The half-day trip to the Volcano was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
- Price: 30€ per person (not including 2€/p entry fee to the Volcano and lunch at Thirassia).
- Time: 10am (from Oia transport to Ammoudi Bay) -3pm back to Oia.
- Itinerary: Ammoudi Bay -> passenger-pickup from Fira -> Volcano trekking (1.5hr) -> Swimming in Volcanic water (optional 30min) -> Thirassia Island (1.5hr) -> Ammoudi Bay.
- Bring: Snacks/lunch, swimmer-ready, towel, walking shoes, sea-sick medication.
We only locked in our boat tour on the morning of the tour because it was really windy the day before and rained the whole night, we weren’t sure if the weather would permit us to go . Luckily, the sky cleared up in the morning! We booked our tour from Pagonis Tours in Oia, and got they organised a van to pick us up from Oia and drove us to Ammoudi Bay.
Due to the howling wind and the choppy sea, when our boat came, it was rocking left and right at a slightly concerning angle…But we were just glad that it wasn’t raining.
Of course, at that time I didn’t know half of the trip would be like being on a pirate ship amusement park ride (now I can totally understand why that ride is called the pirate ship)! There were so many times that the boat rocked so hard I was actually convinced that we were going to capsize. Click ||here|| check out our 30-sec video highlight in Santorini to see for yourself how rocky the boat was.
The wonderful panorama from the Volcano.
Do wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk – it took us about 20 minutes to climb to the top. As the roads were unpaved, the sandy/rocky trail could get a little slippery so even though it wasn’t a very difficult walk, I reckon a walking stick would be advisable for the elderly.
The tour guide led us up the summit of the Volcano and gave us a tiny history lesson on how the historical volcanic activities and wonders of mother nature created the Santorini caldera including the surrounding islands.
By the way, the Volcano is live! Mike and I put our hands in the breathing holes on the Island and we could feel the warmth!
But don’t worry, there are earthquake and volcanic activity monitors on the island so it’s all under surveillance.
It was then the volcanic water swimming time! Unfortunately, it really was quite windy and cold so we decided not to get into the water – only a hand full of brave enthusiasts jumped into the water and swam that 150m in the ‘normal’ sea water before they got to the volcanic water. A girl in front of us thought about it for 10minutes, and then finally decided to do it – when she came up, her mum asked her how it was and according to her it was just ‘a little warmer’.
Mike said he would take me to Santorini again in summer time and we would jump in next time:)
We were then taken to Thirassia for sightseeing and lunch. The stopping time here was about 1.5hr so it was possible to go up to the top to have a quick peak of the town via the winding stairs as shown in the photo.
Only two restaurants were open: Captain John, a pre-cooked hot food bar that offered quick bite options; and Restaurant Cadouni, a more chillax option with freshly grilled seafood.
We decided to just sit and eat so we chose Restaurant Cadouni.
We ordered the Mixed Fish Souvlaki (9€), Souvlaki Octopus (8.5€) and Briam (6€). They were not bad but nothing extraordinary either.
Happy snap! Got photo-bombed by a cat haha.
At the end of the tour, we were supposed to be brought back to Ammoudi Bay and driven back to Oia – However, due to the weather and sea condition, the captain couldn’t dock at Ammoudi!
Luckily, the captain attempted another docking at a neighbouring small bay in Oia and he succeeded. The choice for us was: to walk to 100+ step of stairs to Oia or to get off at Fira and catch the shuttle van back? We felt boating to Fira and then shuttle back to Oia would take much longer so we decided to walk, it’s just 100 steps right…..
Haha it turned out to be such a tiring hike! The size of “one” step was probably 2-3 times our normal conception of a “step”.
Still, it saved us a lot of time from commuting between Fira and Oia. Also, it was a beautiful walk with spring flowers sprouting and the sunlight shining off the deep blue Aegean Sea.
So sparkling, so wonderful.
HER{curio}MAJESTY – I was here. April 2014.