Shorter days on the water
A half day tour to Kleftiko swaps the long sailing day for five or six hours on the water. This page lines up the two shorter catamarans from Adamas and the boat you drive yourself: what each fits in, what it costs and who it suits.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a half day tour to Kleftiko with lunch and a crew, take the $179 catamaran: five hours, 105 minutes at Kleftiko, breakfast and lunch on board, snorkel gear handed out. For two full hours in the bay and a fixed 15:15 return to Adamas, take the $174 morning catamaran. To steer yourself, the self-drive boat is $252 for the whole boat, up to five people, fuel paid at the end.
What fits in half a day
The same bay, fewer extra stops, and the afternoon back.
Most boats to the old pirate hideout make a full day of it: eight to ten hours, with Polyaigos or a lap of the island added on. A half day tour to Kleftiko keeps the part most people come for, the white arches and sea caves of the south-west coast, and leaves out the rest. Three trips on this site do that.
The two catamarans both leave from Adamas port and both sail the west coast past the fishing villages, Cape Vani and the bear-shaped Arkoudes rocks before the long stop at Kleftiko. One adds a breakfast swim at Agathia, the other a first swim at Kalogries. The self-drive boat is different: you start from Agia Kiriaki beach on the south coast, and you decide where to stop and for how long.
What you give up is breadth: Polyaigos and Sarakiniko belong to the 10-hour days. What you keep is your afternoon.
The morning catamaran
The $174 half day tour to Kleftiko from Adamas port, in the order the listing gives.
Past Skinopi, Klima, Areti and Fourkovouni, with their painted Sirmata boathouses cut into the rock.
The rock formation shaped like a bear, then the volcanic headland of Cape Vani.
The first swim stop of the morning, at Kalogries Bay.
The boat continues to the cave with the natural skylight; the listing does not say you go in.
A two-hour stop to swim and snorkel among the white cliffs and sea caves.
A Greek lunch cooked on board with house wine, then the sail back to Adamas for 15:15.
The half-day catamaran
The $179 half day tour to Kleftiko, with stop lengths from its itinerary.
The multicoloured rocks of Cave Vani, the Bear Rocks and the fishing villages as you sail.
Breakfast on board, then a swim and a snorkel.
A short photo stop at the cave on the way to the bay.
Lunch cooked on board, then swimming and snorkeling with the gear and noodles provided.
Water, soft drinks, beer and wine as you sail, and afternoon fruit.
The same port you left from, five hours after departure.
The two catamarans
Two hours in the bay, or two meals in five hours.
Both are a half day tour to Kleftiko on a catamaran, with a crew, a meal and the long stop in the bay. The difference is in the details. The morning boat gives you the full two hours at Kleftiko and a fixed return of 15:15. It is the one to pick if you need lunch without gluten or meat: the listing offers vegan and vegetarian meals, and meals without gluten. Jessica from Canada: «The bays we stopped in were still wonderful to swim and snorkel in!»
The five-hour boat is shorter overall but feeds you twice, breakfast at Agathia and lunch at Kleftiko, and it is the one of the two that lists snorkel gear. Samantha from Canada: «Breakfast and lunch were very yummy, boat was super clean and had lots of space for guests to spread out comfortably». It also asks for every passenger’s ID details at least a day before you sail.
On board
Three frames from a half day tour to Kleftiko and the coast around it.
A white catamaran sits in bright blue water close under a tall, rough cliff, with dark hollows in the rock at the waterline.
A bowl of salad, cubes of cheese with cherry tomatoes on sticks, white cheese, stuffed vine leaves, a dip with olive oil and a tray of orzo, seen from above.
A few small motorboats sit on blue water below a high, pale, crumbling cliff, with two people standing on the nearest one.
Drive it yourself
Your boat, your stops, your own lunch.
The third half day tour to Kleftiko on this site has no captain. You go to Agia Kiriaki beach on the south coast and rent a small boat from a local family business. No licence is needed: everyone over 18 may drive it. The price, $252, is for the whole boat, with up to five people on board, and you book it for half a day or a full day.
The boat leaves with a full tank, a safety briefing and an English-speaking instructor. At the end you pay for the fuel you used, which is not in the price. Food, drinks, sunblock and towels are yours to bring. Essi from Finland, on the half-day booking: «We weren’t too confident with speed but still managed to see Kleftiko».
