History of Santorini

The human presence on the island seems to have existed since the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C. The excavation at Akrotiri has confirmed that man’s activity on the island continued until the eruption of the volcano in around 1600 B.C., which entirely buried the island beneath very thick layers of pozzolanic ash. Thera became an important point on the communication route between the East and the West of that era and adopted the Phoenician alphabet for writing the Greek language. In Hellenistic times the island’s strategic position made Thera a precious base from which the warring campaigns of the successors of Alexander the Great were launched in the Aegean. Within the Roman Empire, it was nothing more than an insignificant small island.
However, Christianity reached the island and an organized church already existed by the 4th century A.C. The name Santorini was given by the Crusaders after the church of Agia Irini (Santa Irene) which some say was at Perissa and others say was at Riva on Thirasia.

The Famous Volcano

Visit the volcano of Thira which is still active! The present-day crescent shape of the island is a consequence of the activity of the volcano in prehistoric times feeding the myth of the lost Atlantis. Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion dating back 3,600 years and which created the current geological caldera; a giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, and measuring about 12 by 7 km, surrounded by 300 m high steep cliffs on three sides. The mild activity of the volcano after this major eruption has built up two small islands within the caldera, Palea and Nea Kameni visited by hundreds of people every day during the tourist season. The impressive caldera dominates the west part of the island while the marvelous dry climate and the almost continuous sunshine create year-around conditions which are perfect for observation, photographs and videos under an extraordinary variety of natural lights and colors.

Included:

✅ Round trip boat tickets Heraklion – Santorini – Heraklion

✅ Tours in Oia, Fira and Pyrgos

✅ Professional guide

Not Included:

❌ Optional Volcano Tour (20€ per adult / children 4 – 10 years old pay 10€) – Paid on the spot in cash

❌ Personal expenses

Tour Details

Duration 6 – 7 hours approximately 

The experience starts from the cosmopolitan city of Agios Nikolaos and heads West to the traditional village of Kritsa, a historic village rich in legends, gorges, archeological and religious monuments and monuments. We continue uphill through the pine forest and reach the Lower Plateau (altitude 1250m), a plateau famous for the Cretan dwarf hippopotamus fossils found in the area. The plateau has a wonderful landscape surrounded by many legends and stories dating back to the Ottoman era.

Our next destination is the impressive Lassithi Plateau (altitude 1150m). More than 10,000 traditional windmills operated in the area until a few decades ago. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Plateau was actually one of the first wind farms in Europe. The Diktaio Cave, that is, the birthplace of Zeus, is located in the village of Psychro (altitude 840m).

As we descend, we make a short stop in the village of Krasi and photograph the favorite plane of the famous Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The perimeter of the plane tree is about 24 meters and is estimated to be 2400 years old. It is also said that each measure of its perimeter corresponds to the age of 100 years.

Tour Details

Duration 5 – 7 hours approximately 

We will be heading south to Matala. In the 1960’s, hippies from all over the world flocked to the area and lived in the caves as part of their beliefs and way of life. Along the road, we come across many vineyards and olive groves of the fertile plain of Messara.

We stop at the Monastery of Panagia Kalyviani, a monastery that is famous for its charitable work. The compound of the monastery that was gradually formed around the 14th-century single-nave church became very famous in the 19th century because of the presence of a miraculous icon.

We then visit the Palace of Phaistos, where the famous Phaistos Disc was unearthed and whose script was only recently deciphered.

Our next stop is the famous Matala beach where you will visit the caves where the hippies used to live (Roman tombs) and cool off with a swim in the crystal waters of the Libyan Sea.