Self-drive or skippered
There are two ways to do a Kleftiko boat tour from Milos. You can rent a small boat at Agia Kiriaki beach and drive it yourself, with no license needed, for $252 a boat. Or you can join one of eight crewed sailboats and catamarans from Adamas, where a skipper steers, lunch is served and the route is set for you, from $140 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For two people, the $140 sailboat comes to $280, and the self-drive boat to $252 plus the fuel you use. With three, each share of the boat is $84 before fuel, but you bring your own food and drinks and someone in your group steers. If you want lunch made for you, a dinghy into the caves and a skipper at the helm, book a crewed Kleftiko boat tour; our top pick is the $201 cruise past Sykia Cave.
Two kinds of day
Who steers, who cooks, and who decides when it is time to head back.
Kleftiko sits on the south-west coast of Milos, with white cliffs, rock arches and sea caves, and there is no road down to it. Every Kleftiko boat tour on this site gets there by sea. Eight are crewed sailboats and catamarans from Adamas port. The ninth is a small boat you rent from a local family business at Agia Kiriaki beach and drive yourself.
On a crewed boat, the captain sets the route, the crew serves lunch, and your job is to swim, eat and look. On the self-drive boat you decide where to go, where to stop and how long to stay, within the four to eight hours you book. Nicolas from the United States, after his self-drive day: «Highly recommend doing this over a group tour. We were told where to go and had the freedom to decide where to … explore.»
Every boat, current fare
The self-drive price is for the whole boat; every other price here is per person. Lunch is part of the price on every crewed boat.
| Boat | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-drive boat | $252 | the boat, up to 5 people | 4 to 8 hours | Boat, safety briefing, instructor, 24/7 support, full tank at the start. Fuel used, food and drinks extra | Agia Kiriaki beach, you get there yourself | 4.7 · 85 |
| Sailboat with Polyaigos | $140 | per person | 10 hours | Lunch and drinks, snorkeling in the Kleftiko caves, a swim stop at Polyaigos | Adamas port, back around 7 pm | 4.9 · 2,134 |
| Semi-private sailing day | $146 | per person | 8 hours | Food, drinks and snorkeling equipment; two hours at Kleftiko with lunch | Adamas port | 4.8 · 970 |
| Guided day cruise | $168 | per person | 9.5 hours | Breakfast, Greek lunch cooked on board, unlimited drinks, dinghy through the Kleftiko caves | Adamas port | 5.0 · 889 |
| Morning catamaran | $174 | per person | 6 hours | Onboard lunch with local house wine and other drinks; two hours at Kleftiko | Adamas port, back at 15:15 | 4.8 · 435 |
| Island circuit with meals | $179 | per person | 10 hours | Breakfast, lunch and an open bar with wine and beer | Adamas, three minutes’ walk from the port | 4.8 · 334 |
| Sightseeing sailboat, up to 10 | $179 | per person | 8 hours | Greek tapas, homemade lunch, open bar; dinghy into Sykia Cave and the Kleftiko caves | Adamas port, 30 minutes before sailing | 5.0 · 263 |
| Half-day catamaran | $179 | per person | 5 hours | Breakfast, lunch, fruit; soft drinks, beer, wine; snorkeling gear | Adamas port | 4.9 · 230 |
| Sykia cruise, our top pick | $201 | per person | 8.5 hours | Breakfast, lunch cooked on board, fruit; soft drinks, beer, wine; snorkeling gear | Adamas port | 4.8 · 358 |
| Full-day sailboat with open bar | $202 | per person | 9 hours | Breakfast, lunch by the onboard chef, open bar | Adamas port, sails at 8:45 am | 4.7 · 247 |
Split between you
The self-drive boat price shared out, against two crewed boats for the whole group. The self-drive share is before fuel.
| Group | Self-drive boat, share each | Fuel | $140 sailboat, all of you | $201 top pick, all of you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | $126 | On top, for what you use | $280 | $402 |
| 3 people | $84 | On top, for what you use | $420 | $603 |
| 5 people | $50.40 | On top, for what you use | $700 | $1,005 |
The sums
Before fuel, a share of the boat is below the cheapest crewed fare at every group size.
The sums are simple because the self-drive price is for the boat, not the person. Two people pay $252 between them, plus fuel, against $280 on the $140 sailboat. At three, the boat works out at $84 each before fuel, while the cheapest crewed day costs the three of you $420. With five aboard, the share drops to $50.40 each, again before fuel.
What the sums leave out is what the crewed price covers: a skipper, lunch, drinks and, on some boats, snorkeling gear or a dinghy into the caves. On the self-drive boat, food, drinks and fuel come on top.
From the listing
From the self-drive listing itself, not from reviews.
You book it for 4 to 8 hours. The listing shows $252 for the boat; check the live price for the length you pick.
Before you set off you get a safety briefing, and the instructor speaks English.
