By Nikolas Bardis

The sun has lit up the steep slopes and the sea stretches out in front of you, vast and deep blue. You put on the necessary equipment, and after tying the ropes securely, you take a deep breath and start climbing. It’s that moment when you forget for a while everything that concerns you, and focus your attention on the next step, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top and enjoying the view. Those who love climbing go to Kalymnos again and again, as on its steep slopes they have found the ultimate climbing paradise!

For many, this small island of the Dodecanese is the “Mecca of Climbing”, and not without reason, if we consider that every year 18,000 climbers from all over the world arrive there, climbing on tracks of varying difficulty. In fact, Kalymnos is the third most popular climbing destination in the world, with its reputation going beyond the borders of Europe, while images of climbers make the rounds on the internet, being the best advertisement for the island.

The diversity of the island’s rocks, as well as the special climbing styles imposed by the landforms, have highlighted Kalymnos as one of the most important climbing areas of our country, and every year the number of sports enthusiasts increases at an unabated rate. Also, the easy access to the climbing fields and the easy movement from one to another, combined with the mild climate there, allow climbers to climb all year round, even in Winter!

Climbing on Kalymnos started only a few decades ago, specifically in the late 90s, after the visit of well-known Italian climbers to the island. Then, the Greeks took over and gradually the Municipality of Kalymnos got involved. The hospitality of the Kalymnians to visiting climbers, as well as the publication of a relevant climbing guide by Aris Theodoropoulos, have reduced climbing to an autonomous tourist product of the island, as recognizable as its sponges.

Today on the island you can enjoy more than 150 climbing fields, which offer a magical view of the Aegean and beyond. The camera of Where There is Greece traveled to Kalymnos and recorded the experience of some climbers, who in turn explain to us why they return to the island again and again.