A Naxos kayak tour paddles along the coast of Naxos in a sea kayak, close to cliffs, caves and quiet coves. Stops give time to swim in clear water. It is one of the sea kayak tours in Greece on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Naxos kayak tour includes, where tours start and which kayaks they use. It also covers the sea caves, beaches and sea life on the way. History, safety, winds, what paddlers wear, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Naxos kayak tour or a nearby sea tour that can be booked online.
What does a Naxos kayak tour include?
A Naxos kayak tour includes steady paddling along the coast and stops for a swim. The paddling counts as moderate exercise. Tested, clean water serves the swim stops. A kayak also suits diving, fishing and exploring the shore.
The Compendium of Physical Activities rates moderate kayaking at 5.0 METs. A MET, or metabolic equivalent, measures energy use. One MET equals the energy of sitting quietly. A Naxos kayak tour at a steady pace uses five times that energy.
On a Naxos kayak tour, the kayak serves more than paddling. Kayaks also carry divers, fishers and explorers. Rescue teams use them during floods. Divers paddle out with all their gear, cheaper than a powered boat.
The national bathing register lists 21 bathing waters across Naxos and the Small Cyclades. Agios Georgios beach rated Excellent every listed year from 2011 to 2022.
- Moderate band: Activities of 3 to 6 METs count as moderate.
- Racing: Competition kayaking rates 13.5 METs.
- Gentle pace: Canoeing or rowing for pleasure rates 3.5 METs.
A Naxos kayak tour blends exercise and swimming with a varied coast. Gorges and caves mark the north-west, north-east and south-east. Flat valleys lie in the island’s centre and south-west.
Where does a Naxos kayak tour start?
A Naxos kayak tour can launch from town beaches, a north-east bay or east coast coves. Chora, the main town, offers a ferry port and beaches on the west coast. Apollonas serves the north-east. Moutsouna and its coves serve the east coast.
In Chora, the seafront promenade is called Paralia, Greek for seafront. Boats can anchor in the ante port, the outer harbour, in relative safety. Berths inside the port are scarce. In summer, the Paralia road closes to cars at night.
In the north-east, a Naxos kayak tour can start at Apollonas. Its bay is sheltered from the main winds and waves, except from the north. A pier for small private boats stands at its north end. Inland roads suit an ATV tour on Naxos.
On the east coast, a Naxos kayak tour can launch from Moutsouna cove. Back on the west side, Grotta beach lies on the north edge of Chora. It is a small bay of pebbles and a little sand.
- Agios Georgios: A stream flows into the southern end of this beach all year.
- Access: Agios Georgios has a lifeguard and a ramp for people with disabilities.
- Agia Anna-Maragkas: This west-facing beach shows no strong currents or tides.
- Agios Prokopios: This beach can hold an estimated 6000 bathers.
Each starting point gives a Naxos kayak tour a different stretch of shore. West coast sand, a north-east bay and east coast coves all work. The launch beach sets the route.
Which kayaks does a Naxos kayak tour use?
A Naxos kayak tour can use sea kayaks, sit-on-top kayaks or inflatable kayaks. Touring and sea kayaks measure 4.9 to 5.8 m long. Their keel, the spine along the bottom, is well defined. It helps the boat run straight.
On a Naxos kayak tour, a longer kayak has a higher hull speed. At that speed, the front wave stretches the full hull length at the waterline. A 3 m waterline gives 7.8 km/h, and a 5 m one gives 10.1 km/h.
A V-shaped hull runs straight and stays steadiest when tipped on edge. A flat bottom turns easily but drifts off line. A chine, an angle along the hull side, steadies the boat as it leans.
Plastic kayaks come from rotational moulding of polyethylene, a common plastic. A heated mould turns, and soft plastic coats its walls. The seamless hull resists knocks but weighs more. Fibreglass is stiffer, yet it cracks more easily.
- Inflatables: Nicknamed duckies, they hold air below 0.2 bar and are virtually unsinkable.
