A Rina Cave Naxos trip is a swim and snorkel stop at a sea cave on the Naxos coast. You reach the cave by boat or kayak. Below you find the coast, the cave, the trips, the season and the booking rules. The homepage lists more Greece Tours like this one.
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What is a Rina Cave Naxos trip?
A Rina Cave Naxos trip is an outing by boat or kayak to a sea cave on the Naxos coast. The cave stays the same on every trip. What changes is the vessel, the length of the day and what else you do.
Think of Rina Cave Naxos as one destination with different ways to reach it. The cave is a natural sea cave, and boats and kayaks carry people to it. Each way gives you a different kind of day, from a quick swim stop to a full day out.
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The short boat trip is the simplest way in. A Rina Cave Naxos outing of this kind leaves from Panermos on a traditional boat and sails to the cave. The trip is built around a swim and a snorkel there. Families with children, couples and solo travellers all join it, and the pace is relaxed.
The full-day cruise stretches the outing into a day trip. A Rina Cave Naxos cruise of this kind adds the Koufonisia islands and a barbecue lunch. The cave becomes one stop in a longer day. Guests of all ages and all fitness levels are welcome on the barbecue cruise.
The sea-kayak trip is the active choice. On a Rina Cave Naxos paddle, a small group follows the coast to the cave. The group stops at quiet beaches to swim and snorkel. A picnic on a secluded beach is part of the day. The pace is gentle, the trip suits all fitness levels, and cliff jumping is optional.
A Small Cyclades sailing day adds the cave to a longer route on the water. The boat drops anchor at the cave for a swim. It also calls at island bays and beaches for more swim stops. A Rina Cave Naxos day of this kind welcomes everybody and suits guests who want a full day afloat.
Certain things stay fixed whichever format you pick. The cave keeps its place on the coast. The Aegean Sea around it is the same for every boat and paddler. Every format also puts time in the water into the day: a swim, a snorkel or both. Wherever the trip starts, the destination is the same cave.
The rest is your choice. You decide how you travel, how long you stay out and what the day adds around the cave. A traditional boat keeps the outing short. A kayak makes the paddling your own work. A cruise or sailing day turns the cave into one highlight of a full day.
- The vessel: a traditional boat, a kayak, a cruise boat or a sailing boat.
- The length of the day: a short swim stop or a full day out.
- The extras: the Koufonisia islands, a barbecue lunch, a picnic on a beach, snorkelling or optional cliff jumping.
- The group: a shared boat or a private one on the short trip.
The title of each trip names its format: boat trip, kayak tour, cruise or sailing cruise. The short boat trip is sold as a shared trip and as a private trip. A sailing day on a yacht can be private as well. The cave also appears as one stop on one-day excursions that visit other places.
Where does Rina Cave Naxos lie on the island?
Rina Cave Naxos lies on the southern coast of the island, in the Kalandos area on the south-east side. Its cove can be reached only from the sea. Panermos bay, on the same coast, is about 50 to 54 kilometres by road from Naxos town.
Naxos belongs to the Cyclades, the island group in the Aegean Sea. It is the largest island of that group. Rina Cave Naxos is on its southern coast. Around Kalandos, that coast reaches the southernmost part of the island. The same stretch of shore counts as the south-east side.
The cave lies in the Kalandos area, beside an unspoiled beach with green water. The cove around it is about one nautical mile from Kalandos. Spellings change from map to map. Kalandos is also written Kalados, Panermos is also written Panormos, and Kleidos is also written Klidos.
Rina cove can be reached only from the sea, so nobody drives or walks in. A visit to Rina Cave Naxos therefore starts on the water. The beach inside the cove is sheltered from wind and waves.
Kalandos is a wide sandy beach about 42 kilometres from Naxos town, with shallow water. A small wetland lies on one side and a protected bay on the other. Two taverns stand there. A pier on the beach lets private boats and yachts come in from the sea. A vehicle is needed to reach it by land.
Panermos lies in the very south-east corner of Naxos. Rina Cave Naxos is further along the same coast. Going along the shore from Panermos, small bays come first. Then the bay of Rina follows, shortly before Kalandos. Kalandos and Panermos are both protected coves of the south-east side.
The Panermos bay is protected from the north winds, and its beach has fine sand and small pebbles. The water there is clear. A canteen is close by. No lifeguard or first aid post works there, and no sunbeds or umbrellas are for rent. It is one of the quietest and remotest beaches on Naxos.
A drive to the Rina Cave Naxos coast starts in Naxos town. It passes Galanado, Halki, Filoti, Apeiranthos and Moutsouna, then turns south along the east coast to Panermos. The distance is between 50 and 54 kilometres. After Apeiranthos, the road is narrow and winding. A parking area lies before the Panermos beach.
