Telendos in Greece

The mysterious rocky island of Telendos is facing the seaside resorts of Myrties and Massouri in Kalymnos, the Dodecanese. From a distance Telendos looks like forgotten properties from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Those of you who have seen the movie knows what I mean.

Telendos. You see the princess to the left of the mountain

Telendos seen from a restaurant in Massouri on Kalymnos.

The left mountain side of the island is called "Princess on the mountain." According to a legend, a princess turned into stone when she tried to kill herself when she thought her beloved prince had drowned. When she threw herself off the cliff she was "rescued" by a fairy who turned her into a rock. Even today you can see her face in the mountain. The princess is best seen from a distance, and preferably in the morning when the light is better.

The massive mountain that dominates Telendos.

Telendos is a small island with not more than about 90 inhabitants, the area is only a few km2 and the highest mountain is 459 meters above sea level. The island is frequented especially by day trippers from Kalymnos.

The car-free port promenade in Telendos. Ritas Taverna to the right.

And if you are staying on Kalymnos, whose traffic is, to say the least, busy, it's a relief to go to Telendos. It does not matter what time of day it is, on Telendos it is always quiet. Evenings are incredibly peaceful. Magical, tranquil moments at tavernas is the amusement on offer.

TRAVEL TO TELENDOS

If you are travelling independently to Telendos you can go by air to Athens, Kos or Samos, and continue by ferry to Kalymnos. From the port of Pothia, go by taxi to Myrties, and from there continue by caïque (traditional fishing boat) to Telendos. The caïques leaves every half hour from eight in the morning until midnight. The trip across takes about five minutes and costs 2 €.

In theory, one can swim across, but the caïques are still preferable. :-) In the strait between Kalymnos and Telendos it is said to be a sunken city. True or not, I don't know. But I saw some strange rock formations once when I was on Telendos. I took a picture and you can see it below.

The sunken city between Telendos and Kalymnos?

Ferry timetable for Kalymnos »

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GETTING AROUND ON TELENDOS

There are no roads, cars, scooters or other motorized vehicles. Should I be precisely, and I should, there is a small scooter on the island and it is used to collect garbage. The garbage then go by boat across to Kalymnos. The only way to get around is on foot, but who cares when the distances are so short. In principle, there are only two directions to go, left or right.

The only way to get around Telendos is on foot.

We always rent a moped at Kalymnos when we stay on Telendos. We leave it overnight in the port of Myrties and pick it up again the following morning. Kalymnos is a fantastic island to discover by moped, but we always spend the evenings on quiet Telendos.

Discovering Kalymnos by moped is very nice. Telendos on the left.

VILLAGES ON TELENDOS

There is only one village, and it is small. What you see when you arrive by caïque is the village itself, it is not bigger than that. Here are a few tavernas and a couple of cafes. Furthermore, there are two mini markets and a beautiful light blue church. There are no streets, only some paths and a few alleys. You will quickly get a complete picture of the village. It is cosy, peaceful, enjoyable and quiet. In fact, Telendos along with Marathi and Hydra, is the quietest island I have ever visited.

As said, there are a number of tavernas and the difference between them is marginal. If you stay on Telendos you can try a new taverna every evening, after a week you have eaten at all of them, and may choose a favourite. I myself like the fish taverna To Kapsouli. Here you can be seated and eat right on the water's edge, and if you feel like it, you can dip your feet in the sea and chew on a skewer at the same time. It is that close. To Kapsuli is to the right in the village, if you have your nose towards Telendos. Further off to the right lies more tavernas, including On The Rocks, and they have rooms for rent as well.

Taverna To Kapsouli on Telendos.

The small beach in the village and On The Rocks.

Another favourite is Barba Stathis on the waterfront at the far left in the village. They also have tables in the alley leading to Hohlakas beach, the food is the same at both places, but the section that is on the waterfront is most pleasant. Barba Stathis serves mainly fish, and then we talk about fresh fish.

Taverna Barba Stathis in the evening. Kalymnos opposite.

At Taverna Barba Stathis we have eaten the best seafood plate in all of Greece.

In my thought, the most pleasant taverna is Restaurant Rita located at the pier where the caïques berths. Restaurant Rita is for many a meeting-point, little like an adult day-care. Here, you can be seated for a long time and people watch, or play a game of tavli (Greek backgammon), or maybe read a book. Yannis who serves is one of the nicest Greeks I have met. Unfortunately Yannis passed away on January 4, 2021.

Restaurant Rita at the water front.

The car-free harbor promenade in the other direction.

BEACHES ON TELENDOS

It's just as well that I mention it at once: the beaches on Telendos is far from some paradise beaches, but the sea is clear and clean, especially at Hohlakas beach. Most of the beaches consist of pebbles mixed with some sand, but there are beaches with sand, like the beach to the right of the village, in the direction of On The Rocks. Continuing after On The Rocks you will soon arrive to two small beaches. The last of them is called Paradise beach and it is the island's official nudist beach. The beach is tiny and it is crowded during peak season.

Personally I prefer the two-piece Hohlakas (Cholakas) beach. You get there if you go to the left of the port, through the village, pass the church and walk up the hill. The water is lovely, there is excellent snorkelling opportunities and nice surroundings.

When you go to Hohlakas beach, you pass this beautiful church.

The beach in the only village on Telendos.

Read about the 6 best beaches on Telendos here »

SIGHTS ON TELENDOS

No temples. No monasteries. No excavations. No museums. Telendos is exempt from "you-just-have-to-see-things." There is only some old church ruins and tombs, and a cute donkey named Odysseus. NOTE! The cute and very affectionate donkey Odysseus, who was like a mascot on Telendos, has moved with his owner's family to Kardamena on Kos. Hope he gets on as well there as at Telendos.

Agios Georgios church on Telendos.

If you like Greek churches I can recommend you to go to Agios Georgios church which is near Hohlakas beach. The small chapel would probably be Telendos most visited and it is very beautiful.

The sunset from Kalymnos is very beautiful. This is how it looks from Telendos.

HIKING ON TELENDOS

Telendos is, just like Kalymnos, attractive among climbers. Thanks to them, there are beaten tracks that lead to different climbing areas. One path goes to the right, and continues to the other side of the mountain.

Another path begins above Hohlakas beach. The path initially follows a fence, and leads to "the princess". I have not walked that path, but a Dane I met last time I was on Telendos told me about a magical hike. He used to walk up there three four times a week to enjoy the view and the silence. He said it is incredibly meditative to just sit up there. Not even the sound of the sea is reached there. If you are lucky you can see Eleonora falcons.

On a hike to the "Princess" on Telendos.

ACCOMODATION ON TELENDOS

There are more choices of accommodation than you might think. Most of the tavernas have simple rooms for rent, and there are several pensions and one hotel with a pool. Although the range is large for such a small island, it is not always easy to find a room without booking in advance. Last time we were here, almost everything was booked out. It was just before the Climbing Festival on Kalymnos, so perhaps it should not have been a surprise. It is best to book in advance.

View of Kalymnos from Telendos Memories (formerly Studio Evagelia) on Telendos.

We used to stay at Studio Evagelia which is a simple guest house with a great view of Kalymonos. Now Studio Evagelia has changed owners and is now called Telendos Memories. It is booked through On The Rocks as George has taken over the guest house. If you want to stay a little more luxurious, choose Hotel Porto Potha, which even has a pool.

Book Hotel Porto Potha here »

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