Getting there
No road runs down to Kleftiko, the white arches and sea caves on the south-west coast of Milos. A boat tour to Kleftiko is how you get there: nine group boats sail from Adamas port, and one boat you drive yourself leaves from Agia Kiriaki beach. Boat fares start at $140 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. You reach Kleftiko by sea. Book a boat tour to Kleftiko from Adamas and the crew does the sailing, with swim stops on the way. For one choice, take our top pick at $201: two hours at Kleftiko, snorkel gear on board, breakfast and lunch cooked on deck. For the lowest boat fare, the $140 sailboat round the island, 2,134 reviews at 4.9. To steer yourself, the $252 self-drive boat for up to five people.
No road in
The bay has no road, so the question is not how but which boat.
Kleftiko sits on the south-west coast of Milos: a bay of white volcanic rock, with arches, sea stacks and caves, once a hideout for pirates. One listing on this site describes Kleftiko and the nearby cave of Sykia as “both inaccessible by land”; another talks of swimming “in spots only accessible by boat”. None of the fourteen listings here reaches the bay by car or on foot: a boat tour to Kleftiko is the way in.
None of the nine group boats sails out and straight back: each strings swim stops along the coast in a day of five to ten hours. Kosei from Japan, after the $140 sailboat: «got to see the beautiful parts of the island that are only available by boat».
On the way out
From the harbour to the bay, the boat is the view.
A catamaran’s net in front, and a line of sailboat masts along the quay ahead.
From under the deck awning: boathouses at the water’s edge below a brown hillside.
Sailboats moored beside towering white rock stacks, over turquoise water.
The harbour
Nine boats start in Adamas, the island’s port, also written Adamantas. The self-drive boat is the one exception.
Our top pick, the $146 all-inclusive sailing day, the $168 guided cruise, both catamarans, the ten-passenger sailboat and the open-bar sailboat.
The $140 sailboat meets at its office in Adamas; the $179 day with three meals meets three minutes’ walk from the port.
The ten-passenger sailboat gathers 30 minutes before departure; latecomers stay ashore.
On the south of the island; you make your own way there.
None of the boat listings collects you from your hotel.
The route
Six boats follow the west coast; three circle further.
Six boats take the west coast. They pass fishing villages such as Klima and Skinopi and the rock at Cape Vani, stop for a first swim at Kalogries or Agathia, and see Sykia Cave near Kleftiko. The full days add a last swim, usually at Agios Dimitrios.
Three boats go further. The $140 sailboat and the $179 day with three meals circle the whole island, past Sarakiniko and with a swim at Polyaigos or Gerakas, and reach Kleftiko later in the day. The $202 open-bar sailboat sails west to Kleftiko first, then on to Gerakas and Polyaigos. Our top pick does not visit Polyaigos. No listing gives a sailing time from Adamas to the bay, so judge a boat tour to Kleftiko by its stops.
In the bay
Stop lengths as each listing gives them.
Two hours at Kleftiko with lunch, snorkelling in the pirate caves. Three swim stops in all.
Two hours at Kleftiko with lunch, swimming inside sea caves.
A two-hour stop to swim and snorkel. Back in Adamas at 15:15.
About two hours at Kleftiko, with the dinghy and lunch; Sykia by dinghy for 75 minutes.
105 minutes at Kleftiko with lunch, after breakfast at Agathia. Five hours in all.
45 minutes at Kleftiko, then Gerakas for lunch and Polyaigos. Back about 18:30.
The $140 sailboat, the $168 guided cruise and the $179 day with three meals do not give it.
At the bay
The boat stays outside; a dinghy or your own strokes take you in.
No boat on this site sails into the caves itself. Inside, you go one of two ways. On two boats a dinghy takes you through: the $179 ten-passenger sailboat explores the Kleftiko caves by dinghy and, at Sykia, slips the dinghy under a rock passage into the cave, where a salt lake and a small beach sit under a natural skylight. The $168 guided cruise takes its dinghy through the caves, cracks and tunnels of the bay.
On four more boats you swim or snorkel in: the $146 sailing day, the $140 sailboat, our top pick and, in its 45 minutes, the open-bar sailboat. Elsewhere Kleftiko is a swim stop. Snorkel gear is listed on our top pick, the $146 sailing day and the $179 half-day catamaran.
Every boat, current fare
Lowest fare first. Group prices are per person; the self-drive price is for the whole boat.
