Sailing & conservation holiday in Greece
| country: | Greece |
| location: | Aegean Sea, Cyclades |
| departures: | Departs every Saturday Apr - Nov |
| price: | From €640 - €670 (7 days) excluding flights. Price includes skipper, marine scientist/guide, breakfast, water supplies, port fees and snorkelling equipment. Small groups of up to 6 guests |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Starting from the capital of the Cyclades, Syros, Dr. Panayiotis Pafilis will introduce you to the mysteries of the Aegean Sea, ending at the volcanic island of Milos, home of the Milos Viper, the most endangered species in Europe.
Having participated extensively in research projects in the area, Panayiotis is the ideal person to open the mystic doors to the wildlife of the Aegean, "the Archipelago of species". You will have the opportunity not only to get introduced by an expert to a side of the Aegean that few people know about, but also to participate in our efforts to support their protection.
Endangered animals like the Mediterranean Seal Monachus monachus and the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and endemic species like the Skyros' Wall Lizard Podarcis gaigeae, Milos Wall Lizard Podarcis milensis, Milos Viper Macrovipera hanschweizeri are the natural, unique wealth of the Aegean Sea. On our way to watch them, sea-birds and dolphins will be our companions.
Please see our other Sailing & conservation holiday in Greece here.
Having participated extensively in research projects in the area, Panayiotis is the ideal person to open the mystic doors to the wildlife of the Aegean, "the Archipelago of species". You will have the opportunity not only to get introduced by an expert to a side of the Aegean that few people know about, but also to participate in our efforts to support their protection.
Endangered animals like the Mediterranean Seal Monachus monachus and the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and endemic species like the Skyros' Wall Lizard Podarcis gaigeae, Milos Wall Lizard Podarcis milensis, Milos Viper Macrovipera hanschweizeri are the natural, unique wealth of the Aegean Sea. On our way to watch them, sea-birds and dolphins will be our companions.
Please see our other Sailing & conservation holiday in Greece here.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | We start our journey from the historical port of Syros, Ermoupoli. The day will be devoted to getting to know each other, a briefing on the Aegean ecosystem and settling down on the boat. You will have plenty of time to walk around the picturesque old town of Ano Syros. |
| Day 2: | Sailing and dolphin spotting. We will follow the stream from north to south towards Paros Island. Plenty of time for dolphin spotting with the aid of our hydrophone and for watching sea birds like gulls (Larus genei, L. audouinii, L. cacchinans) and cormorants (Phalacrocorax cargo) that hang around in these waters. By late noon we will reach the small fishing port of Piso Livadi, where you can taste the local fish delicacies of Antonis. |
| Day 3: | We sail to the ''small Cyclades'': Our prow is pointing to the south, to the very heart of the Aegean, the ''small Cyclades'' complex. Some 50 islands, islets and rocks, giving the impression of an ''empty'' habitat to the unsuspected eye, are hiding an impressive variety of life. The next station of our “project” will be the unspoilt fishing port of Iraklia. The typical vegetation of the ecosystems here is phrygana. You will be surprised to discover that even a tiny rocky islet may be the home to tens of invertebrate species and even to many vertebrates including birds (Alektoris chukar) and shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and reptiles, gecko (Cyrtopodion kotsyii), Aegean rock lizard (Podarcis erhardii), sand boa (Eryx jaculus). Using some simple methods and techniques of field biology we will try to estimate the magnificent biodiversity during our stay in the area. |
| Day 4: | Today's route is to the east: The sailing area we will cover is a well-known passage for dolphins. Despotiko, another 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. Thousands of minuscule planktonic crustaceans produce light thanks to the phenomenon of bioluminescence. |
| Day 5-6: | Sailing towards the unspoilt island of Kimolos: The area north of Kimolos and the neighbouring uninhabited island of Polyegos harbour one of the most endangered mammal species in Europe, the Mediterranean Seal Monachus monachus. The Society for the Protection of the Seal (Mom), a NGO, plays a crucial role in the conservation of the natural habitat of the species and aims to turn the area into a national marine park so that the females give birth to their calves in the caves of the islands without any disturbance. We will visit the research station of Mom where you will hear the latest news concerning their work. Though the Mediterranean Seal is not exactly sociable, who knows… We may be lucky! |
| Day 7: | Milos: One of the first islands to emerge from the sea, Milos has to present a quite unique fauna. Milos viper (Macrovipera hanschweizeri) is certainly the most interesting and rare animal in Europe. Its population is estimated to be less than 4.000 individuals and the Greek Law protects it with a special Presidential Degree. Milos wall lizard (Podarcis milensis), the extremely rare grass snake (Natrix natrix schweizeri) and Milos green lizard (Lacerta trilineata schweizeri) are the three more endemic species of the Milos group. Milos is the intermediate station for many migratory birds that use the Aegean corridor to reach Africa. Our visit point will be the small subsaline lake of Chivadolimni (lake of shells in Greek). Trekking time! All the aforementioned animals, plus the stripe-neck terrapin (Mauremys caspica), could be found here, in this small oasis of water and vegetation in the midst of the general Cyclades aridness. That will be the end of our “biodiversity project”. Please note that all the photographs and specimen that you may collect during the week will be offered to scientists to assist them in their data collection and researches. The above route may slightly change due to the weather and factors beyond our control. We'll do our best. Everything else is KISMET! |
travellers' tales
We loved the villages, the unspoilt islands - we loved the private bay at Sifnos where we stopped in overnight and had a BBQ. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 Our primary objective is the study and protection of the marine world and the raising of awareness on environmental issues. In order to support our goal, we have formed a series of ecotourism projects involving sailing, diving and/or exploring unique species. When our sailing boat, is not chartered, we sail around cleaning beaches, recycling or helping researchers and organisations to collect data in order to study and protect the environment and wildlife.Our base has become the island of Syros where most of the maintenance work is carried out by local people using materials purchased locally. We encourage guests to visit and try the local cuisine and purchase local goods wherever we go in order to get a taste of the local culture and also support the local community. Under the guidance of our experienced biologist, people are introduced to tens of endemic species, both from the animal and plant kingdoms which exist only in this small corner of the globe. Guests will leave with a different approach towards wildlife and aware of the dangers they face and how to minimise them. We organise visits at the two national marine parks in Greece, in Zakynthos and Alonisos, where the two most important organisations for the protection of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus are based. Our guests are briefed on their work and how they can support them.  During our whale and dolphin spotting, the voices of mammals will be recorded with the aid of our hydrophone and notes will be made on their characteristics in order to help scientists with their collection of data. Our guests are welcome to participate. We organise marine ecology seminars for divers and present a brief version of this to every diver that joins us. This involves a briefing on how to monitor the level of anthropogenic impact on a marine site and warn our scientist of any deterioration they observe. We try to minimise the impact of our boat on the marine environment by using the motor as little as possible, mainly just to enter and leave the port. When mooring we avoid throwing the anchor on meadows of sea grass. We always use permanent moorings when provided. We’ve allowed space in the sailing boat to store waste plastics especially bottles. As there is no drinking water available in the Greek islands, there is a huge consumption of bottled water. We store all the plastic in the capital of Syros, Ermoupolis and we take it back to Athens at the end of the season for recycling. |
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