Nisyros Volcano Tour from Kos: Walk the Crater Floor

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/13

Duration8h

GroupUp to 70

LanguagesEN · DE

PickupAt your hotel

Walk inside an active volcano crater and stand on ground that rumbles beneath you

A full-day tour from Kos to Nisyros, the volcano island in the Dodecanese, includes ferry passage, bus transport to the crater, and a guided walk across the volcanic floor. The volcano is Greece's youngest and still active; the largest crater, Polivotis, measures 260 meters across and 30 meters deep. Hotel pickup is included; the guide speaks English and German. Lunch and entrance fees are optional at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Nisyros Volcano and Mandraki

Leave port of Kardamena
Cruise past Giali Island to Nisyros
Take bus to volcano crater
Explore Nisyros volcano crater
Return to Nisyros port
Walk through Mandraki town
Visit Panagia Spiliani monastery
Lunch or shopping in Mandraki
Board boat at 4:00pm for Kos

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your hotel and transport to Kardamena port, where you board a ferry for the one-hour crossing to Nisyros. A bus meets you at the island's port and carries you inland to the volcano crater. The Polivotis crater—the largest on the island—opens before you with a diameter of 260 meters and walls dropping 30 meters down. You walk across the crater floor itself, where the ground beneath your feet is volcanic rock and mud formed by eruptions estimated around 25,000 years ago. The rocks underfoot are basalt and pyroclastic deposits; the air carries the mineral presence of an active volcano.

Nisyros is one of four active volcanoes in the Greek islands, alongside sites on Methana, Milos and Santorini. The island itself is mountainous and volcanic, its buildings constructed from the same rock formations—basalt and volcanic stone—that make up the crater walls and the valley floor. The valley surrounding the volcano stretches 2,400 meters long and 950 meters wide; five craters dot the region, with Stefanos crater measuring 30 meters across. Your guide, speaking English or German, walks you through the geology and the volcanic history as you move across the floor.

The return to Nisyros port leaves time to walk the narrow streets of Mandraki, the island's main town, with its blue and white painted houses. You can visit the Panagia Spiliani monastery, browse local shops, or sit for lunch before the 4:00pm ferry departure back to Kos. The full day runs eight hours from pickup to return.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and return transport.
one-hour ferry crossing to Nisyros.
bus transport from the port to the volcano crater.
guided walk across the crater floor with a live guide in English or German.
return ferry to Kos at 4:00pm.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Aegeas Travel

Is this one for you?Book this if you're based in Kos without a car—hotel pickup, ferry, and crater transport are coordinated as one sequence, so you move directly from accommodation to volcano without managing separate bookings.