| Boat | Price | Price is for | Length | Leaves from | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round the island by sailboat | $140 | per person | 10 h | Adamas, office | Lunch and drinks; swim at Polyaigos; snorkel in the Kleftiko caves | 4.9 · 2,134 |
| All-inclusive sailing day | $146 | per person | 8 h | Adamas port | Food, drinks and snorkel gear; two hours at Kleftiko | 4.8 · 970 |
| Guided cruise with a dinghy | $168 | per person | 9.5 h | Adamas port | Greek lunch cooked on board, unlimited drinks; dinghy through the caves | 5.0 · 889 |
| Morning catamaran | $174 | per person | 6 h | Adamas port | Lunch with house wine; two hours at Kleftiko; back at 15:15 | 4.8 · 435 |
| Round the island with three meals | $179 | per person | 10 h | Adamas, near the port | Breakfast, lunch and open bar; Sarakiniko and Polyaigos swims | 4.8 · 334 |
| Ten-passenger sailboat | $179 | per person | 8 h | Adamas port | Tapas, lunch and open bar; dinghy into Sykia Cave | 5.0 · 263 |
| Half-day catamaran | $179 | per person | 5 h | Adamas port | Breakfast, lunch, fruit and snorkel gear; 105 minutes at Kleftiko | 4.9 · 230 |
| Kleftiko and Sykia, our top pick | $201 | per person | 8.5 h | Adamas port | Breakfast, lunch, fruit, drinks and snorkel gear; two hours at Kleftiko | 4.8 · 358 |
| Open-bar sailboat | $202 | per person | 9 h | Adamas port, 8:45 | Breakfast, lunch by the onboard chef, open bar; 45 minutes at Kleftiko | 4.7 · 247 |
| Self-drive boat | $252 | per boat, up to 5 | 4 to 8 h | Agia Kiriaki beach | The boat with a full tank and a safety briefing; fuel paid at the end | 4.7 · 85 |
Driving yourself
Four to eight hours, your own pace, up to five people.
The one boat tour to Kleftiko that does not start in Adamas is the self-drive boat. You go to Agia Kiriaki beach on the south of the island and rent a small boat from a local family business for four to eight hours. No driver’s licence is needed: anyone over 18 may drive. Up to five people share one boat.
The price, $252, is for the boat, not per person. It covers the boat with a full tank, a safety briefing and an instructor. Fuel is not in the price: you pay for what you used. Bring your own food, drinks, sunscreen and towels. Angelika from Germany: «The boat was easy to drive, and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. Kleftiko is absolutely stunning…»
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes the morning at the port easier.
The $140 sailboat returns around 7 pm and is not for travellers whose ferry leaves Milos before 8:30 pm.
Our top pick, the open-bar sailboat and the half-day catamaran need each passenger’s passport or ID details in advance; without them, no boarding.
On the $168 guided cruise the first stop comes after 11:00; the listing advises eating a small breakfast first.
The $252 self-drive price covers the boat for up to five people; fuel is paid at the end.
All fourteen listings offer free cancellation. Check the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Wind and the plan
The west coast is the plan; the wind has the last word.
The route depends on the wind. With strong northern winds, boats move to the sheltered side: the $168 guided cruise may start from Provatas, the ten-passenger sailboat from Palaiochori, and the morning catamaran may finish at Agia Kyriaki. Where the wind moves the start, transport from Adamas is arranged, and the ten-passenger sailboat includes it in the price.
Listings say a trip may be rescheduled or amended because of the weather. Jessica from Australia, on the ten-passenger sailboat: «We had to switch from the west to the north due to the wind/weather but that didn’t matter at all as we got to see some gorgeous spots». Booking with free cancellation keeps your plans open.
Our verdict
Book our top pick at $201 for the classic day: two hours at Kleftiko, snorkel gear and three meals on board, rated 4.8 by 358 travellers. On a budget, the $140 sailboat, 2,134 reviews at 4.9. To go inside by dinghy, the $179 ten-passenger sailboat, rated 5.0. Short on time, the $179 half-day catamaran. To steer, the $252 self-drive boat.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest boat fare, the dinghy into Sykia and the boat you drive.
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews
★ 4.9 · 2,134 reviews
★ 5.0 · 263 reviews
★ 4.7 · 85 reviews
Common questions
By boat. One listing calls Kleftiko “inaccessible by land”, and none of the fourteen listings here reaches it by car. Nine group boats sail from Adamas; a self-drive boat leaves from Agia Kiriaki beach.
From Adamas port, also written Adamantas, on all nine group boats. With strong northern winds, some move the start: Provatas for the guided cruise, Palaiochori for the ten-passenger sailboat, with transport from Adamas arranged.
No. None of the boat listings includes a hotel pickup; you make your own way to the port.
Not the boat itself. On two boats a dinghy takes you in: the $179 ten-passenger sailboat, which also enters Sykia Cave, and the $168 guided cruise. On four others you swim or snorkel into the caves.
Yes. The $252 self-drive boat from Agia Kiriaki needs no licence; anyone over 18 may drive. The price is for the boat, up to five people, for four to eight hours. Fuel is paid at the end.
Where a listing gives a time: 15:15 on the morning catamaran, about 18:30 on the open-bar sailboat and around 7 pm on the $140 sailboat, which is not for ferries leaving Milos before 8:30 pm.
Your options
With one day on Milos, a boat tour to Kleftiko from Adamas is the simple plan: walk to the port and step on board. Pick by the hours you have and who is at the wheel.
Go deeper
Every boat to Kleftiko bookable here, side by side: boat, hours, food and what the price covers.
The cavesThe sea caves and rock arches, and which tours take a small boat inside.
The day outDeparture, the stops along the coast and the return to Adamas.
Drive your own boatThe self-drive boat against a skippered cruise.
Milos: Kleftiko Cruise with Meal, Drinks and Photos at Sykia
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews · 8.5 hours