Swim stops, boat by boat
Kleftiko Milos boat swimming is what the day is really about: white rock, sea caves and water you reach only by sea. Here is where each of the nine boats on this site stops to swim, for how long, and which put snorkel gear in the price.
Quick answer
The short answer. All eight group boats on this site stop at Kleftiko, and lunch is in the price on all eight. For the most time in the water there with snorkel gear included, take our top pick: the $201 cruise gives two hours at Kleftiko plus swims at Kalogries and Agios Dimitrios. To get into the caves by dinghy, book the $179 sailboat for up to ten guests. The lowest fare for a Kleftiko Milos boat swimming day is the $140 Polyaigos sailboat, with three swim stops.
How it works
Stop, swim off the side, back on board for food. The stops and the minutes are what differ.
A Kleftiko Milos boat swimming stop is simple: the boat stops in a bay and you go in off the side. No listing has the boat itself sail into a cave. At Kleftiko you get closer in one of two ways: you swim or snorkel in, or a small dinghy takes you through, on two boats only.
Most group days follow one rhythm along the west coast: a first swim at Kalogries or Agathia, often with breakfast, the long stop at Kleftiko with lunch, and a last swim at Agios Dimitrios on the way back to Adamas.
Three boats go the other way round the island and swim at Polyaigos and Gerakas as well. Swim time is the real difference: two hours at Kleftiko on four boats, 105 minutes on one, 45 minutes on another.
Every boat, current fare
Stops and minutes as each listing gives them. Where a listing names no time, there is none here.
| Boat | Price | Price is for | Length | Swim stops | Snorkel gear | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our top pick | $201 | per person | 8.5 hours | Kalogries 50 min · Kleftiko 2 h, snorkelling in the caves · Agios Dimitrios 1 h | Yes: snorkel gear and swimming noodles | Breakfast, lunch and fruit cooked on board; water, soft drinks, beer, wine | 4.8 · 358 |
| Polyaigos sailboat | $140 | per person | 10 hours | Polyaigos · Gerakas · Kleftiko, snorkelling round the caves | Not stated | Lunch and drinks | 4.9 · 2,134 |
| Semi-private sailboat | $146 | per person | 8 hours | Kalogries · Kleftiko 2 h, swimming inside sea caves · Agios Dimitrios | Yes: snorkelling equipment | All-inclusive food and drinks; action-camera photos by the crew | 4.8 · 970 |
| Guided dinghy cruise | $168 | per person | 9.5 hours | Agathia · Sykia or Agios Ioannis · Kleftiko by dinghy, then swim · Agios Dimitrios | Pool noodle named; gear not stated | Breakfast, Greek lunch, fruit salad; unlimited drinks | 5.0 · 889 |
| Morning catamaran | $174 | per person | 6 hours | Kalogries · Kleftiko 2 h, swim and snorkel | Not stated | Lunch with local house wine and drinks | 4.8 · 435 |
| Round-island cruise with meals | $179 | per person | 10 hours | Sarakiniko · Polyaigos or Gerakas · Kleftiko | Not stated | Breakfast, lunch, dessert; open bar with wine and beer | 4.8 · 334 |
| Ten-guest sailboat | $179 | per person | 8 hours | Kalogries · Sykia 75 min, into the cave by dinghy · Kleftiko 2 h by dinghy · Agios Dimitrios | Not stated; underwater cameras | Tapas, lunch, dessert; open bar | 5.0 · 263 |
| Open-bar sailboat | $202 | per person | 9 hours | Kalogries · Kleftiko 45 min · Gerakas 45 min · Polyaigos 45 min | Not stated | Breakfast, lunch from the onboard chef; open bar | 4.7 · 247 |
| Half-day catamaran | $179 | per person | 5 hours | Agathia 45 min · Kleftiko 105 min | Yes: snorkelling gear and noodles | Breakfast, lunch and fruit; water, soft drinks, beer, wine | 4.9 · 230 |
| Self-drive boat | $252 | per boat, up to 5 | 4 - 8 hours | Your choice, at your own pace | Not stated | The boat with a full tank and a safety briefing; fuel is paid at the end | 4.7 · 85 |
Stops, boat by boat
The Kleftiko Milos boat swimming stops below come from each listing’s own route.
Three swims: Kalogries for 50 minutes with breakfast, Kleftiko for two hours with snorkelling in the caves and lunch, then an hour at Agios Dimitrios. Sykia is a 15-minute pass for photos.
Round the whole island: a swim at Polyaigos, another at Gerakas, then Kleftiko to snorkel round the caves before lunch. Back in Adamas around 7 pm.
Kalogries first, then two hours at Kleftiko with lunch and swimming inside sea caves, and a last swim at Agios Dimitrios. Up to 20 to 26 people, depending on the day.
First swim at Agathia, then Sykia or Agios Ioannis as the weather allows. At Kleftiko a dinghy takes you through the caves before you swim. Then shells at Agios Dimitrios.
One swim stop at Kalogries, then a two-hour stop at Kleftiko to swim and snorkel. Back in Adamas at 15:15, so the afternoon is yours.
A swim at Sarakiniko with breakfast, then Polyaigos or Gerakas with lunch, then Kleftiko for photos and dessert.
Kalogries first, then 75 minutes at Sykia: snorkel, then a dinghy into the cave. Two hours at Kleftiko by dinghy, with lunch. Last swim at Agios Dimitrios.
