A Kos jeep safari is a guided off-road day in a convoy of 4×4 jeeps. You leave the coast, climb the mountain and stop in villages. This post covers the route, the ride and the booking rules. The homepage lists more Greece Tours like this one.
Each tour card below opens a live GetYourGuide booking. Pickup points and group sizes are shown on each card.
What is a Kos jeep safari and what does the day include?
A Kos jeep safari is a small-group, guided off-road trip in 4×4 vehicles on the island of Kos. The operator sets the stops and a meal is part of the day. The formats run from a four-hour sunset trip to a full day.
A full-day Kos jeep safari follows a set itinerary. It has a pickup, a run of stops, a lunch break and a drive back to the pickup points. Full-day tours run from about five and a half hours to eight hours, depending on the tour. The sunset tour takes about four hours, and the jeep-or-quad tour takes about five.
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Who drives depends on the format. On the 4×4 exploration tour and the sunset tour, multilingual escort-drivers drive the off-road vehicles. On the premium full-day tour, guests are not allowed to drive. The jeep-or-quad tour is the exception: you can drive yourself, or ride as a passenger while a guide drives.
The jeep-or-quad tour is the half-day version of a Kos jeep safari. The tour covers the vehicle, a guide, drinks, a coffee, a snack, a traditional Greek lunch, fuel and insurance. You choose a jeep or a quad. You also choose whether to take the wheel or sit back as a passenger.
Hotel pickup differs by tour. The 4×4 exploration tour, the sunset tour and the full-day jeep tours include hotel pickup and drop-off. On the jeep-or-quad tour, pickup and drop-off cost extra, and guests can meet at the starting point instead. On the Kefalos tour, you give your hotel location when you book.
Group size is counted per vehicle. A Kos jeep safari on the 4×4 exploration tour or the sunset tour is semi-private. Each vehicle carries up to six people. One full-day jeep tour takes six to eight people per vehicle. The Kefalos tour needs a minimum of four participants before it runs.
The meal is built into the day. Full-day tours include a lunch of traditional Greek food, with water or bottled water. Coffee, beer and other refreshments at the tavern cost extra. The sunset tour swaps lunch for a dinner of traditional Greek platters with one glass of wine.
Each Kos jeep safari comes with a fixed list of stops. The Kefalos tour gives its lunch stop about one hour and twenty minutes. Your own choices are small ones. You pick a jeep or a quad on the jeep-or-quad tour. On the full-day jeep safari with lunch, vegetarian options exist and are worth requesting when you book.
The jeep-or-quad tour suits families with older children, groups of friends and couples. Guests of every physical fitness level can join the 4×4 exploration tour. A Kos jeep safari on the full-day format is aimed at travellers who like a small group. They get personal attention from the guide.
Extras sit inside the booking. The 4×4 exploration tour, the sunset tour and the Kefalos tour include liability insurance and local taxes. The Kefalos tour also adds a honey factory tour with a tasting. Gratuities are not included on the full-day tours.
Which route does a Kos jeep safari take through the island?
A Kos jeep safari climbs from the coast onto Mount Dikeos, the highest mountain of the island. The tracks run through pine forest and mountain villages, with sea views over the neighbouring islands. Formats that head west add the Kefalos peninsula.
A full-day Kos jeep safari starts in the Kos Town area and heads for the chapel of Profitis Ilias. From there the jeeps follow unpaved mountain tracks into the inland of Mount Dikaios, where the group reaches the peaks. Dikeos and Dikaios are two spellings of the same mountain.
On the mountain routes, a Kos jeep safari climbs Dikeos, the tallest mountain on the island. Its highest point is called Psilo Vouno, Greek for tall mountain. In antiquity the mountain was known as Oromedon, Orion or Dikaion. A large white cross and a well-maintained shelter stand at the summit.
The northern slopes of Dikeos are green, with fragrant pine trees and brushwood. A Kos jeep safari follows forest roads through this dense vegetation. On the full-day route the group finds chapels hidden among the trees. The same route reaches Zia, a village among pine, eucalyptus and olive trees.
Asfendiou overlooks the sea from the slopes of Dikeos. Lush vegetation and abundant spring water surround the village, and old houses, churches and stone towers stand there. Notable sights include the ruins of an early Christian basilica dedicated to Saint Paul. One Kos jeep safari route stops in this village.
Haihoutes is a ghost village, as locals call it, in the mountains close to Kos Town. Its inhabitants left gradually, and dozens of empty houses stand in dense, wild vegetation. It is also known as Agios Dimitrios, after a nearby church. One full-day route includes a stop here.
On another route the jeeps cross Mount Dikaios and Old Pyli. A medieval castle, partly preserved, once enclosed the fortified settlement of Palaio Pyli, which is abandoned. Panoramic views of the island and the sea reward visitors who reach the castle.
On clear days the summit of Dikeos shows almost all of the neighbouring islands, among them Gyali, Nisyros and Pserimos. Kardamena and the heart-shaped salt lake of Tigaki lie in view. The coasts of Asia Minor can be seen too. On a full-day route the views reach Kalymnos and Bodrum as well.
The north coast has a wildlife refuge, a salt lake between Tigaki and Marmari. Flamingos and ringed plovers live there, and salt was produced at the lake until nineteen eighty-nine. A full-day route ends with a photo stop at a salt lake.
A Kos jeep safari to Kefalos reaches the westernmost town of the island. Kefalos stands on a stone height on a peninsula in the south-west. The bay of Kamari lies beneath the old town. The ruins of a castle stand on a rocky hill east of the village.
