Kalymnos

Kalymnos is part of the Dodecanese and has an area over just over 100 kmē. Approximately 12.000 people live on Kalymnos. The island is well known for its sponge fishing industry. Not too long ago sponge fishing along with agriculture and fishing was the main source of income for the locals. In recent years tourism became more and more important. Especially since 2006 when the small airport was opened expectations are high. Until then the numbers were growing rather slowly. If the plan worked out I do not know. In order to push tourism significantly they'd probably need an international airport.

Pothia: The local capitol is Pothia. It is a nice enough town but without major attractions. One of the things to do in Pothia is shopping. There is a large number of shops that sell sponges. As mentioned earlier the sponge fishing still is an industry here and so you find a wide range of the finest sponges and with any luck a real bargain. From what I heard about 40 - 50 t sponges are sold per year. It might sound like an impressive figure but fact is that the industry is going down. The sponge population becomes smaller and smaller so sponge fishing is no longer profitable. It poses a serious problem for the formerly rather rich island. Tourism is a possible way out.

Rooms in Pothia are reasonably cheap. The same applies to the local restaurants. All in all you'll get a fairly good deal.

Things to do on Kalymnos: Climbing turned more and more into a trend sport. For rock climbers Kalymnos is one of the most famous and best destinations in Greece. At this stage the island is already well known among climbers in Europe and for a good reason. The conditions are ideal. The climbers are normally gathering in the little village Masouri and start their tours from there.

Another thing to do on Kalymnos is hiking. The local tourist information can provide detailed information and a map.

Busses on Kalymnos: During high season there are regular busses that connect the villages. Busses depart every hour. The local government puts a lot of effort into public services. The idea is to make a stay on Kalymnos as pleasant as possible and to this way attract more tourists.

Ferries to Kalymnos: During summer there are plenty of ferries from and to Kalymnos. There are a few ferries every day (including fast boats "Flying Dolphin") to Kos, Leros, Patmos and Rhodes. Not every day but quite regularly boats go to Nisyros, Symi and Astypalaia. There also is a daily flight to Athens.