Every trip, current fare
The three shorter trips first, then five full days for comparison, our top pick among them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | At Kleftiko | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-day catamaran | $179 | per person | 5 hours | 105 minutes | Breakfast, lunch, fruit, water, soft drinks, beer, wine; snorkel gear | 4.9 · 230 |
| Morning catamaran | $174 | per person | 6 hours | 2 hours | Greek lunch on board with house wine; vegan and vegetarian options | 4.8 · 435 |
| Self-drive boat | $252 | per boat, up to 5 people | 4 to 8 hours | Your choice | Boat, full tank at the start, safety briefing; fuel used paid after | 4.7 · 85 |
| Polyaigos sailing day | $140 | per person | 10 hours | Snorkel and lunch stop | Lunch and drinks; swim stop at Polyaigos | 4.9 · 2,134 |
| Sailing day, 20 to 26 guests | $146 | per person | 8 hours | 2 hours | Food, drinks and snorkel gear | 4.8 · 970 |
| Guided day with a dinghy | $168 | per person | 9.5 hours | Dinghy through the caves | Breakfast, Greek lunch, unlimited drinks | 5.0 · 889 |
| Sailing day, our top pick | $201 | per person | 8.5 hours | 2 hours | Breakfast, lunch, fruit, drinks; snorkel gear | 4.8 · 358 |
| Open-bar sailing day | $202 | per person | 9 hours | 45 minutes | Breakfast, lunch by the onboard chef, open bar | 4.7 · 247 |
Half or full
Shorter costs more per hour, and gives you the afternoon.
A shorter day is not a cheaper day here. The lowest boat price on the site, $140 per person, belongs to a 10-hour sailing day round Milos and Polyaigos, back around 19:00. Both catamarans on this page cost more than that. With a half day tour to Kleftiko you pay for time saved, not money saved.
The full days add stops, not bay time. Our top pick, the $201 sailing day, spends the same two hours at Kleftiko as the morning catamaran, then adds Kalogries and Agios Dimitrios. The open-bar sailing day spends 45 minutes there and visits Polyaigos. Only two full days take a dinghy through the caves: the $168 guided day and the $179 sightseeing sailboat for up to 10 guests.
So the choice comes down to the afternoon. If it is for a ferry, a dinner in Plaka or a second activity, take a half day tour to Kleftiko. If the boat is the whole plan, a full day gives you more stops and more coast.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes your half day tour to Kleftiko easier on the day.
Both catamarans leave from Adamas port. The self-drive boat starts at Agia Kiriaki beach, which you reach on your own.
The five-hour catamaran needs each guest’s name, ID or passport number, gender, nationality and date of birth at least a day before departure.
None is included. Bring food, drinks, sunblock and towels, and keep some money for the fuel.
In winds over 5 Beaufort the morning catamaran ends at Agia Kyriaki, with a transfer back to Adamas at the operator’s expense.
All three shorter trips offer free cancellation. Check the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Book the $174 morning catamaran if you want one half day tour to Kleftiko: 435 reviewers rate it 4.8, you get the full two hours in the bay and you are back at 15:15. For two meals and snorkel gear, the $179 five-hour boat, rated 4.9. For a group of up to five, the $252 self-drive boat.
Book direct
The two catamarans and the self-drive boat, plus our top pick for a full day. The self-drive price is per boat.
★ 4.9 · 230 reviews
★ 4.8 · 435 reviews
★ 4.7 · 85 reviews
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews
Common questions
If you want the bay and your afternoon, a half day tour to Kleftiko: five hours on the $179 catamaran or six on the $174 morning boat. Full days run 8 to 10 hours and add stops such as Polyaigos, which only three of them visit.
The morning catamaran is back at 15:15. The five-hour catamaran returns to Adamas port five hours after it leaves; its listing does not give a clock time. The self-drive boat goes back to Agia Kiriaki beach when your 4 to 8 hours are up.
Yes on both catamarans: the five-hour boat serves breakfast, lunch and fruit, the morning boat a Greek lunch with house wine. On the self-drive boat nothing is included, so bring your own food and drinks.
Not the boats themselves, on any trip here. The two catamarans stop in the bay to swim and snorkel. A dinghy through the caves is offered on two full days, the guided day and the sightseeing sailboat.
Yes. The self-drive boat from Agia Kiriaki beach needs no licence for anyone over 18. It takes up to five people for $252 per boat, and you pay for the fuel you used at the end.
No. Both catamarans meet at Adamas port, and the self-drive boat at Agia Kiriaki beach. On this site, only the archaeology tour on land includes a pickup.
Your options
On a half day boat tour to Kleftiko Milos shows you its west coast first: the painted boathouses, Cape Vani and the Bear Rocks, then the white cliffs of the bay. Pick the morning catamaran for time in the bay, the five-hour boat for two meals, or the wheel yourself.
Go deeper
The two catamaran cruises: how long they run, where they stop and what is served.
Drive your own boatThe self-drive boat against a skippered cruise.
Boat tours comparedEvery 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.
Milos: Kleftiko Cruise with Meal, Drinks and Photos at Sykia
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews · 8.5 hours