🇬🇷 Santorini | Active Volcano + Sulfur Hot Springs 🌋♨️

This is a local tour that you can book a day in advance, with two departure times at 11:00 and 14:30. It's mandatory to arrive half an hour early, as the boat leaves just after 10:30 🚢. So, do not be late! ❗️ I personally recommend the 11:00 tour to avoid the intense afternoon sun ☀️. Most of the boat is exposed to sunlight, and there's no shade on the volcano. The tour I booked cost 34 euros 💰 and has two main stops: an active volcano and a sulfur hot spring. After arriving at Fira's old harbor, you have three options: take the cable car 🚠 (6 euros), walk 🚶 (600 steps), or ride a donkey, which I didn't consider due to the smell 💩. 🌋 Nea Kameni The first stop is the active volcano of Nea Kameni. An active volcano is one that is "erupting and is expected to erupt again." The last eruption of this volcano was in 1950. You get about an hour and a half to explore. The path up the mountain is difficult with many small loose stones, so do not wear sandals 👡! I wore sport sandals, and within a few steps, they were filled with stones, which made my feet hurt. Even so, I saw European women climbing the volcano in flip-flops, so if you're confident, give it a try. ♨️🧖‍♀️ Agios Niccholaos After a long boat ride, you arrive at another island, home to the hot springs. As shown in figure 6, the hot springs are the yellow part of the sea near the island, and you have to jump off the boat (first batch) or climb down a ladder (second batch) and swim over 🏊. The boat provides a foam strip to help you float. Despite this, the website states that only those who are very good swimmers should enter the water ❗️. Since I'm not a strong swimmer, I stayed on the boat and waited for others to finish, which took about half an hour and passed quickly. I heard that clothes can be stained yellow or red due to the sulfur content, but the website claims it's beneficial for health. The boat sways a bit when swimmers get in and out, and I got splashed a couple of times during the trip, but other than that, it wasn't too bad, and I didn't feel too seasick. #Greece #Santorini #TravelGuide #ActiveVolcano #HotSprings