- Drop-stitch: Flat stitched panels let inflatables reach 0.7 bar and run much faster.
- Sit-on-top: This open design grew from paddle boards with footrests and a backrest.
Sea kayak rudders, steering blades at the back, lift up for beach landings. That suits a Naxos kayak tour that starts on sand. Makers mainly size kayaks for paddlers of 65 to 85 kg.
Which sea caves does a Naxos kayak tour reach?
A Naxos kayak tour reaches sea caves in small inlets on the south-west and south coasts. The coastline is steep and rocky, above all in the east. Protected sea cliffs carry local sea-lavender. Wild pigeons and swifts shelter in the coastal rocks.
Rainwater can carry acids from the soil into cracks in the rock. These acids weaken the stone inside a sea cave. Small mineral deposits, called speleothems, can then form on its walls.
A Naxos kayak tour on the south coast meets calm water at Rina Cave. Its beach sits well sheltered from wind and waves. For this reason, inflatable boats visit the cove.
The protected site of central and south Naxos lists 34.5635 hectares of these sea cliffs. On a Naxos kayak tour, the birds in them stay out of reach. No person can climb those rocks.
- Agiassos: Small inlets with caves lie beside this south-west beach.
- Pyrgaki: Inlets with caves and pebbles flank both sides of this beach.
- Divers: Advanced divers on Naxos explore caves, shipwrecks and sunken aircraft.
The Small Cyclades site lists 12.5807 hectares of sea caves under or partly under water. Its seabed also holds 641.6168 hectares of Posidonia seagrass. A Naxos kayak tour paddles above a coast of caves and green meadows.
Which beaches does a Naxos kayak tour pass?
A Naxos kayak tour passes sandy and pebbly beaches around the island. Large shallow inlets and bays cover 2005.9943 hectares in the protected site of central and south Naxos. Agios Fykas is a small sandy beach in the north-east.
A Naxos kayak tour on the east coast passes Ligaridia, the first hamlet past Moutsouna. Its small pebble beach has deep water. It suits free-diving on one breath. Kanaki follows, then Klidos.
Azalas lies next to Moutsouna bay on the eastern side. Reddish-brown rocks line its edge. Tamarisk trees near the water give shade. On the south coast, Spedo beach stays unspoiled, with clean water. A rural road leads there.
In the north-east, a Naxos kayak tour can reach Apollonas, 36 km from Chora. Its beach fills a closed bay 650 m long, north of cape Venetiko. Pebbles cover the shore and the seabed. A stream that flows part of the year reaches the sea at its east end.
- Depth: At Apollonas, the sea is 5 m deep at an average distance of 160 m.
- Melinos: This small bay on the north coast has a sandy beach.
- Agios Mamas: The church at this cove beside Kampos holds a feast every September 1.
Each coast gives a Naxos kayak tour its own mix of sand, pebbles and rock. At Agiassos, in the south-west, sand covers the shore and seabed. Rocks close both ends. At Agios Mamas, small fishing boats moor in the cove.
What sea life does a Naxos kayak tour meet?
A Naxos kayak tour can meet seabirds, reef life, turtles and sea mammals. The protected site of central and south Naxos reports repeated monk seal sightings at sea. Its record also lists the common bottlenose dolphin and the green turtle.
Reefs cover 8.7217 hectares of the Naxos protected site. Near Mikri Vigla beach, a Naxos kayak tour can pass brown seaweed on rocky outcrops.
Monk seals grow from about 80 cm at birth to an average of 2.4 m. Males weigh 320 kg on average, and females 300 kg.
Green turtles near a Naxos kayak tour owe their name to greenish fat under the shell. Their seagrass diet colours the fat. They are the only water turtles that eat plants as adults.
- Common dolphin: The Naxos record also lists the common dolphin among its species.
- Shearwaters: Yelkouan and Cory’s shearwaters fly over the Kalantos wetland and nearby sea.
- Shags: At Kalantos, European shags, a seabird species, gather mainly in the rocky section.
A Naxos kayak tour shares this coast with seals, dolphins, turtles and seabirds. The Frouros rocky islet ranks among the island’s top diving spots for Mediterranean marine life.
What history lines the coast on a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour paddles past a shore shaped by ancient sea wars and raids. Persian fleets reached the island twice. An Athenian fleet beat Sparta off its coast. Later, a Venetian lord forced Genoese pirates out of its castle.
A Naxos kayak tour passes waters a Persian fleet entered in 499 BC. Its 200 triremes, led by Megabates, first sailed north to fool the Naxians. At Chios, the fleet turned south. The Naxians brought in their crops, stored food and strengthened their walls. After four months of siege, the attackers ran out of money.
In 490 BC, the Persian admiral Datis sailed via Samos to Naxos. The bulk of the Naxians fled to the mountains. Those who stayed were taken captive, and the shrines burned.
In 376 BC, Spartan ships stopped grain shipments into Piraeus, the port of Athens. Athens sent Chabrias to break up their fleet. Athens lost 18 triremes, and 24 Spartan ships were destroyed.
- Rescue: Chabrias stopped to pull men, living and dead, from the water.
- Record: Athens had won no other sea battle since the Peloponnesian War.
- Galleys: Marco Sanudo burnt his oar-driven galleys, telling his men to conquer or die.
Turkish raids returned later in the 14th century. Around 1420, the mapmaker Cristoforo Buondelmonti claimed Naxos lacked enough men to wed its women. A Naxos kayak tour crosses the sea these fleets and raiders sailed.
How do paddlers stay safe on a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour follows Greek port rules for canoes and kayaks. Paddling is banned in bad weather. Paddlers must know how to swim. Every paddler wears a specially made life jacket.
The same rules bar anyone who cannot swim, whatever their age. On a Naxos kayak tour, paddlers must also avoid disturbing swimmers.
The Greek coast guard dates from 1919, when an act of parliament founded it. Lighthouses, radar beacons and buoys fall to another body, the Navy Lighthouse Service.
The UV index rates how strongly sunlight burns skin on a Naxos kayak tour. The scale is linear, so index 12 is twice as strong as index 6. A 30-minute burn at index 6 takes 15 minutes at index 12.
- Load: A kayak must not carry more people than its maker allows.
- Distance: Kayaks must stay within 500 metres of the shoreline.
- Night: Paddling is banned before sunrise and after sunset.
Naxos lies at the centre of the Aegean Sea. In July, the sea there measures 22 to 24 °C. The July water on a Naxos kayak tour is much cooler than the air, above all by day.
How do winds affect a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour shares the sea with the meltemi, the northerly summer wind. It blows through the summer days. On Naxos, it averages 5 on the Beaufort wind scale by day.
A Naxos kayak tour on the north-west coast meets different kinds of beach. Ammitis lies fairly open to north winds. Chilia Vryssi, on the same coast, is sheltered from almost every wind.
On a typical meltemi day, the wind reaches about 7.5 metres per second at noon. By midnight, it falls below 5. Outbursts, the stronger spells, show no daily drop for 1 to 7 days.
The Naxos station logged 304 outburst days from 1975 to 2015. On meltemi nights near Naxos, a wind of 12 metres per second blows about 450 metres up. At 10 metres, it measures just 4 metres per second.
- Clapotis: Waves bouncing off a steep cliff rise and fall in place.
- Height: In theory, they stand twice as high as incoming waves.
- High hulls: On a Naxos kayak tour, a kayak that floats too high catches the wind.
The word clapotis comes from French for the lapping of water. Sea kayakers call it both a bane and a pleasure. A Naxos kayak tour can also meet the south wind, called Notus in Greek myth.
What do paddlers wear on a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour starts with a buoyancy aid, a foam vest that helps a paddler float. Loose, light clothes come next. Sunscreen covers all bare skin, ears included. Wraparound sunglasses shield the eyes from the sides too.
The aid carries foam at the front and back. Touring aids for the sea add large pockets for kit. Ten newtons, a unit of push, equal 1 kg of flotation.
The CDC, the American health agency, advises loose, lightweight, light-coloured clothes in heat. Sunburnt skin lets out heat more slowly. That makes cooling off harder on a Naxos kayak tour.
The NHS, the UK health service, wants sun protection factor 30 or higher. It also asks for 4-star UVA cover. An adult needs 6 to 8 teaspoons for the whole body.
- Designs: Aids come as an over-the-head vest, a front-zip jacket or a side-zip.
- Swims: Sunscreen goes on again straight after swimming.
- Lenses: The NHS backs sunglasses with the CE mark.
- Surfer’s eye: This pink growth is linked to sun and dust.
Each item on a Naxos kayak tour does one job. The aid adds float, and the clothes ease heat. Cream and lenses guard skin and eyes on the open water.
When is the best season for a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour suits the warm months, with early starts in high summer. On 21 June, the sun rises at 05:59. Cool mornings spare paddlers the strongest heat. July brings a feast day, and October a national holiday.
Tables from the United States Naval Observatory give sun times for Naxos Town. On 21 June, civil twilight, the first glow before sunrise, begins at 05:28. By 15 August, sunrise moves to 06:35.
The CDC advises outdoor activity in the coolest parts of the day or the evening. An early launch follows that advice. The same timing suits a kayak tour on Milos.
Saint Nicodemus, born on Naxos in 1749, has his feast on 14 July. Sunrise then comes at 06:09. Ohi Day, or No Day, is a national holiday on 28 October.
- April: Sunrise on 15 April comes at 06:45.
- Parades: Military parades mark Ohi Day across Greece.
- Felt heat: The heat index gains up to 15°F in direct sun.
A Naxos kayak tour in high summer works best soon after sunrise. Later in the year, sunrise comes later, so start times shift. Feast days add a festive mood ashore.
What do travelers ask about a Naxos kayak tour?
A Naxos kayak tour raises six practical questions. They cover medicines in the sun, sunburn care and care in the heat. Watches, drones and rubbing skin complete the short list. American, British and EU agencies give clear advice.
Can medicines raise sun risk on a Naxos kayak tour?
Yes. The FDA, the American medicines agency, names antibiotics, allergy pills, water pills, cholesterol drugs and anti-inflammatory painkillers. These can make skin react to sunlight. The more common type, phototoxicity, irritates skin within hours. A pharmacist can check each medicine.
How is sunburn treated after a Naxos kayak tour?
The NHS advises cooling the skin with a cool shower, bath or damp towel. Aftersun cream or an unperfumed moisturiser comes next. Painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen ease the pain. Ice packs and tight clothes stay off burnt skin.
Who needs extra care in the heat on a Naxos kayak tour?
The CDC says people over 65 and young children can need extra steps on hot days. The heat index, or apparent temperature, mixes humidity with air temperature. It shows how hot the air feels to the body. Its charts give values for shady places.
Which watch suits a Naxos kayak tour?
A watch marked 30 m resists only splashes and rain. It is not made for swimming. A 100 m rating suits swimming, snorkelling, sailing and water sports. ISO 2281, an international standard from 1990, barred the word “waterproof” on watches.
Can a drone film a Naxos kayak tour?
EU rules keep low-risk drones below 120 m above the ground. Class C0 drones, under 250 g, need registration with a camera, unless they are toys. The standard minimum pilot age is 16, though a state can lower it to 12.
How do paddlers stop skin rubbing on a Naxos kayak tour?
Rubbing skin, called chafing, comes from friction, moisture or rough fabric. Beach sand adds to it. Petroleum jelly cuts the friction. Man-made fabrics such as polyester, nylon or spandex also help.