Every boat, side by side
There is no road to Kleftiko, the old pirate shelter of white cliffs, rock arches and sea caves on the south-west coast of Milos. A Kleftiko Milos boat tour is how you get there, and this page puts all ten boats bookable here side by side: the boat, the hours, the food, the caves and the price. Nine sail from Adamas with a crew and lunch on board, from $140 per person; the tenth is a small boat you drive yourself.
Quick answer
The short answer. For one day and one choice, book our top pick, the $201 Sykia cruise: a sailboat, three swim stops with two hours at Kleftiko, snorkeling gear, and breakfast, lunch and drinks on board. For the lowest fare, the $140 Polyaigos sailboat, with 2,134 reviews at 4.9. To go into the caves by dinghy, the $179 sightseeing sailboat for up to 10 guests. Short on time? The $179 catamaran is back in five hours.
Every boat, current fare
Ordered by price. What each fare covers is read off its listing; where a listing is silent, we say nothing.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | At Kleftiko | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyaigos sailboatSailboat, three boats of up to 25 | $140 | per person | 10 hours | Lunch and drinks; a swim stop at Polyaigos; back around 7 pm | Snorkel around the caves, then lunch | 4.9 · 2,134 |
| Semi-private sailing daySailboat, 20 to 26 guests | $146 | per person | 8 hours | Food, drinks and snorkeling gear; action-camera photos by the crew | 2 hours: swim inside the sea caves, lunch | 4.8 · 970 |
| Guided day cruiseSailboat | $168 | per person | 9.5 hours | Breakfast snacks, Greek lunch cooked on board, unlimited drinks | Dinghy through the caves and tunnels | 5.0 · 889 |
| Morning catamaranCatamaran | $174 | per person | 6 hours | Greek lunch, house wine and beverages; back at 15:15 | A two-hour stop to swim and snorkel | 4.8 · 435 |
| Polyaigos and Kleftiko with mealsBoat type not named, crew of two | $179 | per person | 10 hours | Breakfast, lunch, open bar with wine and beer; full circuit of the island | Photos of the cliffs over dessert | 4.8 · 334 |
| Sightseeing sailboatSailboat, up to 10 guests | $179 | per person | 8 hours | Greek tapas, homemade lunch, open bar; a turn at the helm | 2 hours; the caves and Sykia Cave by dinghy | 5.0 · 263 |
| Half-day catamaranCatamaran | $179 | per person | 5 hours | Breakfast, lunch and fruit; water, soft drinks, beer and wine; snorkeling gear | 105 minutes to swim and snorkel | 4.9 · 230 |
| Sykia cruise, our top pickSailboat | $201 | per person | 8.5 hours | Breakfast, lunch and fruit cooked on board; water, soft drinks, beer and wine; snorkeling gear | 2 hours: snorkel in the pirate caves, lunch | 4.8 · 358 |
| Open-bar sailboatSailboat | $202 | per person | 9 hours | Breakfast, lunch by the onboard chef, open bar; 8:45 am to about 6:30 pm | 45 minutes to swim through the caves | 4.7 · 247 |
| Self-drive boatSmall boat, no licence needed | $252 | per boat, up to 5 | 4 to 8 hours | The boat for half or a full day, a safety briefing and a full tank. Fuel is paid at the end | At your own pace | 4.7 · 85 |
The boats
Six sailboats, two catamarans, one boat with a crew of two, and one you drive.
Six of the ten are sailboats: our top pick, the Polyaigos day, the semi-private day, the guided cruise, the sightseeing sailboat and the open-bar sailboat. Two are catamarans, and both are the shorter days: the morning cruise is back in Adamas at 15:15, the half-day trip runs five hours. The $179 full circuit with meals does not name its boat, only a crew of two.
Few listings state a group size: up to 10 on the sightseeing sailboat, 20 to 26 on the semi-private day despite the name, and three boats of up to 25 each on the Polyaigos day. Elin from Sweden on the semi-private day: «Loved it, wonderful staff could be a bit crowded some times but other than that fantastic».
The tenth Kleftiko Milos boat tour has no crew. You hire a small boat on Agia Kiriaki beach, no licence needed over 18, and the price covers the boat for up to five people.
The caves
No boat on this site sails into the caves itself. On a Kleftiko Milos boat tour you go in by dinghy, or you swim and snorkel in. Here is each boat, as its listing describes it.
The sightseeing sailboat is the only listing that takes you inside Sykia Cave, by dinghy under a rock passage to a salt lake with a small beach and a natural skylight. At Kleftiko, a two-hour stop, the dinghy takes you round the caves.
On the guided cruise the dinghy goes through the caves, cracks and tunnels of the bay, followed by a swim and snorkel. Sykia Cave is an option that depends on the weather.
The Polyaigos sailboat and our top pick snorkel in the Kleftiko caves; the semi-private day swims inside them over a two-hour stop; the open-bar sailboat swims through them in 45 minutes.
The morning catamaran stops two hours to swim and snorkel, the half-day catamaran 105 minutes. The full circuit with meals stops for photos of the cliffs over dessert.