On the road in, the coast villages of Kanaki and Kleidos come before Panermos. At Kleidos, small rocky headlands reach into the sea and split the shore into a row of small sandy beaches. Psili Ammos is the beach of Kanaki village, set in a cove on the east coast among juniper trees.
From the water, the shore changes quickly. In places the coast is very steep, with impressive rocks. In other places, flat rock slopes gently into the sea. Caper bushes grow among the coastal rocks. Rina Cave Naxos sits on this shore of steep rock, small bays and open water. The uninhabited island of Keros lies to the south-east of Naxos.
What does Rina Cave Naxos look like inside?
Rina Cave Naxos is a sea cave with a ceiling of miniature stalactites, where birds nest and bats roost. It lies beside a beach with clear, turquoise water. Only the entrance can be explored without underwater equipment.
Waves made Rina Cave Naxos. A sea cave is a cave formed mainly by the wave action of the sea. Erosion goes on anywhere that waves batter a rocky coast. Yet the sea does not cut a cave everywhere along the shore. It digs in where the cliff holds a weakness.
The rock must first hold a weak zone. In metamorphic rock, that zone is a fault or a dike. In layered sedimentary rock, it is a break between layers of different hardness. Along such a zone the sea removes rock at a greater rate than elsewhere in the cliff.
Cracks in the rock widen next. As the sea reaches into the fissures, they widen and deepen. The force comes from the surf and the rock bits it carries, and from air squeezed inside the confined space. A blowhole is a partly submerged cave that ejects large sprays of sea water as waves retreat.
Rina Cave Naxos sits on an island built around a dome of rock. Migmatite and marble form the core of the dome. A cover of schist and marble layers wraps around that core. Marble dominates the top of the cover, and schist dominates the bottom. Sea caves can form in sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rock alike.
Look up inside Rina Cave Naxos and the ceiling is hung with miniature stalactites. A stalactite is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave. It grows as dripping water leaves dissolved minerals behind. Deep rocks, fish and corals lie inside and around the cave, besides the stalactites on the roof.
Rina Cave Naxos shelters wildlife as well. The stalactites on the roof give shelter to birds and bats. Birds build nests in the cave, and bats roost among the stalactites. Visitors on the sea-kayak tour spot the bats and birds flitting between the stalactites.
The water at the cave is clear. The cove shows green and azure tones, and the sea at the cave is turquoise. The seabed is easy to see through it. The beach beside the cave is pebbled, and on the cruise from Naxos guests sunbathe on it.
Fresh water meets the sea at Rina Cave Naxos. A spring of fresh water lies on the left-hand side of the cave. Drops of fresh water from the mountain also cool the sea water here and mix with it.
Swimmers go into Rina Cave Naxos from the boat. On the private boat trip from Panermos, the boat anchors just outside the cave. The crew is there while guests swim. On the full-day cruise from Agia Anna, guests swim inside the cave. Guests can also dive, either off the boat or off the rock of the cave.
The name comes in three spellings: Rina, Rhina and Rina’s. All three point to the same cave, and it also appears as Rina (Rhina) Cave. The Greek label is Ρίνα. The cove beside the cave carries the same name, and that cove is called Rina cove.
How does the short boat or kayak trip to Rina Cave Naxos go?
The short Rina Cave Naxos boat trip leaves from the small dock at Panermos. It lasts about two hours and includes a swim into the cave. The kayak tours start at Kalandos beach, paddle east toward the cave and add snorkelling and a snack stop.
A Rina Cave Naxos boat trip from Panermos starts at the small dock of the village beach. That beach lies in the south of the island. Guests meet the crew there, and the boats leave every day. The whole outing takes about two hours, from the dock to the cave and back.
The boats are traditional wooden vessels, and local captains lead the trips. The trip comes in two versions. In one, guests share the boat with other travellers. In the other, a private group has the boat to itself. The plan runs from the dock to the cave and then to a second stop in a bay.
At the cave, the boat anchors just outside. Guests swim inside with the crew, who guide them in the water. A swim into Rina Cave Naxos is the centre of the two hours. Anyone who wants to jump can use the rocks near the cave, and cliff diving is optional.
The second stop is a bay that the crew picks. Guests swim, relax or explore there. Mask, snorkel and swimming aids come with the trip. The crew also takes photos and videos. They send them to the guests afterwards, at no extra cost.
The kayak tours work differently from the boat. A Rina Cave Naxos kayak outing starts at Kalandos beach on the south coast and heads east along the shore. On the tour of four and a half hours, guests reach the beach by car or motorbike. No public bus runs there.
The kayak tour of four and a half hours begins with a kayak fitting. A certified guide gives a safety briefing. Then the group paddles east along the south coast toward Rina Cave Naxos. The kit is a life jacket, a paddle and a dry bag, plus a mask and tube for snorkelling.
