Nisyros
an unusual Greek Island
From my home on the Greek Island of Syros (capital of the Cyclades aka Kyklades) I have visited over thirty other islands scattered around the Aegean Sea. Often when entering the name Syros into the google search platform Ferries.gr the similar sounding island of Nisyros (also spelt Nisiros) appears as well.
A quick Google Maps search revealed its location in the Dodecanese islands, to the east of the Kyklades and close to Turkey. It is a relatively small symmetrical island, with a diameter of approx 8km (5mi). It is situated between the much larger and well known touristy islands of Kos and Rhodes.
While small in size and relatively unknown, what makes the island so interesting is its volcanic centre. There are only four of the 6,000 islands and islets in Greece that are volcanic. (Santorini, Milos, Nea Kameni and Nisyros).
Nisyros is the only one that is visually active, with its sulphur gas “fumaroles” (vents or openings at the surface where volcanic gases and vapours are emitted) hissing ominously on the crater floor.
In the centre of the island is a Caldera of approx 3 km (2 mi) in diameter. Within that caldera is a volcanic crater called “Stefanos”.
It is the largest volcano in the caldera and is currently active, but not erupting. It last exploded steam in 1888 after small ash eruptions in 1871 and 1873. Earthquakes are frequent. (photo)
Not having previously explored a volcanic seismic area in my travels I was very curious to do so. So recently I boarded the Blue Star 2 ferry in Syros late on a Friday evening, bound for Rhodes eight hours away to the south east.
After ten days of pleasant sightseeing on Rhodes and the smaller islands of Halki and Symi … I caught the small local ferry Saos Stavros for the three hour trip across to Nisyros. ( via the island of Tilos)
Arriving into the charming port and main town of Mandraki in early afternoon was a pleasant experience. August in the Greek islands can be challenging for tourists not used to venturing out of their comfort zones. It is usually hot and windy with the hustle and bustle of anxious tourists embarking and disembarking the ferries. Not so Mandraki however, where the atmosphere is casual with a relaxed vibe.
My main concern however was to find some suitable budget accommodation, which I had not managed to do online. Often I have found on these small islands that it is ok to just ‘rock up’ and start asking around. This led me to a backpackers hostel run by two Aussie Greek brothers who grew up in Sydney. However not even they (my fellow Antipodeans) could offer accommodation … so things were looking grim !
Mandraki is an attractive port town and the locals friendly and obliging. I soon realised however that my head wasn’t going to rest on a comfortable pillow that night. No accommodation could be found. The taverna I chose for a mid afternoon Greek salad and “poli krio” (very cold) Alpha Beer was located on the waters edge of the small town beach (paralia). Maria was very hospitable when she realised that I could be her best customer for the next few days.
There were half a dozen umbrellas with sunbeds available to the public on the beach … and the sea looked clean and inviting. And so a plan was hatched. I would establish my base at Maria’s taverna where the food and wifi were good and the beers cold. I would sleep on the wooden sunbeds over the road when they became available at nightfall. My needs were simple … good food, wifi, cold beers and a place to sleep !
Sleeping rough on a beach is not something I had tried before. With my10 kg backpack as a pillow and the wooden slats of the sunbed as a matrass, the night was uncomfortable. The rising sun at around 6 am was a natural alarm clock. A quick swim before breakfast got my day of adventure underway.
There are basically two ways to visit the Volcano approx 15 kms away in the centre of the island. The first is an organised tour on a charter bus. The second (my choice) is the normal public bus which takes you around the island via the other villages (Loutra, Pali, Emporeios) to Nikia. Nikia is a charming small traditional village perched on the edge of the Caldera, offering stunning views down into the Volcanic centre.
Nysyros is a mountainous island and so the thirty minute bus trip to Nikia was enthralling with lots of dramatic scenery. Other islands could be seen in the distance on this warm clear morning. I arrived at the sleepy village around nine am, to find that the two tavernas were closed and no locals to be seen.
Image Credit: Nejdet Duzen (shutterstock.com)
My obligatory mid morning coffee had to wait about an hour, before Costas arrived and opened his cafe. He explained that the trek down to the Volcano would take about an hour … and a hat and water bottle were essential, both of which I had.
There is a hiking track from the village down into the Caldera and (Volcano) which is initially well ‘sign posted’. Then it narrows down into what would seem to be an old goats track, not man made. Small painted ‘red dots’ (approximately two centimetres in diameter) on rocks, sporadically marked the way down onto the flat level Caldera floor.
It resembled a lunar landscape with hardened volcanic soil supporting very sparse scruffy ground cover. The soil was probably larva that originated from the big bang, which had occurred in an earlier millennia.
From there it was a fifteen minute walk across the barren landscape to the main Stephanos volcanic crater. Adjoining the crater a big kiosk sits nicely amongst a clump of large healthy Australian Eucalypt gums … almost an oasis and a welcoming site. Who planted these young healthy Aussie gums I cannot be sure, however the rich volcanic soil was obviously to their liking. The volcano crater sits ominously about fifty metres away and is carefully fenced off. A viewing platform has been build to make the view down into the volcano even more dramatic !
The crater is approx 300 metres in diameter, with sheer ‘limestone chalk like’ side walls about 50 metres in height.
A carpark behind the kiosk accommodates the steady stream of tourist bus’s that make their way up to the centre of the island (and into the Caldera) from Mandraki. During my two hour stay I counted eight bus’s each with about thirty tourists. (photo) The kiosk was doing a roaring trade with a lot of sightseers more interested in their stomachs, than the amazing wonder of nature close by. Others were complaining about the lack of wifi !
