A Kos jeep safari takes a small convoy of four-wheel-drive vehicles off the coast road and up into the green interior of the island, with stops in mountain villages and at viewpoints. Readers who plan further days away can look through the tours in Greece collection.
Below are the meaning of the tour, what it includes, the route, the sights, how the day works, who it suits and the questions that visitors ask.
What is a Kos jeep safari?
Pages use the name Kos jeep safari for an off-road tour that covers the island in four-wheel-drive vehicles. Descriptions point inland to the mountains, with stops on the way. Operators differ on who drives, how long the trip lasts and how large the group is.
Wikipedia describes a safari as a trip over land to watch or hunt wild animals, mainly in East Africa. The word is Swahili for journey. Wikipedia explains that a four-wheel drive vehicle delivers torque to every wheel simultaneously. It describes off-roading as driving on unpaved ground such as sand, dirt, gravel, mud or rocks.
Wikipedia describes Kos as a Greek island of the Dodecanese group, near the south-eastern limit of the Aegean Sea. By area, Kos ranks third in the group, after Rhodes and Karpathos.
The island measures 42.1 kilometres in length and 11.5 in width, with a coast that totals 112 kilometres. The chief town, also named Kos, is the island’s port and the administrative centre of the municipality.
The driving on a Kos jeep safari differs by operator. One lists a half-day self-drive safari. Its qualified tour leaders instruct guests before the start. A second operator says guests can drive themselves, and that it can try to arrange a driver. A third says each vehicle has its own tour leader.
According to Wikipedia, tourism is the leading industry on the island, and beaches are its main attraction. A Kos jeep safari looks inland instead. One operator says it takes guests off-road to places they cannot reach alone. Another promises dusty unpaved roads and old villages. A third describes forest roads and mountain routes, clear of the bustle of the town.
One tour listing names this kind of trip in plain words. It reads: an off-road tour on Kos by jeep or quad, with drinks and lunch. The title names the vehicle choice and two items that the trip includes. Operators list a Kos jeep safari under other names, such as a full-day adventure tour or a sunset safari.
What does a Kos jeep safari include?
On the pages, a Kos jeep safari includes a vehicle, a driver or tour leader, and food or drink. Coffee, lunch, water or an evening meal appear, depending on the operator. Each listing states its own items, so the lists differ.
One operator lists rent of the vehicle, insurance, fuel and road service as included in its Kos jeep safari. The same list names drinks, coffee, lunch and tour leaders. Another operator lists off-road vehicles seating seven or nine, driven by escort-drivers, with liability insurance and local taxes. Both lists name insurance; only the first names rent and fuel.
One operator lists lunch with traditional Greek food and water. It lists coffee, beer, other refreshments in the tavern and gratuities as not included, so those are paid separately. A second operator says its day tours include lunch and water. Its sunset tour includes small Greek treats.
One operator names collection at the hotel and the ride back as part of its Kos jeep safari. Another collects guests at their accommodation and brings them back. Its list adds coffee or tea in a coffee house and an evening meal with wine. A third operator’s page says payment is made on the day of the trip.
Group size differs by operator. One limits each jeep to four or five people. Another calls its tour semi-private, with six to eight people per vehicle. A third limits each tour to 24 people, in vehicles that seat up to seven. The half-day self-drive listing also offers a quad as an alternative to the jeep 4x4.
The same name covers different packages. The lists differ in vehicle, meal and group size. One is a self-drive half day with rent, insurance and fuel. Another is a day with escort-drivers, lunch and water. A third pairs a coffee-house stop with an evening meal and wine. Each Kos jeep safari listing therefore needs reading for its own items.
Where does a Kos jeep safari go?
A Kos jeep safari leaves the coast near Kos Town and climbs into the Dikeos range. The range holds the highest summit of the island. One operator lists Asfendiou, Old Pyli and Zia as stops on its route.
That operator’s Kos jeep safari starts in central Kos Town and heads for the Profitis Ilias chapel and Mount Dikeos. It stops at Asfendiou, where local people serve Greek coffee in a small coffee shop. The route then crosses the mountain and Old Pyli. It reaches Zia for a meal in a tavern, then returns to the hotels.
Another operator orders the stops differently. Its Kos jeep safari begins with photo stops at a wetland and at the Profitis Ilias chapel. Off-road drives lead to a lake and a church, and lunch is in Zia. The last photo stop is the salt lake, and then the vehicles return to the pick-up points.