On one Kos jeep safari to Kefalos the first stop is Plaka forest. This pine woodland lies on the road from Antimachia to Kefalos. Paths cross it, and a spring runs with clean water. A white chapel of Agios Ioannis Prodromos stands on its south side.
After the forest, the Kefalos route stops at a honey museum. An off-road track then leads to the chapel of Agios Ioannis, a viewpoint over the scenery of Kefalos. The last stop is Kefalos village.
How does a Kos jeep safari drive and what is the ride like?
A guided Kos jeep safari follows unpaved mountain routes in a 4×4, stopping for photos every 30 to 40 minutes. An escort-driver handles the wheel on the guided formats. The self-drive and quad formats ask you to drive and to show a licence.
On a semi-private Kos jeep safari, the vehicles are off-road 4x4s with seven or nine seats. A multilingual escort-driver takes each one. The VIP 4×4 mountain safari differs in one detail. It runs in an air-conditioned 4×4, and one professional works as both off-road driver and local guide.
The guided jeep or quad tour lets drivers with a valid category B licence take the wheel. Guests without one ride along while the guide drives. Before the start, the guide gives a safety briefing and a short test drive. A Kos jeep safari of this kind lets you choose between driving and riding.
A self-drive Kos jeep safari puts you at the wheel, and so does the quad safari. On both, drivers must be at least 21 years old and have held a valid licence for over a year. Passengers must be at least 12 years old. A guide is included in each booking, and drivers bring the licence on the day.
Dust comes with the ride. The quad safari is a dusty day out. The guided jeep or quad tour warns that its off-road driving can get dusty. Road conditions shape the day as well. The full-day jeep safari with lunch allows slight changes to the itinerary because of weather or road conditions.
The tracks vary by route. The mountain safari follows unpaved routes through wild, dense vegetation. A 4×4 safari adventure goes off-roading along country tracks and coastal roads where buses and cars cannot go. That ride also uses hillside tracks and winding roads. The ride on a Kos jeep safari mixes rough ground with bends.
The itinerary of the mountain safari with a village lunch shows how the legs run. It marks two legs as off-road, one of 15 minutes and one of 35 minutes. The other drives last from 5 to 20 minutes, and the drive back to the pickup points takes one hour. Times vary with the group.
Stops break up the driving. The full-day jeep safari with lunch has guided stops every 30 to 40 minutes. The mountain safari with a village lunch keeps the same rhythm. In its itinerary, the photo stops last between 10 and 30 minutes.
The Kefalos format of the Kos jeep safari includes a swim stop. It drives about 20 minutes to a beach and leaves more than an hour for swimming. Sunbeds and umbrellas are not included there. The drive back takes about 45 minutes. The full-day 4×4 safari adventure lists a swim stop before the return to the hotel.
Car sickness is a stated limit for guests of the full-day jeep safari that includes lunch. It is also a limit on the Kefalos format and on the mountain safari with a village lunch. The full-day jeep safari adds a fear of heights and a fear of bumpy roads to its list.
When does a Kos jeep safari run and which booking rules apply?
The main months for a Kos jeep safari are April to October, with pickups from 8:00 in the morning. A day lasts from five hours to a full day, depending on the format. Age limits differ by tour, and the cancellation date decides the refund.
A full-day Kos jeep safari begins in the morning. On the 4×4 exploration trip, pickups run from 8:00 to 9:25, and the slot depends on the group. The earliest pickup on the full-day tour to Kefalos is 8:00.
How long a Kos jeep safari lasts depends on the format. The 4×4 exploration trip takes five to six hours. A full-day safari to Kefalos with lunch fills seven to eight hours. The quad safari through the mountains runs from four to eight hours.
Jeep tours on Kos fill the calendar from April to October, in warm and dry weather. The 4×4 exploration trip is sold from April to November. Kos has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. From June to September, daily highs run from 28.5 to 31 degrees Celsius. Rain stays under 15 millimetres a month from late spring to September.
The wet months come with the cold. The weather-station table records 36.3 millimetres of rain in October, 106 in November and 175.6 in December. April records 40.6 millimetres, with a daily high of 20 degrees Celsius. Severe weather, such as heavy rain or storms, is a reason to reschedule or cancel a tour.
The 4×4 exploration trip requires good weather. When bad weather cancels it, the operator offers a fresh date or a full refund. The full-day tour to Kefalos gives free rescheduling or a refund for the same reason. An unmet minimum group brings a different date, a different tour or a full refund on the exploration trip.
Age rules for a Kos jeep safari depend on the format. Children under 7 are not advised on the 4×4 exploration trip or the full-day safari with lunch. The exploration trip provides no baby seats. The jeep or quad tour with drinks and lunch is not suitable under 6. On the exploration trip, alcohol is off limits under 18.
Body limits apply to a Kos jeep safari too. The full-day safari to Kefalos is not advised for anyone taller than 195 centimetres or heavier than 130 kilograms. It is also not advised for spinal injuries, pregnancy or mobility problems. The quad safari is not suitable for expectant mothers or for back problems.
Dress for sun. Wear comfortable shoes, for example trekking shoes or sandals. Casual clothes and trainers suit the quad safari. Spring and autumn call for a jacket. Pack these as well:
- Sun protection, sunglasses and a hat
- A camera
- A swimsuit and a towel for the full-day tour to Kefalos
Book early for public holidays and weekends in the high season. Read the cancellation terms before you book a Kos jeep safari. Cancel a day ahead for a full refund on the full-day safari with lunch. Cancel inside that day and nothing is refunded. The live cards show open dates.