Four stops of about 45 minutes each: Kalogries, Kleftiko, Gerakas with lunch, and Polyaigos.
Agathia for 45 minutes with breakfast, a 15-minute photo stop at Sykia, then 105 minutes at Kleftiko with lunch. Five hours in all.
Up to five people, no licence needed if you are over 18. You visit Kleftiko and other bays at your own pace; bring your own food, drinks, sunblock and towels.
The caves
Swim in, snorkel in, or take the dinghy. The boat itself waits outside.
The caves are why people search for Kleftiko Milos boat swimming, so read each listing closely. Four boats put you in the Kleftiko caves under your own power. The semi-private sailboat says “swim inside sea caves”. The open-bar sailboat says “swim through hidden caves”. Our top pick and the Polyaigos sailboat both say you snorkel in or round the caves.
Two boats add a dinghy. On the guided cruise it explores “all the caves, cracks and tunnels of the bay”, and you swim afterwards. On the ten-guest sailboat it covers the Kleftiko caves and, earlier, Sykia: under a rock passage into a cave with a salt lake and a small beach, lit by a skylight. No other boat on this site describes going inside Sykia.
From the water
The coast the boats work along: white rock, caves at sea level, shallow water.
A low white cave with several dark openings just above the water.
Ochre cliffs and scrub above water clear enough to see the stones.
A sailboat beside two white rock pillars, with an arch between them.
A catamaran moored below a steep rust-brown rock face.
Snorkel gear
Named in the price on three of the nine boats. The rest leave it unsaid.
Three boats name snorkel gear in the price. Our top pick has you “utilize the swimming noodles and snorkeling gear”. The semi-private sailboat lists snorkelling equipment with food and drinks. The half-day catamaran says “use the snorkeling gear and swimming noodles provided”.
The other listings do not say; the guided cruise mentions a pool noodle. If your own mask matters, pack it or pick one of the three. Travellers on three other boats wrote about the gear they found:
In travellers’ words
Quoted as written, with name and country. A review is one day, not a promise of the listing.
“The boat was clean and full of gear for the day (noodles, snorkels, fins etc!).”
“They provided snorkels and pool noodles if you wanted them and the breakfast and lunch were delicious.”
“They offered snorkel equipments and noodles for us!”
“Me and my partner really enjoyed the trips through the caves on the dingy and learning about the history of the Kleftiko.”
Wind and the route
The bay you swim in can change on the day. That is written into the listings.
Kleftiko Milos boat swimming stops are not fixed. One listing says the route “may need to be modified depending on the weather conditions”, another that the trip may be rescheduled. In strong northern winds three boats start elsewhere: the guided cruise from Provatas, the ten-guest sailboat from Palaiochori, and the morning catamaran ends at Agia Kyriaki. Where a listing says so, the transfer to or from Adamas is included. None of the boats picks you up from where you stay.
Verdict
For Kleftiko Milos boat swimming with the most time at Kleftiko and gear in the price, book our top pick at $201: three swims, two hours in the bay. For the caves from a dinghy, the $179 ten-guest sailboat. For half a day with gear, the $179 catamaran.
Book direct
Four boats, four kinds of swimming day. Live dates on each listing.
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews
★ 5.0 · 263 reviews
★ 4.9 · 230 reviews
★ 4.9 · 2,134 reviews
Pick by what you want
Each Kleftiko Milos boat swimming line below is one fact from a listing, not a ranking.
Two hours on four boats: our top pick, the semi-private sailboat, the morning catamaran and the ten-guest sailboat.
Four on the open-bar sailboat and the ten-guest sailboat, at least four on the guided cruise; three on our top pick, the semi-private and the Polyaigos sailboats.
The dinghy on the guided cruise and on the ten-guest sailboat.
Not a boat: the $67 kayak trip from Fyriplaka beach swims at Tsigrado and Gerakas, with snorkel masks. Not for non-swimmers.
Common questions
Yes, on four boats the listing says so: swim inside the caves on the semi-private sailboat and the open-bar sailboat, snorkel in or round them on our top pick and the Polyaigos sailboat.
Named in the price on three boats: our top pick ($201), the semi-private sailboat ($146) and the half-day catamaran ($179). The kayak trip gives masks. The other listings do not say.
The boat itself does not, in any listing. A dinghy takes you through the caves on the guided cruise and on the ten-guest sailboat.
Only on the ten-guest sailboat ($179): a dinghy goes under a rock passage into the cave, with a salt lake and a small beach. The other boats pass by or stop for photos.
The boat listings set no swimming level. The kayak listing says it is not suitable for non-swimmers.
On the self-drive boat, your own food, drinks, sunblock and towels. On the guided cruise, eat a light breakfast first: the first stop is after 11:00. Our top pick, the open-bar sailboat and the half-day catamaran ask for passport or ID details of every guest in advance.
Go deeper
The sea caves and rock arches, and which tours take a small boat inside.
GuideThe beaches and coves the boats stop at on the way to Kleftiko and back.
GuideThe shorter boats: morning and half-day trips to the bay.
GuideDeparture, the stops along the coast and the return to Adamas.
GuideEvery boat to Kleftiko bookable here, side by side: boat, hours, food and what the price covers.
Milos: Kleftiko Cruise with Meal, Drinks and Photos at Sykia
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews · 8.5 hours