Volcanic Sites (Nea Kameni And Palea Kameni)

Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni are the two small volcanic islands in the middle of the Santorini caldera, and they are the visible tip of a volcano that has shaped the island for thousands of years. Nea Kameni, the larger and younger one, began to rise from the sea in 1707 and grew through eruptions in later centuries, with the most recent in 1950. Palea Kameni, whose name means old burnt island, formed earlier, in the first century AD. Together they sit in the middle of the flooded caldera, the legacy of the massive Minoan-era eruption that blew apart the original island.

Nea Kameni is the destination for most visitors. Boats leave from the old port of Fira, below the cliff, and from other harbours around the island, and the crossing takes roughly half an hour. A path rises from the landing to the main crater, a climb on loose dark stone of black and reddish lava blocks. At the top there are several craters, some with small vents where warm gas seeps from the rock and the smell of sulphur hangs in the air. From the summit rim you can see the whole caldera ring with Fira, Imerovigli and Oia strung along the cliff, and the sea around you turns a deep blue.

The landscape is bleak and unusual. Almost nothing grows here, the colours are charcoal and rust, and the silence is broken only by wind and the voices of other walkers. It gives a sense of the scale of geological forces that created the Aegean, and it is a very different experience from the villages above. Guides on the boats often explain the eruption history and point out where the lava flows have created the island's shape.

Palea Kameni is usually a swimming stop. Near its shore a small bay is fed by warm springs that stain the water reddish brown with iron-rich minerals, and many tour boats anchor there so passengers can swim across to the warm patch. The sea is cold in spring, so the heat feels like a bath once you reach the plume. Wear an old swimsuit, because the minerals can discolour fabric.

There is no shade, café or toilet on Nea Kameni, so bring water, a hat and sturdy shoes with grip; sandals are a poor choice for the path. Most half-day boat trips combine both islands with other stops, and they run mostly from spring to autumn, with fewer in winter. Wind can cancel crossings, so allow flexibility in your plans.