I’m a bit behind on posts about my travels & adventures. 
Second thing is that I feel like my previous blog reports of places I visited were more journal-ish, and I’m going to reorient them to be more friendly for my future visits and other travelers. Less feeling oriented, and more like a lonely planet guide from my experience.
Kalymnos
Pronounced without the ‘s’ at the end in greek, Kalymnos is small island in the dodecanese which is well known for it’s sponges, climbing, and annual cliff diving competition.
Getting There
Kristen and I discovered a distinct lack of ferries direct from Piraeus (the port of Athens) directly to Kalymnos. These typically go 3x a week, and are often full, & slow. The second option is to take the ferry to Kos and from there a quick ferry ride from either Kos Town or Mastichari on the north shore. It’s pretty short, and this gets you to the biggest town on Kalymnos which is Pothia. Once in Pothia you’ll want to make your way to Massouri via either pickup by your hotel or by the island bus that runs every hour.
I also hear that Ryan Air flies directly to Kos, which can also be a very fast way to Kalymnos from all over the globe.
Where to Stay
If you’re climbing you’ll want to stay in Massouri or Myrties. This is where all the other climbers you meet will be staying as it’s nearby the most famous Grand Grotto and Talendos. We stayed at a place called Melina’s Apartments, but in the end the owner was not very friendly about settling up our bill, so I can’t recommed it to you. Here’s my general suggestions though:
- You should pay between 9-14 euro a person per night.
- You want air conditioning
- Use mosquito coils to fend off the tiny mosquitoes
- Internet is harder t come by, not all the places offer it here.
- There really isn’t camping unless you stay far out on Talendos
- No hostels for sure.
Food
The food here is pretty damn amazing. My favorites:
- The Fish Tavern on Talendos has the most amazing seafood
- If you walk past the “Climbers Nest” towards the Grand Grotto there is a restaurant that has a big balcony and has the most AMAZING goat.
- Right near the “Climbers’ Nest” there is also an italian gelato shop that is heavenly on hot days.
- There’s ultra tons of mini-markets, but the food isn’t cheap. Most of the apartments here don’t offer great kitchens so cooking your own meals might be a challenge.
- My favorite cheap souvlaki joint is just between massouri and myrties, 2 euro souvlakies and it’s the only place with spinning meat sticks.
The Climbing
The climbing is nothing short of amazing & endless in Kalymnos. It will take you over 2 months to visit every crag in Kalymnos. I’ll list my favorite routes:
- 7a – DNA (Grand Grotto)
- 6c+ – Dynerex (Irox)
- 6c – Axium (Ghost Kitchen)
- 6b+ – Magma (Irox)
My favorite areas:
- Grande Grotto & Panorama
- Arhi
- Ghost Kitchen
- Odyssey
We unfortunately never got around to the deep water soloing or the long multi-pitch routes on Talendos. However, from what people tell me, they’re nothing all that special. Steep Tufa climbing and cruxy sport routes are where it’s at in Kalymnos.
Getting around
Best thing to do here is to rent a scooter. Most places will rent one to you for around 10 euro, but there is a place in Kalymnos where you can rent for 8 euros if you rent for more than 2 days. If you stay in Massouri, and climb only at the areas near there, you don’t need a scooter, nor for Talendos. The island is pretty fun to explore by scooter though, so I highly recommend this. There’s only gas on the SE side of the island though!
My Personal Notes
This place was truly a climber’s paradise. We climbed every morning, and napped on the beach every afternoon and had Szasiki. The people were warm and welcoming, and the food was cheap and delicious. I finally got my send on a 7a, and Kristen on hers at 6b. We got strong, had great times.
