Kalymnos

Kalymnos is a bare limestone island, separated from Leros, by the narrow channel of Stenon Lerou. The coasts are mostly steep and rocky, with numerous coves and inlets ideal for a sailing holiday. The inhabitants live partly by farming in the few fertile valleys, but mainly by fishing for sponges in the south-eastern Med and processing them for export to the USA. The departure (April-May) and return (Sept-Oct) of the sponge-fishing fleet are celebrated with lively festivities. Sponge fishing means a yearly excursion and ev¬ery spring the sponge-fishers of Kalymnos cast off for the seas off the North African coast. Their departure is a moving and important event, which is therefore accompanied by fancy religious cere¬monies. After approx¬imat¬ely five months of hard work the sponge-fishers return to the island.

Tilos

Tilos has been one of the best-kept secrets in the Dodecanese for some time, with good unspoiled beaches, friendly people and wonderful walking country: a tranquil antidote to Kos town. From a distance it looks arid but it shelters groves of figs, almonds, walnuts, pomegranates and olives, all watered by fresh springs.

Symi

The beautiful island of Symi lays about 23 nm north-west of Rhodes flanked by two Turkish peninsula. It has a much-indented coast, ideal for a sailing holiday and according to Ho¬mer it possessed eight good harbours. The inhabitants live off sponge-fishing and boat-building.It is not a very big island, only 67 square kilometers and the majority of the land is covered in rocks.

Leros

Leros is a hilly and fertile island with an abundance of water and a much-indented coast. The inhabitants live by farming and fishing.
Leros was in ancient times dependant on Miletus. Although continuously inhabited since then, it has never played a part of any importance in history either. In the 4th century the Knights of St. John established themselves on the island and held it against the Turks until the 16th century. During the Second World War it was a German naval base and subject to heavy attack. In the north, Parthnion is still a closed military area.

Kos

Kos lays at the mouth of the Turkish Gulf of Kerme, which cuts deep into the coast of Asia Minor. It was separated from the Bodrum Peninsula by the collapse of a rift valley in the Pliocene period, which explains the range of limestone hills, rising to 846 m in Mount Dikaios, that runs along the island for almost its entire length. It is the largest island in the Dodecanese after Rhodes and, unlike most other Aegean islands, Kos has a population that is increasing in numbers.

Halki

Halki is a dry barren island with no natural fresh water, so the all important water supply has to be regularly brought in by tanker from the island of Rhodes. Halki has a very small population which inhabits the only settlement on the island, the harbour town of Nimborio.

Rhodes

Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese and the fourth largest Greek island (after Crete, Evia and Lesbos), is a favourite port when visiting the south east of Greece and a very good starting point - much like Kos - for a sailing holiday in the Dodecanese. The island is roughly diamond-shaped and a mountainous range runs from north to south with the highest peak Mt. Ataviros (1205 m), situated in the middle of the west coast. Unlike many of the other islands in this region, Rhodes is fertile not only in the valleys but also on the higher slopes: pine, orange, olive, lemon, fig and pear trees thrive in these conditions. Also the villages are lush and colourful with hibiscus, jasmine and bougainvillea, which explains the many butterflies. And indeed, Rhodes is often called the butterfly island.

Lipsi

On this small island people still live off farming and fishing, and the few tourists that come every summer. The life here is laidback, and if you decide to come here you'll be able to enjoy the quiet and just relax. Lipsi is very traditional with its white and blue houses, friendly people and nice little beaches. The only thing that disturbs the slow pace here are the excursion boats from Leros and Patmos, when the island livens up a bit. The island is quite green, and considered ideal for families with children, since most of the beaches are shallow and the waters calm and clean.

Karpathos

The island of Karpathos is located between the two well know Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete. Its magnificent beaches, its secluded small bays, its imposing mountain peaks and its local inhabitants who dress up in their traditional costumes. Karpathos comprises of 10 villages lived in by approximately 6,000 people total. All villages preserve intensively the traditional style of the island.

Astypalea

The arid island of Astypalea (Astypalaia or Astipalaia), the most westerly of the Dodecanese, shows clear affinities in both landscape and culture with the Cyclades. Two wide bays on the north-west and south-east sides divide the island into a higher western half and a lower eastern half, joined by the Ayios Andreas Isthmus, which is only 110 m wide. Farming, fruit- and vegetable-growing and fishing are the chief occupations of inhabitants.

Patmos

One of the smallest inhabited islands of the Aegean, Patmos, is incredibly beautiful. It is the island where Saint John the Theologian, while exiled there, had a vision and in 1995, 1900 years since the writing of his Apocalypse (Revelation) - were commemorated.

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