Spinalonga
The Island is a historical novel written by Victoria Hislop. It has won several awards including Newcomer of the Year at the 2007 British Book Awards. The book was also nominate During our kayaking trip we will have the chance to visit the island and make a tour inside the walls which is now working as a museum. Fee entrance is not included at the listed price.d for the Book of the Year award at the same event and of course is about the island of Spinalonga.
Overview of the trip
Paddling distance: As the other trips that we got we also do have two options in terms of paddling. The shortest (12 km) is taking place inside the Elounda bay while on the 2nd we will circumnavigate the Kolokitha peninsula (20km). On both cases we will visit Spinalonga unless it is very windy near by which in that case we will adapt the route accordingly.
Equipment: Single or tandem (double) kayaks are available. People with no experience will be given a tandem kayak as those are easier to paddle unless you want to try a single. Experienced paddlers can get superb boats from Nigel Dennis, Valley, North Shore, P&H and 3kymia sea kayaks. We use mainly composite kayaks in our trips.
About Spinalonga island: The island was subsequently used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957. It is notable for being one of the last active leper colonies in Europe.
The last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962. This was to maintain the religious tradition of the Greek Orthodox church, in which a buried person has to be commemorated at following intervals of 40 days; 6 months; 1 year; 3 years; and 5 years, after their death.
Other leper colonies that have survived Spinalonga include Tichilesti in Eastern Romania, Fontilles in Spain and Talsi in Latvia. As of 2002, few lazarettos remain in Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to bring?
If you don't want to have lunch in the taverna be sure you pack your lunch. Other than that you will need 1.5lt of water (ideally in small bottles),sun glasses, hat, sunscreen, swimsuit, lycra shirt or any t-shirt ideally with UV protection. You will also need shoes that you do not mind getting soaked as you will get your feet wet. Ideally a light neoprene shoe will work great. It is not required to wear shoes but they will help as the majority of the beaches are with small pebbles.
Where do we meet?
Check out the following link for the exact meeting point, it is about 10 minutes walking from the centre of Elounda. There is parking space available..
Google map link:
https://goo.gl/maps/PiDzR6au1Cz
How do I book?
Use the "BOOK NOW" link located on the top of this page as the booking form has extra details that we need. After submitting the form you will get an email within 1-2 days (usually the same day) with a confirmation. The payment can be done either by cash when we meet or via credit card payment two days prior to the starting date as we need the funds to have cleared by the date of the trip.
What time do we meet & finish?
We start by 10 am and finish around 4 pm. If time change for any reason you will be notified by email. You will have to be on the beach a few minutes before 10 am.
Do you provide transfer?
Transfer is an extra 20€/person assuming you are staying near by the motorway from Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos. That includes cities like Annisaras, Chersonissos, Malia etc.
Do you run this trip all year long?
We run this trip year round apart from June to mid September. This is due to been very windy. Please do not book for this trip unless it fails outside of those months.