The listing includes 24/7 support while you have the boat.
You leave with a full tank. When you bring the boat back, you pay for the fuel you used.
The listing asks you to bring them. There is no lunch on board unless you pack one.
The boat starts at Agia Kiriaki beach, not Adamas, and no pickup is part of the price. Plan how you will get there.
At the helm
Over 18, no license, up to five aboard. The rest is your call.
The self-drive Kleftiko boat tour needs no boat license. The listing’s rule is short: every person over 18 is allowed to drive. Each boat takes up to five people, so your own group has it to itself.
That freedom has a flip side. On the self-drive boat the calls are yours: the route, the speed, where you stop and when you head back. On a crewed boat they belong to the captain. One crewed listing says the route can change at the captain’s discretion.
Several reviewers who drove themselves say how easy it was. Angelika from Germany: «The boat was easy to drive, and the instructions were clear and easy to follow.»
On the water
What either kind of Kleftiko boat tour looks like once you are out on the water.
A white yacht sits still on turquoise water, a swimmer close by, below tall layered cliffs.
A handful of small motorboats and swimmers in turquoise water under tall cream and rust cliffs.
Passengers on a sailboat deck beside two towering white sea stacks with an arch between them.
What a crew adds
Lunch you don’t make. Lunch is in the price on all eight crewed boats. Our top pick serves a light breakfast, lunch and afternoon fruit, all cooked on board, with water, soft drinks, cold beer and wine. On the self-drive boat you bring your own.
A way into the caves. No boat on this site sails into the Kleftiko caves itself. Two crewed boats take you in by dinghy: the $179 sightseeing sailboat, which also takes its dinghy into Sykia Cave, and the $168 guided cruise. Four more let you swim or snorkel in the Kleftiko caves. Conor from the United Kingdom, on the guided cruise: «Me and my partner really enjoyed the trips through the caves on the dingy».
Snorkeling gear. Three crewed boats list it: our top pick, the $146 semi-private sailing day and the $179 half-day catamaran.
A plan for the wind. Several crewed boats move the start or the finish to another port when the wind is strong. The self-drive listing says nothing about wind.
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes your Kleftiko boat tour run smoothly.
The self-drive boat runs 4 to 8 hours. Check the live price for the length you choose.
Self-drive starts at Agia Kiriaki beach; the crewed boats all leave Adamas port. No boat includes a pickup from where you stay.
Anyone at the helm of the self-drive boat must be over 18. No license is needed.
Our top pick, the full-day open-bar sailboat and the half-day catamaran need every passenger’s ID details before departure; on our top pick, without them boarding is not permitted.
Every listing here offers free cancellation; check the deadline on the booking page.
Our verdict
Book the self-drive boat if you are three to five people, someone is happy to steer, and you would rather pack a picnic than eat on a schedule. Book a crew if you are two, want lunch made for you, or want to get inside the caves by dinghy. For a crewed Kleftiko boat tour, our top pick is the $201 Sykia cruise.
Book direct
The self-drive boat, our top pick, and the two crewed boats with a dinghy into the caves. The self-drive price is for the boat; the rest are per person.
★ 4.7 · 85 reviews
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews
★ 5.0 · 263 reviews
★ 5.0 · 889 reviews
Common questions
Yes. The self-drive boat needs no license: every person over 18 may drive it. It costs $252 for the boat, with up to five people aboard, and runs 4 to 8 hours from Agia Kiriaki beach. Fuel is extra, paid at the end for what you used.
The self-drive boat: up to five people, and only your own group aboard. Among the crewed boats, the $179 sightseeing sailboat is limited to 10 passengers. The semi-private sailing day takes 20 to 26 people.
All eight crewed boats leave from Adamas port. The self-drive boat starts at Agia Kiriaki beach on the south coast, and you make your own way there. In strong wind, some crewed boats start or finish at another port.
On the crewed boats, yes: lunch is in the price on all eight, with drinks. On the self-drive boat, no: the listing asks you to bring your own food and drinks, sunblock and towels.
The boats themselves do not, on any listing. You go in by dinghy on two crewed boats, the $179 sightseeing sailboat and the $168 guided cruise, or swim and snorkel in on four others. The self-drive listing does not say how you get into the caves.
Crewed listings say the route may change at the captain’s discretion, or the trip may be rescheduled; several move to the sheltered side of the island. The self-drive listing says nothing about wind. Every listing here offers free cancellation.
Go deeper
Every boat to Kleftiko bookable here, side by side: boat, hours, food and what the price covers.
GuideThe sea caves and rock arches, and which tours take a small boat inside.
GuideThe sailing days to Kleftiko and Polyaigos, compared.
GuideChoosing by boat, hours, budget and the stops you want.
Milos: Kleftiko Cruise with Meal, Drinks and Photos at Sykia
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews · 8.5 hours