Santorini Traditional Boat Tour on a Wooden Caique

Wooden boat or catamaran: what you actually get

You book a traditional wooden boat, but the listing lets the operator run the cruise on any vessel of the same category, depending on availability. In practice that often means a catamaran. Of the 10 most recent reviews, 6 say they sailed on a catamaran (one guesses the switch was for wind), and only 1 confirms the wooden boat. Most of those 6 still rated the day 5 stars, and two say the catamaran felt roomier. If the wooden boat itself is the reason you are booking, ask the operator to confirm the vessel for your date. If you would rather have a catamaran for sure, book the day catamaran cruise instead.

The route, stop by stop

The day cruise starts at the port in Vlychada with a welcome drink. It sails close to Red Beach and White Beach, then makes the first swim stop under the Black Mountain (Mavro Vouno). It passes the Akrotiri Lighthouse into the caldera, stops at the volcanic hot springs and then at Thirassia for a swim and snorkel. It ends in the old harbor of Ammoudi, sometimes with a short stop at Agios Nikolaos first. The boat does not land on the beaches, and the crater hike on the volcano is not part of this trip.

• Vlychada — Boarding and welcome drink (day cruise)
• Red Beach and White Beach — Seen from the water, no landing
• Black Mountain (Mavro Vouno) — First swim and snorkel stop
• Akrotiri Lighthouse — Passed at the entrance to the caldera
• Volcanic hot springs — Swim in the warmer water
• Thirassia — Swim and snorkel stop
• Ammoudi Bay — Finish below Oia (start of the sunset cruise)

Day cruise or sunset cruise

The sunset option visits the same places in reverse, from Ammoudi to Vlychada. You eat in the coves of the Black Mountain, then watch the sun go down from the water on the way back south. The listing says the schedule moves through the season with the sunset time, which in Santorini falls around 20:37 in mid-June and 18:43 in mid-October. The day cruise gives warmer water for the four swim stops; the sunset cruise trades swim time for the view. See the Santorini sunset time by month.

The meal and the wine

The crew cooks on board. The menu is chicken fillet, Greek dips, beans, stuffed vine leaves, Greek salad and fruit, with local white wine, soft drinks and bottled water. It is lunch on the day cruise and dinner on the sunset cruise. The food is the most praised part of this trip: 9 of the 10 recent reviews call the meal good or excellent, and one notes it was cooked by the captain and first mate. Drunkenness is not allowed on board.

Swimming and snorkeling

Snorkel masks are included, but bring your own towel, because towels are not. One reviewer counted four chances to swim. Another says fins are not provided, which makes snorkeling hard against the current at the second stop. One recent reviewer says the hot springs water had an orange tinge that stained clothing, and nobody in that group went in. Wear dark swimwear if you plan to swim there. More on the springs: Santorini hot springs.

The fishing-boat alternative

If you want the old way of working the sea rather than just the old boat, a traditional fishing trip is the other option. It is a 4-hour morning on a wooden fishing boat for up to 8, where the crew shows traditional ways to catch shrimp and octopus, hands you a rod, and serves a fresh fish lunch. It costs more, from $179 per person, and is rated 4.9 on 186 reviews. It does not go into the caldera or to the hot springs.