It was now early afternoon and a very hot day with the temperature well above thirty degrees. There was little wind and the strong smell of the sulphur gas from the fumarole holes on the creator floor was very noticeable. Was this a safe healthy place to be, I heard an American tourist ask himself. I was having the same thoughts !
Having regained my composure and strength after the hike down from Nikea village onto the Caldera floor, I was now trying to summon the courage to take the final plunge. The 100 metre walk down the winding track onto the active volcanic floor of the Stephanos Volcano would take about fifteen minutes and could be dangerous. I noticed a slow steady stream of the tourists making the trek … and so I followed.
The sign at the entrance said “Danger – enter at your own risk” … or words to that effect. I had come this far and felt the perverse need to press on. After all – isn’t this what great explorers do ! The smell of sulphur gas was stronger the closer I got to the epicentre.
Ground Zero was now immediately in front of me, at the very bottom of the volcanic crater. It is a square area with sides of approx 30 metres, neatly fenced off with a low height rope. The larva floor inside the protective fence was black and moist. Several fumaroles were just a metre inside the rope and emitting a low hissing noise from the sulphur gas release. It was now a very strong odour … and I concluded definitely not a healthy place to linger for too long.
And so it was done … mission accomplished, or so I thought ! Back now up and out of the crater for another refreshing drink at the kiosk. The tourist buses were still coming and going. Interestingly though I estimated that only about ten percent of them ventured down into the active crater. Most were just voyeurs who just liked to watch. I now felt proud however that I had overcome my fears … and broken out of my comfort zone, if only for about fifteen minutes !
I brief chat with Mr Kiosk reassured me that the long trek back up to the village should only take about an hour. ‘Make sure you stay on the goats track and follow the red dots’ he said … creating some consternation in my mind. It was now mid afternoon on an extremely hot day with temperatures in the mid 30’s.
It has been an unusually hot summer in Greece and the rest of Europe, Global warming is offered as the reason. There have been stories of half a dozen tourists who have gone missing and died, while out hiking on Greek islands in the heat of the day. Dr Moseley was a well known English TV personality who had perished just a month before on the island of Symi … in similar circumstances.
I had lingering doubts about the wisdom of attempting another arduous trek back up the steep hill, with its very inhospitable terrain. However my sense of adventure prevailed and I set off in search of the ‘red dots’. Luckily I took Mr Kiosk’s advice and brought another 1.5 litre bottle of water !
The first fifteen minute walk back across the flat caldera floor was uneventful. I located the first of the ‘red dots’ which I had hoped would lead me back up. But somehow I could not recognise the track I was on … and there were no more ‘red dots’ to be seen. Looking back at the kiosk in the distance I tried to gauge my whereabouts … and I could also see the village high up in the distance.
Ominously my mobile phone battery had died … and so no google maps were available to help me !
There was a deep gorge about thirty metres wide that I recognised from the earlier walk down. I needed to go around this gorge as I had done before. Easier said than done ! I realised that I was however on the wrong track and a herd of wild goats came out of a rocky cavity to startle me.
It was after about an hour that I realised I was far from where I should have been. I wasn’t making any real progress and it was now simmering heat. However, I comforted myself with the knowledge I still had half a bottle of water left and about four hours of daylight.
I continued on up but had not seen any more ‘red dots’ since the first one an hour earlier. Was I now lost and going to suffer the same fate as other tourists this hot summer ? The mind starts to play tricks when fatigue sets in. Physically I was now struggling, having to clamber up across rocks looking for a track. Also, I had lost sight of the village !
I disturbed another herd of wild goats from there shaded spot, barely three metres away. They are strong hairy formidable creatures. My adrenalin was now racing and panic was not far away. I couldn’t remember if these creatures were herbivores or dreaded carnivores. The makeshift hiking stick I had found would be of no use if they turned on me. Fortunately they seemed more scared of me, than vice versa and clamoured off.
Very slowly I had managed to gain some altitude and could see the kiosk far below in distance. A welcome sight but now of no use. It was now late afternoon. Should I turn back … but what if all the tourists had now left and Mr Kiosk had closed up and also gone. A night alone without a phone signal, on a volcanic crater floor with fumaroles hissing sulphur gases, was not an attractive option !
I was clearly a long way off where I should have been, but making slow progress to the same altitude as the village. I calculated from the setting sun in the west that I had been trekking now for about three hours. Physically and mentally I was almost spent, and the water bottle empty. Fear and anxiety were now just as draining as the physical ordeal of clambering up over the rocky hillside.
Finally I found the level track with its ‘red dots’, that I had come down about six hours earlier. I was now on the same level as the village which I could see, about one kilometre away. I was safe … but needed to summon all my mental and physical strength to complete the last fifteen minute walk.
Eventually I staggered back into the same taverna totally exhausted, around 6pm. Costas understood my plight and without asking, provided me with a bottle of water. It took me the best part of an hour to regain my strength and composure. It had been a real lesson in how easily even the best laid plans can go wrong in unfamiliar surroundings.
Was my life in danger that afternoon from exhaustion, heat stroke and lack of water ? Probably. I made a mental note that I would try and pen this story and share my traumatic experience with others. The mental challenges of anxiety and fear were just as debilitating as the physical exhaustion !
The last bus of the day departed the village back down to Mandraki at 7pm … and I made sure I was on it !
After another restless night of sleeping rough on the beach I caught the same local ferry onto my next island destination, Kos. The connecting ferry trip that evening on Blue Star 2 took me back to Syros and the welcome comforts of my home. Nisyros was certainly the most unusual and traumatic of all the Greek islands I have visited so far.
Words by Gavin Woodward
An Australian now living on the Greek Island of Syros, capital of the Cyclades. I like to write about my adventures around Greece … and other parts of Europe.