The self-drive boat reaches Kleftiko and other bays on your own schedule. The listing does not say how close to the caves you may go.
On the water
Four frames from a Kleftiko Milos boat tour: the rocks, the boats, the table and the coast.
A two-masted wooden sailboat and a smaller yacht lie beside the pale stacks.
A white catamaran rides close to the base of grey and brown cliffs, where a low cave mouth opens at the waterline.
Seen from above: tomatoes and cheese on skewers, a salad with crumbled feta and a pan of pasta.
A small open boat sits under cliffs streaked red, white and ochre.
Food and drinks
Lunch on every crewed boat; breakfast and an open bar on some.
On a Kleftiko Milos boat tour with a crew, lunch is in the price on all nine boats. Most add breakfast: our top pick, the half-day catamaran, the open-bar sailboat and the full circuit with meals serve it on board, and the guided cruise has snacks before a Greek lunch cooked on board. The sightseeing sailboat starts with Greek tapas.
Drinks vary more. Four listings say open bar or unlimited drinks: the guided cruise, the sightseeing sailboat, the open-bar sailboat and the full circuit with meals; the semi-private day is all-inclusive. Our top pick and the half-day catamaran serve water, soft drinks, beer and wine; the morning catamaran pours house wine. The Polyaigos listing says only «drinks».
Kosei from Japan on the Polyaigos day: «Just be prepared for the lunch being delivered a little later in the day, so maybe bringing a light snack would help.» On the self-drive boat, you bring your own food and drinks.
Who picks what
Every Kleftiko Milos boat tour here reaches the bay; the difference is the rest of the day.
Our top pick: three swim stops, two hours at Kleftiko, snorkeling gear, three meals and drinks, back after eight and a half hours.
2,134 reviews at 4.9, the most on this site. A ten-hour circuit with a swim at Polyaigos and lunch at Kleftiko.
Both are rated 5.0 and both take a dinghy into the Kleftiko caves. Only the sightseeing sailboat goes inside Sykia Cave.
Two catamarans: five hours with 105 minutes at Kleftiko, or six hours back at 15:15.
Kleftiko, Polyaigos and the island coast in nine or ten hours, with breakfast and lunch.
Up to five people, no licence, four to eight hours. Fuel is paid at the end.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest fare, the dinghy into Sykia Cave, and the boat you drive. Three are priced per person, the self-drive boat per boat.
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews
★ 4.9 · 2,134 reviews
★ 5.0 · 263 reviews
★ 4.7 · 85 reviews
Our verdict
Book our top pick at $201 for the most complete Kleftiko Milos boat tour: two hours in the bay, three meals and snorkeling gear in the price. On a budget, the $140 Polyaigos sailboat. For the caves from inside, the $179 sightseeing sailboat. With half a day, the five-hour catamaran. Up to five friends, the self-drive boat.
Before you book
Small details on a Kleftiko Milos boat tour that are easy to miss on the listing.
Our top pick, the open-bar sailboat and the half-day catamaran ask for every passenger's passport or ID details ahead; the semi-private day, when booking.
In strong northern winds some boats start from another harbour, with transport from Adamas arranged where the listing says so.
The Polyaigos sailboat is back around 7 pm and is not for anyone on a ferry leaving Milos before 8:30 pm.
The sightseeing sailboat meets 30 minutes before departure; guests arriving late are not admitted.
The tank is full at the start; you pay for the fuel you used at the end.
Kayaking, a winery, archaeology and an e-bike ride: the island's other four tours, on land and by kayak, are on their own page.
The other tours on Milos→Common questions
Not the boats themselves, on any listing here. Two take you in by dinghy: the $179 sightseeing sailboat, which also enters Sykia Cave, and the $168 guided cruise. Four more swim or snorkel in the Kleftiko caves.
Yes, on all nine crewed boats, from the $140 Polyaigos sailboat up. On the self-drive boat it is not: the listing asks you to bring your own food and drinks, sunblock and towels.
The nine crewed boats leave from Adamas port; the self-drive boat from Agia Kiriaki beach. No boat includes hotel pickup. If strong wind moves the start to another harbour, several listings arrange transport from Adamas.
Yes. The self-drive boat needs no licence for anyone over 18, takes up to five people and costs $252 per boat for half or a full day, with a safety briefing. Fuel is paid at the end.
The morning catamaran at 15:15, the open-bar sailboat at about 6:30 pm and the Polyaigos sailboat at about 7 pm. The others give a length: five hours on the half-day catamaran, eight to nine and a half on the rest.
On three boats the listing says so: our top pick, the semi-private sailing day and the half-day catamaran. The others do not say, so pack your own mask if it matters to you.
Go deeper
The sea caves and rock arches, and which tours take a small boat inside.
GuideThe sailing days to Kleftiko and Polyaigos, compared.
GuideThe two catamaran cruises: how long they run, where they stop and what is served.
GuideThe shorter boats: morning and half-day trips to the bay.
GuideThe self-drive boat against a skippered cruise.
Milos: Kleftiko Cruise with Meal, Drinks and Photos at Sykia
★ 4.8 · 358 reviews · 8.5 hours