By Nikolas Bardis

Telendos, a small island of the Dodecanese with less than 100 permanent inhabitants, was for many centuries a single part of Kalymnos, before being cut off from it, due to a great earthquake around the 6th century AD. Today, its proximity to the much more prominent and popular Kalymnos has drawn it into a small tourist development, with several summer visitors arriving there by water taxi, mainly in July and August, since the islet does not even have a port!

The island, although it is small in area, has a very long history and is full of treasures. Today there you can see the sunken ancient city Desireeither diving or snorkeling. The city sank, when Telendos was separated from Kalymnos by the earthquake, and now lies beneath the surface of the deep blue waters, in the sea passage between the two islands.

Also, there is none on the island road networkbut many beautiful paths, which if you follow them, you will find yourself in front of historical monuments and enchanting beaches. The hike to the early Christian necropolis, for example, is a route that combines natural beauty and historical interest. If you decide to cross the pine forest again, you will see the impressive burial monuments, witnesses of another era. The ascent to the Rachi plateau, although demanding, will reward you with a panoramic view of the Aegean.

Before you leave the island, don’t forget to buy the famous thyme honey, which has a distinct and rich taste, as well as local cheeses, such as the spicy Kopanisti and the traditional Toulomotiri. In the tavernas of the island, located along the beach of the settlement, you will have the opportunity to enjoy fresh fish and seafood, dolmades with grape leaves and goat stuffed in the hull. Because the place may be “a stalia”, but it has a rich culinary heritage.

If again you are romantic types and you like them sunsetsthen, before the day comes to an end, you must “climb” into his little church Agios Georgios and the view will reward you even more. In this most remote part of our country you will be literally alone: ​​you and the endless horizon will stretch out before you. Just before the sun dips into the sea, the sky is painted with warm, orange hues, creating a scene out of a movie, and the breeze whistling through the rocks seems to tell the special story of the place, lost in the centuries and searching for a way out of today.