Witness the majestic Holy Mountain from the sea. Awe-inspiring.
Highlights
- Byzantine monasteries
- Coastal scenery
- Holy Mountain
- Photography
- Cultural cruise
About the cruise
The Mount Athos (Άγιον Όρος) cruise is unlike anything else we offer. Athos is the third 'finger' of Halkidiki — an autonomous monastic state that has hosted Orthodox monks continuously since the 9th century. From the sea you can sail along the western coastline and see, one after another, the great Byzantine monasteries perched on cliffs above the water: Dochiariou, Xenophontos, Panteleimonos, Xeropotamou, and on a clear day the silhouette of the holy mountain itself rising 2,033 metres straight from the sea.
Important — the avaton rule: Mount Athos has prohibited women from setting foot on its land for over a thousand years. Women are welcome on our boat and can see the entire coast from the deck (often the only way most international visitors will ever experience Athos), but cannot disembark on Athos itself. Men with a four-day religious visa (a diamonitirion) may disembark — but this is a separate religious pilgrimage we don't arrange.
The cruise stays in international waters at least 500 metres from the shore (a strict requirement enforced by the monastic authorities), which is the perfect distance for photography. Bring a zoom lens or binoculars if you want to study the architectural detail of each monastery; the naked eye gets the silhouette and scale, but the carved stonework and the bell towers reward magnification.
This is a longer cruise — typically a full half-day each way — and is best in the morning when the light comes over the mainland and lights the monasteries from behind you. Bring layers (the wind picks up offshore), water, and lunch.
