (Kos) The village of Kamari is at the south end of the long sandy beach of Kefalos. The small harbour at Kamari provides good shelter, though if you’re just stopping for lunch you can often just anchor off the beach. Needless to say, the beach has been well and truly discovered with a number of hotels in evidence. The ... Read more or: Mastichari (Kos) It’s nice to find somewhere on Kos that seems to have escaped the ravages of mass tourism. The small fishing village of Mastichari welcomes the quieter kind of visitor. There’s a good sized beach with much of the water based activities wind powered and kept to one end. A short walk inland there’s the ruin of ... Read more
14: Fri	25	Kos Town Kos is an ancient settlement, originally founded on agriculture and fishing, with one of the largest market places in the ancient world, and known for its wines and silk. The home of Hippocates, the island still shows much evidence of past glories but today the main industry is tourism. There’s plenty to do and see whether ... Read more
15: Sat	0	Check out and depart
Average	22	You will do more miles than this!

All routes may be subject to change for weather and operational reasons. Your Lead Crew will keep you advised during the week. Route names may differ from those used by the operator

Kos Itinerary – South then North

View the Kos flotilla – south then north on a map

See About the maps for Key and more information. You can see photos of the area in the Dodecanese gallery. For details of what’s included see Flotilla inclusions and options.

Day	Miles	Destination
1: Sat	0	Check in Kos Town Kos is an ancient settlement, originally founded on agriculture and fishing, with one of the largest market places in the ancient world, and known for its wines and silk. The home of Hippocates, the island still shows much evidence of past glories but today the main industry is tourism. There’s plenty to do and see whether ... Read more
2: Sun	23	Mandraki (Nisyros) Mandraki (Nisyros): Houses crowd the waters edge The island of Nisyros is essentially a volcano, which is still technically active. Mandraki, home to the majority of the island’s 1000 strong population is on the north west corner. The village is a maze of pebbled streets and alleys, between the whitewashed and natural stone buildings with their wooden ... Read more
3: Mon	40	Symi Town Once a major shipbuilding and sponge fishing centre, Symi is now primarily a tourist destination. The island has had a chequered history but after much restoration (heavily controlled by the authorities) its multi coloured buildings now make a spectacular sight. The harbour of Symi town (also called Yialos) includes a small nautical museum and is connected ... Read more
4: Tue	13	Panormitis (Symi) Sailors stopping the night get to see Panormitis at it’s best. This bay, on the south west of Symi, is a tranquil contrast to the bustle of Symi Town, but only once the plethora of trip boats have left for the day. The central attraction is the Greek Orthodox monastery of the Archangel Michael which dominates the ... Read more
5: Wed	24	Livadia (Tilos) The little harbour at Livadia is actually the main port for the island. Once populated by miniature elephants, remains of which have been found on one of the caves, Tilos is now a bird sanctuary. There are plenty of traditional buildings in Livadia, with the main concession to tourism being the many restaurants. There’s a good ... Read more
6: Thu	31	Free sailing. Why not try: Kamari / Kamares & Kefalos (Kos) The village of Kamari is at the south end of the long sandy beach of Kefalos. The small harbour at Kamari provides good shelter, though if you’re just stopping for lunch you can often just anchor off the beach. Needless to say, the beach has been well and truly discovered with a number of hotels in evidence. The ... Read more or: Kardamena (Kos) Once a small village, Kardamena has grown in to a thriving holiday resort. The big attraction is the long sandy beach. So long in fact that most of the hotels could genuinely claim to be no more than 5 minutes from the beach! Amongst the modern hotels, you’ll still find plenty of signs of the original village. There ... Read more
7: Fri	25	Free sailing. How about: Mastichari (Kos) It’s nice to find somewhere on Kos that seems to have escaped the ravages of mass tourism. The small fishing village of Mastichari welcomes the quieter kind of visitor. There’s a good sized beach with much of the water based activities wind powered and kept to one end. A short walk inland there’s the ruin of ... Read more or: Vathi (Kalymnos) This picturesque village lies at the end of one of the two green valleys on Kalymnos (the other is at Pothia). Entering the bay through it’s fjord like entrance, you can see the orange and lemon trees stretching up the lush hillsides. The village that now stands on what was once the settlement of Rina is a ... Read more
8: Sat	19	Free sailing: I suggest Emporios / Emborios (Kalymnos) The most northerly village on Kalymnos – the town at the end of the road – Emporios is a cluster of whitewashed houses separated by narrow alleys, on the edge of a beach lined bay. Beyond the maintained trees and holiday properties on the beach edge, the surroundings are more barren than at Pothia and Vathi, ... Read more or Panteli / Pandeli (Leros) This traditional Greek fishing village is clearly identified by the line of windmills on the hilltop. It lives an odd double life, with fishing boats moored up just feet from large yachts. So far it’s holding it’s own; you’ll still find fishermen sewing their nets and be greeted by the locals as a welcome guests rather ... Read more
9: Sun	14	Kalymnos / Kalimnos / Pothia Once the centre of the Greek sponge trade, Kalymnos Town, also know as Pothia, sits in a lush valley at the foot of two hills. These form a natural amphitheatre around the large harbour. The town has plenty to occupy visitors, with beaches, caves, museums, ruins and a wide choice of eateries all close by. Harvesting of ... Read more
10: Mon	31	Lipsi With it’s whitewashed buildings and blue domes, Lipsi is like a miniature version of Santorini, but at a lower altitude, and with better beaches and fewer tourists! It’s a great place to relax with virtually no traffic and everything within walking distance. Indeed, the island is small enough you could walk from one end to another. There ... Read more
11: Tue	12	Patmos Skala Skala is the main port on Patmos, a couple of kilometres north of the capital, Chora (or Hora). The island is reputedly the place where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. Patmos is a popular stopping off point for cruise ships as the high number of souvenir shops will attest. There are several monasteries of which ... Read more
12: Wed	21	Lakki / Porto Lago (Leros) A superb natural harbour, Lakki is a town unlike any other in the Dodecanese. Art Deco and futuristic buildings line the wide buildings with little sign of the narrow alleys and traditional buildings one would expect. The buildings date from the Italian occupation, when the bay was a major Italian Naval Base. Some are now falling in ... Read more
13: Thu	24	Free sailing. Why not try: Pserimos This is one of the smallest inhabited Greek islands with a declining population now thought to be down to double figures. There are no cars as there are no roads. Provisions not sourced locally arrive by boat. As do the tourists. The arrival of the trip boats multiplies the population for a few hours. But after a ... Read more or: Vathi (Kalymnos) This picturesque village lies at the end of one of the two green valleys on Kalymnos (the other is at Pothia). Entering the bay through it’s fjord like entrance, you can see the orange and lemon trees stretching up the lush hillsides. The village that now stands on what was once the settlement of Rina is a ... Read more
14: Fri	15	Kos Town Kos is an ancient settlement, originally founded on agriculture and fishing, with one of the largest market places in the ancient world, and known for its wines and silk. The home of Hippocates, the island still shows much evidence of past glories but today the main industry is tourism. There’s plenty to do and see whether ... Read more
15: Sat	0	Check out and disembark
Average	22	You will do more miles than this!

All routes may be subject to change for weather and operational reasons. Your Lead Crew will keep you advised during the week. Route names may differ from those used by the operator.

More about the flotilla

The flotilla consists of two different one week routes back to back. Over the middle weekend, you can either head back in to the base and have a day out on Kos, or sail where you wish. (The Lead Crew will advise on possible destinations).

Kos’s airport is about 30 minutes drive away from the base.