One operator lists forest roads and mountain routes. Another lists rugged, unpaved mountain routes. A Dutch-language page mentions dusty dirt roads. Wikivoyage says the roads of Kos are asphalted for the larger part. One travel blogger lists about 110 kilometres for the Dikeos route and about 150 for the Kefalos route.
Mount Dikeos reaches 846 metres, and the Kos municipal pages call its highest point Psilo Vouno. They place Zia on its slopes. Asfendiou lies 14 kilometres southwest of Kos Town, and its Asomatos church dates to the eleventh century. Pyli sits 15 kilometres southwest of Kos Town, with the ruins of Old Pyli on the mountain above it.
Zipari lies about 11 kilometres from Kos Town, close to Tigaki, where the beach runs about 10 kilometres. Antimachia lies 25 kilometres from Kos Town. Wikipedia puts Kefalos on the far western tip of the island, and Wikivoyage places Paradise Beach on Kefalos Bay. One travel blogger ends the Kefalos route with a swim stop at a beach.
What can visitors see on a Kos jeep safari?
A Kos jeep safari offers open views across the island and out to the sea. The Kos municipal pages say that, on a clear day, almost all neighbouring islands can be seen from Mount Dikeos. They name Gyali, Nisyros and Pserimos.
One operator lists a panoramic view of Kos and Mount Dikeos among the highlights of its Kos jeep safari. The municipal page on Zia mentions views of the coast, Kalymnos and Pserimos. A tourism page on the castle of Old Pyli names Kalymnos, Pserimos and the coast of Asia Minor. That coast is the Turkish side of the sea.
One travel blogger says the Kos jeep safari on the Dikeos route crosses pine woods and stops for views. The municipal page on Asfendiou lists olive trees, cypresses, pine trees and spring water around the village. Wikipedia names olives as a main crop of Kos, and it says oregano and thyme are native to the Mediterranean.
Chapels and windmills are named too. One operator lists a photo stop at the Profitis Ilias chapel. The municipal page on Mount Dikeos describes a chapel dedicated to Christ near the summit. Wikipedia says an imposing windmill stands over Kefalos. The municipal page says Antimachia has a restored windmill from the nineteenth century.
One operator’s Kos jeep safari crosses Old Pyli. The municipal page describes the ruins of a medieval settlement and a castle on the mountain there. Antimachia Castle stands on a plateau southeast of Antimachia, with two churches inside its walls. The municipal page credits the Knights Hospitaller, while Wikipedia lists it as a fortress of the Byzantine period.
The Alykes salt lake lies between Tigaki and Marmari. The municipal page says pink flamingos and other migratory birds use the lagoon, especially during autumn and spring. The lake dries out in the summer months, and a white layer of salt covers the bed. One operator lists a salt lake photo stop on its Kos jeep safari.
How does a Kos jeep safari work?
A Kos jeep safari follows a set day. The group starts in Kos Town and drives into the mountains on dirt tracks. It stops for coffee and a meal in a village, then returns to the hotel. Operators differ on length, stops and who drives.
One operator starts its full-day Kos jeep safari at 10 in the morning in the centre of Kos. It offers hotel transfers both ways. A sunset page starts in the centre of Kos and turns off-road almost at once, towards Mount Dikeos. Another operator lists a half-day tour on which guests drive a jeep or a quad themselves.
A self-drive tour starts with instructions: one operator says its qualified leaders instruct the guests before the start. The same operator includes a road service. A full-day operator uses vehicles with seven or nine seats, driven by escort-drivers, with six to eight people in each. Its online form offers English and German.
The length of a Kos jeep safari depends on the version. One operator runs a tour from 9 to half past 2 in the afternoon. A full-day page gives six hours in its header and about seven hours in its text. A blog lists 5 to 6 hours for a mountain tour and 7 to 8 for a Kefalos tour.
On a Kos jeep safari, one operator lists coffee in a village and a lunch at a tavern in Zia. Then the guests return to their hotels. A sunset page lists a four-hour tour with a Greek dinner and local wine in Zia. The blog runs its mountain and sunset tours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
One page lists its Kos jeep safari for late spring to October. The same page refunds guests in full if they cancel at least twenty-four hours early. Wikipedia puts Kos in the Mediterranean climate type, with hot dry summers. Wikipedia adds that the meltemi, or Etesian wind, comes from the north and crosses the Aegean until mid-September.
