Geography of the island of Nisyros

The Greek island of Nisyros is located between the islands of Kos and Tilos and belongs to the group of the so-called Dodecanese archipelago. Nisyros is a smaller island with a circular shape and a diameter of about 8 km. The main feature of the island is its volcanic character, which is evident at first sight. The central part of the island is a huge volcanic crater about 4 km wide, which is the remnant of a huge eruption about 30 thousand years ago.

Nisyros is one of the inhabited islands, with less than a thousand permanent inhabitants. The locals mainly exploit the fertile volcanic soil and establish small terraced fields on the slopes of the crater.

Mythology and volcanic origin of Nisyros

According to Greek mythology, the island of Nisyros was created during a dispute between Poseidon, the god of the seas, and Polyvotos, the titan. To prevent Polyvotos from escaping, Poseidon tore a piece of land from the nearby island of Kos with his trident and threw it at the giant. The lump of earth and rock overwhelmed him, but did not kill him, and so we can still hear, see and smell his gasps today - the ground shaking and hot volcanic fumes rising from the ground that smell of sulphur.

The way geologists see it, a huge undersea volcano erupted in this area 150,000 years ago, giving rise to a new lava island. However, the area remained volcanically very unstable, and around 40 to 25 thousand years ago a huge eruption occurred on the island, creating what is now a vast caldera, covering almost half of the island. However, its deepest point - the Stefanos Crater (sometimes called Polyvotes) - is said to be no older than 4,000 years.

Nisyros is still an active volcano, but now quiet and dormant, and experts don't expect that to change anytime soon. There was little activity here in the 1870s, when an earthquake opened up smaller craters from which hot steam escaped.

A trip to the island of Nisyros

Nisyros Island is reached by ferries from the two nearby Greek islands of Kos and Rhodes. The cruise from Kos takes about 1.5 hours (departing from either the port of the capital Kos or the resort of Kardamena) and all ferries head to the north coast of Nisyros to the capital and port of Mandraki.

From Mandraki, buses take individual groups of tourists directly to the volcanic crater (caldera). The bus ride takes about 20 minutes and takes you through the mountainous interior of the island with stunning views of the huge volcanic crater. The deepest part of the caldera, the Stefanos Crater, isabout 300 m wide and 27 m deep, and you can walk down to the bottom of the crater. The walls of the Stefanos crater are variously coloured yellow, ochre and orange, with bright yellow sulphur crystals visible in places. The bottom of Stefanos Crater is full of fumaroles and hot gases coming out of the ground.

Although most tourists head straight for the famous crater, Nisyros Island has much more to offer. The capital Mandraki is not only a very picturesque town with whitewashed houses, narrow streets and cosy tavernas, but there are also some nice historical sites. Above Mandraki, the 14th century Panagia Spiliani, a Johannite monastery, stands on a cliff and offers a magnificent view of the sea and the surrounding islands. A little further on is the ancient fortress of Paleokastro, an acropolis with the so-called Cyclopean walls (from the 4th century BC). While sitting in one of the tavernas, be sure to try the soumada, a traditional local soft drink that tastes of almonds.

If you decide to spend a longer time on the island, you can also visit the mountain villages of Emporio (Emborios) and Nikea (Nikia), for example, which have a magnificent view of the caldera. Emporio is located right next to the crater at about 25 m above sea level, Nikea is much higher at about 400 m above sea level. You can also stop in the small fishing village of Pali.

More touristic destinations of Kos

Tips for trips on Kos: Bodrum (Turkey), Kos Capital city, Kalymnos Island, Nisyros Island, Dikeos Mountains, Thermal springs Embros, Lido Water Park

Resorts, beaches, sights or trips - clearly listed on the map of Kos.