Cyclades wildlife sailing holiday

"Sail & discover the unique wildlife and nature of the Cyclades & participate in our efforts to protect them…"

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Itinerary

Day 1. WELCOME AT PAROS
Your journey starts at the picturesque fishing port of Piso Livadi, where our crew will be waiting to welcome you onboard our sailing yacht Tahita. The day will be devoted to getting to know each other, a briefing on the week’s activities and settling down on the boat. Swim and snorkel at the beach and in the evening optional relaxed walk to the picturesque villages of Prodromos and Marpissa for dinner!
Day 2. DOLPHIN & BIRD SPOTTING TOWARDS SCHINOUSSA
Sailing and dolphin spotting is on the agenda today. You will follow the route southwards towards the Small Cyclades and the island of Schinoussa. Plenty of time for dolphin spotting with the aid of our hydrophone and for watching sea birds, such as the common Yellow-legged gull, Cory’s shearwater, the rare Audouin’s gull if we’re lucky, and plenty of shags that hang around in these waters.

By late noon you’ll anchor at one of Schinoussa’s beautiful bays and enjoy the rest of the day diving off the boat, swimming and snorkelling at its crystal clear waters. In the evening, take the 10-min path to the picturesque main village and try traditional ‘meze’ at the local ‘kafenio’.
DAY 3: UNSPOILT IRAKLIA IS THE NEXT STATION OF OUR “PROJECT”
Enjoy the day sailing and exploring the ”Small Cyclades” complex till you reach the island of Iraklia. Only a few of the 32 islands, islets and rocks are inhabited by man, giving the impression of an ”empty” habitat to the unsuspected eye. On the contrary, these islands hide an impressive variety of life.

The typical vegetation of the ecosystems here is phrygana. You’ll be surprised to discover that even a tiny rocky islet may be home to tens of invertebrate species and even to many vertebrates including birds, such as chukars, shags, but also Eleonora’s and Peregrine falcons and even the majestic Griffon vultures. Reptiles include geckos, Balkan Rock lizards, Sand boas… And lets not forget the endemic flowers growing here, which include a variety of unique orchids, crocuses, knapweeds, mulleins, bellflowers and many more!

Sail towards the remote bay of Alimia where you can snorkel above a WW2 hydroplane. Continue to the small fishing port of Ag. Georgios. Early in the evening hike towards the largest cave in the Cyclades, St. John’s cave, to admire its stalactites. On your way back to the main village, enjoy the sunset from the top of the hill. End the walk at the local tavern, famous for its traditional home-made dishes!
DAY 4: SAIL & ANCHOR AT REMOTE DESPOTIKO ISLAND
Today’s route is eastwards. The sailing area you’ll cover is a well-known passage for dolphins. Despotiko, another unspoilt small island, favourite meeting point for sailors in the Aegean, is where we’ll end our small experiment. We will compare and analyse our results and photos, breaking the work with plunges in the crystal clear waters of the bay.

At night you will be a witness to a unique spectacle: the glowing sea. A myriad of minuscule planktonic crustaceans produce light thanks to the phenomenon of bioluminescence. Fresh fish and other delicacies coming from the sea are on the menu today.
DAY 5 & 6: SAIL TO KIMOLOS-POLYEGOS, HOME OF THE MONK SEAL
Enjoy another day sailing towards the unspoilt island of Kimolos. The area north of Kimolos and the neighboring uninhabited island of Polyegos harbors one of the most critically endangered marine mammal species in Europe, the Mediterranean Monk seal.

MOm, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, aspires to see Kimolos amongst the protected marine areas of Greece, as the second largest European population of the Mediterranean Monk seal lives and breeds in the Kimolos-Polyegos island complex. Though the Mediterranean Monk seal is not exactly sociable, we have spotted it in several occasions and who knows… we may be lucky again!

Spend one night on the anchor at the remote bay of Polyegos and enjoy a barbecue on the beach under the starry sky! The 2nd night we’ll spend it at Kimolos island in order to explore in the evening one of the most beautiful ‘choras’ (main village) in the Cyclades!
DAY 7: SAIL TO VOLCANIC MILOS TO ADMIRE ITS UNIQUE FAUNA
Milos literally rose out of the Aegean Sea about 2 million years ago in the midst of earthquakes, tsunamis and submarine volcanic eruptions. As you sail and explore its unique coastline and mind-blowing landscapes, you’ll feel you’re in a ‘live’ geology museum!

Milos features a quite unique fauna, with the Milos viper one of its most interesting as well as rare animals in Europe. Its population is estimated to be less than 4,000 individuals and is strictly protected by a Presidential Degree. The Milos Wall lizard, the extremely rare Milos Grass snake and Milos Green lizard are three important endemic species of the Milos archipelago. Milos, as the rest of Cyclades, lies along the Aegean migratory route for European birds that fly southwards to spend the winter in Africa. Our observation point will be the small brackish lake of Achivadolimni (‘lake of shells’ in Greek), where wading birds can be observed (herons, waders, the occasional Glossy ibis e.t.c.). All the aforementioned animals, plus the Stripe-neck terrapin, can be found here, in this small oasis of water and vegetation in the midst of the general Cyclades aridness.

This marks the end of our wildlife exploration or “biodiversity project”. Please note that photographs of cetaceans and other interesting fauna and flora you’ve taken during your sailing adventure might be of great relevance to scientists in their researches. You can contribute by sharing with us your photos at the end of the holiday.

Walk to the top to the Castle to watch the sunset and farewell dinner at the beautiful village of Plaka.

We’re as flexible as the weather!

The above itinerary is an example of what you will experience during our Cyclades Wildlife Sailing holiday… We don’t follow the same route every week and every itinerary may slightly change due to the weather and other factors beyond our control. Remember that we cannot sail against the weather! We will do our best. Everything else is KISMET!

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