Who is a Kos jeep safari for?
A Kos jeep safari suits guests who want the mountain interior without a car and accept dust and bumpy tracks. Operators set their own terms for children and for guests who drive themselves, so the details differ.
Families meet different age terms. The online form of one operator has fields for children aged two to twelve and for infants up to two. A blog says its operator welcomes children from the age of eight on its tours. Its list names children from eight to twelve as one group.
A youth travel organiser lists a sunset Kos jeep safari with no more than four or five people per jeep. A blog limits each tour of its operator to twenty-four people. In a shared vehicle, a couple or a solo traveller rides along with other guests.
Guests without a car reach the interior. One operator says its tracks lead to spots that a visitor cannot get to alone. On the sunset page, the jeeps take guests back to their accommodation. A blog says its operator uses vehicles with soft suspension and room for a calm ride over rough ground.
Two sources describe the tracks of a Kos jeep safari as dusty. One operator lists old clothes, good shoes and a driving licence, and says guests can choose to drive themselves. Wikipedia says sunscreen, also called sun cream, helps protect against sunburn, and that sunhats and sunglasses are common partners.
Wikipedia names the beaches as the main attraction of Kos. A full-day operator calls its route a different safari, away from mass tourism. The blog’s Kefalos tour ends with a swim at Cavo Paradiso beach, so swimwear belongs to that day. A visitor who prefers the water can pick a boat trip, since a Kos jeep safari stays on land.
What else do visitors ask about a Kos jeep safari?
Which Kos Town sights pair with a Kos jeep safari?
Kos Town is the principal town and main port of the island, according to Wikipedia. Wikivoyage lists a castle there from the age of the Knights Hospitaller, between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Wikipedia calls it Neratzia and says it was repaired once the Ottomans held the island.
The Asklepieion is another sight on the island. Wikivoyage presents it as an ancient place of healing that worked as an early hospital and a school of medicine. Wikipedia gives Kos as the birthplace of Hippocrates, about four hundred and sixty years before Christ. Wikipedia adds that his training was probably given at the Asklepieion of his home island.
How do visitors reach Kos before a Kos jeep safari?
Guests who fly in for a Kos jeep safari land at Kos International Airport, named for Hippocrates. Wikipedia places it near Antimachia village, 24 kilometres from Kos Town, and says it mainly serves charter airlines. A public bus line from the terminal serves Kefalos, Kardamena, Mastichari and Kos Town.
A metered taxi service runs outside the terminal around the clock. Kardamena lies halfway along the south coast. Wikipedia says the former fishing village drew summer visitors from the nineteen sixties on. Wikivoyage puts Mastichari on the northwestern side of the island. Wikipedia says boats leave its port for Kalymnos on a regular basis.
What local food and drink come up around a Kos jeep safari?
Operators of a Kos jeep safari list drinks and a meal on the tour. Wikipedia says wheat, olive oil and wine form the base of Greek cooking. It calls olive oil the defining and ancient element of that cuisine.
Wikipedia lists grapes and olives among the main crops on Kos. It ties Greek honey to the nectar of orchard and citrus trees. Thyme honey and pine honey are named as well. It also names retsina, a white or rosé wine flavoured with pine resin.
What lies around the island that a Kos jeep safari crosses?
Kos sits in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Wikipedia places the Aegean between the Balkans and Anatolia, as an arm of the Mediterranean. Nisyros, a round volcanic island about eight kilometres across, lies to the south of Kos.
Pserimos, a small neighbour of Kos in the Dodecanese, has a number of taverns, says Wikipedia. Kalymnos lies twelve kilometres north of Kos, says the same article. Bodrum, a port town on the Turkish coast, was known in ancient times as Halicarnassus.
What history lies behind the island where a Kos jeep safari runs?
Wikipedia says that in the tenth and eleventh centuries the fleets of Genoa and Venice secured the Dodecanese. They acted for the empire in Constantinople. The Ottoman conquest of the Knights’ islands in fifteen twenty-two put Rhodes and Kos under direct Ottoman control. Italy received Kos in nineteen twelve after the Italo-Turkish War.
Wikipedia records that an earthquake on 23 April nineteen thirty-three wrecked a large share of Kos Town’s old quarters. It adds that, since the nineteen seventies, Greece has ranked among the major tourist destinations of Europe.