Beyond Boundaries Travel: Greek Aegean Central Bike & Barge

This is a new item on our list of cycling tours in the Aegean Sea. Our 2-masted Turkish motor yacht will be your hotel for the length of the trip. offer local cuisine and accommodation. We will "hop" first to the island of Kos, with further touchdowns on the islands of volcanic Nissiros, Tilos, Rhodos, and Simi. On our way back to Bodrum, we'll cycle along the Turkish Datca peninsula and on to the bay of Knidos.

Itinerary:
Day 1 Bodrum (Boarding)
Flight to the Turkish airport of Bodrum and transfer to the ship. The cabins are ready from 2 p.m. Dinner on board.
Day 2 Kos (30 km)
First cruise to the island of Kos. Visit the lanes and corners of the old town of Kos mit ihren verwinkelten Gassen. The first lap on the bike leads to an archetypical Greek mountain village. History forms part of the way: in the excavation site of the ancient once-famous sanatorium Asklipion. Our tour continues along the coast to Kos.
Day 3 Nissiros (40 km)
On the volcanic island of Nissiros, we cycle up to Nikia, situated at 430 m above sea level. From here, we head for the volcano crater with its steaming sulphur springs before we have a glorious descent to the small port of Mandraki whose charm has attracted people for centuries. In the evening, we sail on to Tilos.
Day 4 Rhodos (10 km)
On the way to Rhodos we enjoy und genießen eine Kreuzfahrt mit Sicht auf die griechischen Inseln und die Datca-Halbinsel der Türkei. Am Nachmittag laufen Sie in Rhodos-Stadt ein und beginnen nach der Einreise eine kurze Radtour innerhalb der wuchtigen Befestigungsmauern, welche die Altstadt und den Großmeisterpalast aus dem 16. Jahrhundert umschließen. Am Abend lockt das Leben in der quirligen und bunten Stadt.
Day 5 Rhodos (30 km)
Eine Radtour führt Sie durch einen duftenden Kiefernwald bis nach Filerimos auf eine Höhe von 267 m. Es folgt eine rauschende Abfahrt bis hinunter ans Meer. Hier lag einst die antike Stadt Ialissos. Nach dem Mittagessen an Bord legt das Schiff ab und bringt Sie zur Insel Simi, wo Sie übernachten.
Day 6 Simi island (40 km)
Roll along to the old flour mill of Simi and on to the original village of Chora, where you can imbibe the Greek relaxed way of life off the tourist tracks. A few miles down the road, Pedi bay is waiting for us to relax and swim in the water. In the afternoon, the ship takes off for Datca in Turkey.
Day 7 Datca peninsula (40 km)
In the morning, we cycle to the tip of the peninsula to the historic ruins of Knidos from the 4th century BC. The theatre is especially well preserved. This is where we stop to enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, the ship will return to Bodrum.

Day 8 Departure
After breakfast, check-out and transfer to the airport.

Alterations:
We reserve the right to make alterations to the itinerary, depending on wind and weather conditions or organisational requirements.
Requirements (level 2-3):
The bike routes require a basic level of fitness, which you should have acquired by occasional or daily cycling. The roads are mostly asphalted and there is little traffic outside of holiday periods.The daily routes of 45 km on average cover hilly and mountainous terrain and can be completed without time constraints. You will also come across some longer and rather steep climbs, where you may want to push your bike. The tour guides will inform you about the course of the tour in due time. You can always choose to skip a bike tour and spend the time sunbathing on the ship instead.
Furthermore, you always have the option to cycle individually or with other participants, using the maps provided. This would give you time to take photographs, explore flora and fauna or other sites at your leisure.

Ship
The two-masted motor yacht is a new gulet with comfortable interior. She was built in 2002 and has two engines. Her teak deck is 110 ft long and 28 ft wide and houses 10 spacious double cabins with French beds. Six of the cabins offer an additional single bunk. A comfortable interior with bar as well cushion seats and reclining chairs offer ample space for the passengers. Travel speed is 10 knots powered by the engine and 4-6 knots under sails.
The size and shape of the cabins may vary according to the shape of the ship, but all cabins have comfortable, functional equipment, a shower/wc, a porthole and 2 beds side by side or one French bed. There is a small wardrobe or an open shelf. They offer enough space for sleeping and storing a travel bag or sea bag. Allocation of the cabins is the responsibility of the tour organizer and cannot be influenced.
The beds will be made upon your arrival. Please bring your own bathing towels (even though there are towels available for use in the cabin). Please note that there is no room cleaning service during the trip. Please refrain from smoking in the cabins or the saloon.

Arrival by air
Bodrum airport is situated approx. half an hour from Bodrum and 2.5 hours from Kusadasi. Izmir airport is 1.5 hours from Kusadasi and 3.5 hours from Bodrum.

At the airport, you will be received by a person carrying an "Inselhüpfen" panel. We generally organize small buses for the transfer, so please bear with us if we are required to wait for guests from other destinations.
Greece and Turkey are on Eastern European (Summer) time, i.e. GM(S)T + 2 hours

The transfers from and to airport Bodrum are for free.

Catering:
The cook on board is a member of the crew of four and prepares the breakfast and two warm meals a day. The full board starts with the dinner on the arrival day and ends with the breakfast on the departure day.

Guided tour:
The tour will generally be guided in German language. One of the guides will translate into English for non-German-speaking participants.

Children:
We believe that only children in a good physical condition and of a minimum age of 10 and previous bicycle tour experience are able to master the bike-tours on their own strength.

Services:
- 8-day-trip on a motor yacht with a crew of four
- 7 nights on a motor yacht in a double cabin with shower
- 7 x half board, 3 x lunch on board
- German and English-speaking tour guide
- 6 guided cycling tours on the different islands
- Transfer from Bodrum airport to the ship and back
- 21-speed rental trekking bicycle

Season: late April - late May, and late September - early November