Whilst staying in Rhodes Town, we decided to make the most of ” island hopping ” , and exploring this beautiful region.
One of the islands we visited, which to be honest I’d never heard of before, was the island of Kastellorizo. It was situated very close to Turkeys mainland, and would take 2 hours to get there by a speedy ferry.
We left Rhodes early in the morning, and the sun already was warm! I love boat trips, so the long journey on the water didn’t worry me, especially as you can “island spot” as you go along! It’s normally quite a sociable time too as you chat to other tourists and compare notes. We talked to a lady who, as a child lived on Kastellorizo, and was visiting it for the first time in thirty years with her grown up daughters. It was lovely talking to her, and hearing her memories. One thing she really wanted to do was to see her old house that she lived in, and also visit a sea cave that you could only access by boat.
As the ferry arrived in the tiny harbour, we were stunned by the sheer beauty of the place. The sea was turquoise, there were tiny brightly coloured bobbing fishing boats dancing on the water, the buildings were painted in pastels, and the smell of freshly caught fish filled the air. The icing on the cake, was seeing a sea turtle swimming in the harbour around the boats. A real treat.
The island was really tiny, and there didn’t appear to be any cars. We wondered around the tiny harbour, and saw a small boat which advertised a trip to a sea cave. We knew this was what we’d wanted to do, so booked it up. We piled into the boat, ans sat precariously on the side! The fisherman started the engine, and we set off. The boat bounced on the water and a few waves splashed over us, great fun!
After about ten minutes at sea, following the steep cliffs of the island, the fishermen turned the boat in towards the rocks. As we studied the cliff, we saw the tiniest of openings, just three feet high. Surely this wasn’t where we were heading? Yes it was!
We all had to lie on the floor of the boat, while the fisherman, who was like India rubber, manoeuvred the boat in. It was quite scary, but so worth it once inside. The colours were out of this world! Blues, greens turquoise, all shimmering in the light. Just exquisite. It was so worth the experience.
After a while of feeling so stunned at this one off trip, it was time to return to the harbour. The fisherman manoeuvred his boat so well.
This is such a charming little island, with hardly any tourists, and you feel it’s the real Greece, completely unspoilt. It was a real honour to spend a day there!
