Hot Springs and Bikinis

Zindzi Hamilton
May 12, 2017
2 min read

Santorini is made up of three islands Thira, Thirasia and Aspronisi, which are the three islands that were left after a volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago. Santorini’s volcano remains dormant today.

The National Geological Park of Nea Kameni is a well-known and frequently visited tourist attraction. The tour consists of a visit to the hot spring and the volcano.

The boat takes you out from the port. The first stop is the hot spring. The boats aren’t allowed to go too close to the hot spring because of the color of the water. The water in the hot spring is a brick red/brown color because of the iron oxide and sulfur. Since the boats do not go exactly into the hot spring you will have to jump off the boat into the ocean and swim to the hot spring.

View of the port and side of the mountain from the water.

Depending on the time of year you are traveling, the ocean temperature may vary. When I visited in May 2017 the ocean water was 16 degrees Celsius. The hot spring may get as warm as 25 degrees Celsius.

The hot spring that shows the brown color of the water around the edges of the mountain.

After 30 minutes at the hot spring the boat takes you to the volcano (a five-minute ride from the hot spring) where there is a guided tour up the volcano to the peak. There are five site points on the volcano. The ashes on the volcano are very loose, making it difficult to come down the mountain.

Once you get to the top you are able to see all of the neighboring towns and the water that surrounds them. After reaching the top you are allowed to take photos then hike down the volcano to go back to the port. This tour cost 20 euro. There are other tours that go to other parts of Santorini that may cost more.

The boat tours leave from the bottom of Santorini at the port. You can get to the bottom of the port by walking, taking a cable car for 5 euro one way, or you can ride a donkey, which will cost 5 euro to go down, 6 euro to go back up or 10 euro round trip (you are accompanied by a professional).

Approaching the volcano.

Different views of the volcano.

The cable cars are the fastest way to get to and from the port but the donkey ride is exhilarating and allows for a better view of the island. The most displeasing part about the donkey ride is the smell of freshly released stool or urine and the flies.

There are souvenir shops and restaurants where you can purchase food or shop around. There is also a money exchange and Western Union for monetary purposes.