Your while On Your Way To Greek Kos Island, Now What? If you’re on your way to Kos Island or you’re there now and just want to try out something new and exciting, below you’ll find the top 7 things to do on Kos and where to find them.
Index
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing on Kos is a must, this applies to both beginner and advanced kiters. The crystal blue transparent waters together with the good wind conditions make this an unskippable experience. As referred to in previous posts, you can try kitesurfing with Kitesurfing Kos, based in Mastichari.
They mainly practise this sport in two separate locations, based on the weather conditions of the given day. The first being where the centre is based, Mastichari, and the second in Marmari.
Almost every time we went out on a kite session in Mastichari, we came across a turtle. This just adds to the amazing experience of being propelled by the power of the wind through these eye catching, soul grasping waters.
Once in Marmari you’re greeted with a dune view, coupled with a tiny forest, the island of Pserimos in kite’s reach and behind it Turkey, which definitely makes this location quite unique. Some of our friends even had the unforgettable sight of a seal there. Can’t imagine a better way to engrave a kite session on your mind. When jumping with your kite, the salt lake appears in your view, with possibly some flamingo’s to top it off.
For the beginners, the 1st lessons always contain learning about the different safety systems involved in kitesurfing and getting a feel of how to handle the kite, with a training kite. If you decide to continue your training, you then progress to a bigger mattress kite for your first body dragging experience and afterwards you go out with a tube kite to master your body dragging skills and try your first water starts. Very exciting!
Don’t get me wrong, for many, this is a hard and time consuming process, but totally worth it in the end 🙂
If this sounds good to you, you can get in touch with the Kitesurfing Kos family and start your kitesurfing journey by clicking this link: Kitesurfing Kos . If you so, please send them love from Andre!
Windsurfing
Windsurfing happens in Marmari, as the conditions are more suitable here, also with Kitesurfing Kos. To get to the windsurfing school, you head into the Caravia Beach Hotel and take the right path up to the beach, where you’ll either be greated by Dani, Marci or Debi, who will be eager to show you the available equipment and take you to the crystal clear waters for your beginner or advanced lessons, you’ll be in good hands, as they have loads of experience.
Scuba Diving
One of the most interesting things you can do on the island is definitely scuba diving! For example: the wonders of Bubbles Beach, at the south of the island in Kardamena. You’ll get to see the sulphur bubbles coming out of the ground, hence the name of the spot. On the same dive spot, you can expect to find some barracudas, this is particularly cool and unique, if you follow the guide’s instructions and stay really close to the ground, at some point the barracudas will surround you and come so close to you that you can almost touch them. Also on the same dive you’ll get to see a lot of lion fish, which is a common theme throughout all the dive sites, together with yellowspotted pufferfish, sea urchins, red tube worms, fire worms, sponges, rainbow wrasse, parrot fish which strangely you only see them on their females state, being the red and yellow form. This species is has some really interesting particularities one of them being that it can change sex throughout its life.
If you’re really lucky on this dive you’ll get to see a flying gurnard.
For the second dive, Bubbles Reef, you’ll get to see some loose reefs and if you’re really lucky some octopus and flying rays.
Still with Arian Diving Center you can go to Santa Irini, being also two dives, on the second one if the sun shines on you you’ll get to see a turtle that usually dines around there. You can also go to Gyali or Stroggili, these being deeper dives. With Arian Diving Center the certified dives happen in the morning and the try dives in the afternoon at Lakos. Being the shop equipped with two proper diving boats, all dives are reached by boat, and it is way more comfortable this way.
Based on my personal experience with two different diving centres Arian Diving Center is the best on safety standards, equipment and costumer service.
Snorkelling
There is one snorkelling location in Kos Island that you shouldn’t miss at all. It is located on the south of the island, in Kefalos, and it’s called Agios Stefanos Beach. For me just the view as you come down the road to this beach already pays off the trip. You’re greeted with the turquoise blue waters surrounding a big rocky protrusion with a small but yet extremely inviting chapel on it. It is called Kastri. Followed by the scattered paddling boats, leisure boats, taxi boats, private yachts and windsurfers. Once you’re down at the beach, the Ruins of the Basilica St. Stefanos will immediately jump to your attention. This coupled with shallow waters all along from the shore up to Kastri and also another two much smaller protrusions on the left, which form underwater canyons, make this location really really unique for good day of sunbathing and snorkelling.
You can expect to see a lot of red tube worms, parrot fish, rainbow fish, see grass, sea urchins, natural sponges. But here I would say that the underwater canyons and specially if you happen to go on a high visibility day, which is most of the days, the colour combination will definitely grasp your attention and steal the show.
Reaching Kastri island you can either go all the way to the top, jump from the small cliff next to the makeshift bridge, ring the bell of the small chapel, snorkel on the back side of the island or just chill at the back beach across the jumping cliff.
I cast a small challenge to all readers, the make shift bridge usually has a rope attached to it that extends almost all the way to the water in between the cliff’s walls. Once you jump the cliff go to the rope and try to climb it from the water. Not all the way of course, but just enough so you’re out off the water and are able to touch the top of the cliff. Just one thing, the cliff’s walls are narrow so please be careful not to slip and hit your head on these.
Have fun!
Outdoor Cinema
For the cinephiles out there like myself, in Kos city centre you’ll find Orfeas Open Air Cinema which was a really good surprise! Since it is outdoors and at night, although Kos summer climate is warm, I would recommend to bring a warmer sweater with you.
Rent-a-Scooter
Once you’re in Greece, you have to go around Greek style! Hold on… Not completely. Please keep your helmet on!
Seriously, visiting Kos on a scooter is really exciting and from our experience, safe. As long as you follow the rules and apply common sense to your driving it can be really fun, and you can travel around almost tip to toe.
We recommend Top Gear Rental, they have several stations on the island, prices are competitive and their assistance is top notch. You can even take the scooter with you to Kalymnos, although for this you should always check with their team first.
Watch the Sunset
Whatever you do enjoy the sunset! Sunsets in Kos were some of the most magical we’ve ever seen. Oh those Billabong colours… Just amazing!
If you rent-a-scooter and head to Old Pyli Town, you will enjoy the most spectacular sunset view, all this while having dinner at one of the many restaurants there.
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Since you’ve got this far, and I believe you’ve subscribed to get alerts for new posts and keep up-to-date with all our adventures, here’s a cute tiny gecko picture that we took in our Kos bathroom!
If you want to learn kitesurfing in The Netherlands, our school is geopend. Gebruik de knop hieronder om je les bij ons te boeken: