Santorini and Naxos walking vacation in Greece

Planet

Santorini and Naxos are some of the most beautiful and popular islands in Greece. Their beauty has led to overcrowding in some areas; to avoid contributing to overtourism we believe the best way to explore these islands is on a low impact walking vacation.

This slow style of travel not only affords you more time to appreciate the natural beauty of the region but, just as importantly, positively contributes to the regions that host you. We have planned this trip to include public transport (paid locally) where possible to keep your impact on the environment low

We are aligned with “Leave No Trace”, an international organisation that has set the global standard for outdoor ethics. Through targeted education, research and outreach, its mission is to ensure the long-term health of our natural world while maintaining sustainable recreation in nature.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travelers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail: in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles. We use recycled paper in our office and we are working towards reducing the amount of paper we use, as well as recycling all of our paper and plastic waste.

People

Our preferred accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned small hotels and B&Bs; this way we ensure your tourist spend is staying within the area and benefiting local people. For example, when available, we book the Kalimera Hotel. A family run business which serves homemade Greek delicacies, and where you will receive a warm welcome.

The trip has been planned on a bed & breakfast basis only, leaving you free to choose a neighbourhood restaurant or taverna to help your tourist spend spread further in the community. Throughout the tour you have options to dine in local restaurants including enjoying lunch in one of the tavernas on the stone-built main square in Eggares.

Our route will take us to villages likes Chalki, which has not been touched by mass tourism. Here there is a lemon liqueur factory which is worth a visit after your walk, plus several taverns and restaurants available. And in Eggares you may want to visit the small Olive Press Museum (free of charge). To help support these local organisations we encourage you to visit them; and if possible purchase some of their local products.

In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveler booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travelers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveler ebook before departure