On that shorter kayak tour, the group stops at the beach by the cave for 30 to 40 minutes. Guests relax, swim or snorkel while the guide prepares snacks of local Naxos products. A meal in a taverna is an optional extra, and so are transfers. The tour needs at least two participants, and guests join from age 14.
The seven-hour Rina Cave Naxos kayak tour is a full day on the water. Guests paddle east to the cave and stop at small beaches along the way for swimming, snorkelling and cliff jumping. Then they paddle back to Kalandos beach. The paddling itself takes between two and a half and three hours.
A homemade lunch sits in the middle of the seven-hour day. It is made from local and organic vegetables, Naxian cheese and snacks. Greek coffee comes with it by the sea. The picnic takes place on a secluded Naxian beach, away from the crowds.
The seven-hour tour opens with a short lesson on safety and paddling technique, so no experience is needed. The kayaks are sea kayaks with a rudder, tandem or single. Life jacket, paddle, dry bags and snorkelling gear are included. A version with pick-up from lodgings in central Naxos also exists.
What does a full-day Rina Cave Naxos cruise add?
A full-day Rina Cave Naxos cruise adds the Koufonisia islands, a barbecue lunch and more swim stops. The traditional boat leaves from Agia Anna port, and the day is listed at nine hours.
A Rina Cave Naxos cruise day starts at a port, not at the cave. The barbecue cruise on the traditional wooden boat leaves from Agia Anna port. A motorboat cruise to the same islands meets at the marina of Naxos. Check the meeting point in your booking.
The order of stops changes from cruise to cruise. One cruise sails to the cave first, along the west coast, in about an hour and a half. Another cruise heads for Kato Koufonisi first and ends at the cave.
The Koufonisia group is the other half of a Rina Cave Naxos cruise. It lies south-south-east of Naxos and belongs to the Small Cyclades. Cruises call at Ano Koufonisi, Kato Koufonisi or both. One account traces the name to Koufos Limin, a lee port where ships can anchor.
Kato Koufonisi covers 4.3 square kilometres and is almost uninhabited. Only fishing boats and tourist boats anchor in its small port. Its signature sight is the small church of Panagia, built on a jetty on top of ancient ruins. On the cruise that stops here first, guests swim in clear water and rest on deck.
The barbecue lunch is the other thing a Rina Cave Naxos cruise adds. On the traditional boat that calls at Kato Koufonisi first, the barbecue is cooked on board after the swim. Local wine, water and soft drinks come with it. A vegan plate of salad and butter beans is on the menu.
The motorboat cruise from the Naxos marina serves its lunch at Kato Koufonisi. It is a barbecue with Greek salad and fruit, and wine, beer and other drinks are included. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food is listed. The boat has a bar, a sun-protected area and restrooms, and it takes 24 passengers.
Ano Koufonisi is the island with the village. A white windmill stands on the east side of the port, and visitors see it on arrival. On the barbecue cruises from Agia Anna, free time here lasts two hours or longer. Guests walk the village, swim at local beaches or sit in a café. Café drinks are not included.
Swim stops are the heart of a Rina Cave Naxos cruise. The traditional-boat cruise includes snorkelling equipment and life jackets, and the boat has Wi-Fi. At the cave, swimmers jump from the boat or use the side ladder. On the motorboat cruise, snorkelling at the cave uses the equipment kept on board.
The day is listed at nine hours. One version says it can run up to nine and a half hours. Another version of the traditional-boat cruise advises planning at least ten and a half hours. Each cruise ends where it began: at Agia Anna for the traditional boat and at the marina for the motorboat.
Not every Koufonisia day is a Rina Cave Naxos cruise. The Iraklia and Koufonissia day cruise leaves from Naxos port and lists Iraklia and Koufonissi as its two stops. Lunch is not included. Guests swim on Koufonissi and eat fresh fish in the local tavernas.
Sailing days in the Small Cyclades cover the same waters. A sailing yacht for a private group of up to 17 sails south to the cave first. The stop there lasts about 30 minutes. The yacht then continues to Koufonissi, and lunch is cooked on board. Another private yacht day visits Ano Koufonissi first and supplies flashlights for the cave.
When can you visit Rina Cave Naxos, and what do you pack?
The sea around Naxos is warmest, about 24 degrees Celsius, from July to September. For Rina Cave Naxos, pack swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a hat. Book ahead, because free cancellation on the Koufonisia cruise ends a day before departure.
A Rina Cave Naxos day fits the beach season, which runs from June to the middle of September. Highs stay around 30 degrees Celsius in July and August, with hot spells at 35 or 36. Rain practically never falls in summer, and July brings about 12 hours of sunshine a day.
The sea sets the swimming season for Rina Cave Naxos. Water peaks at 23.5 to 24 degrees Celsius from July to September, and June is still a bit cool. In February and March the average is only 15.5 degrees.
One packing list marks the edges of the season. The Koufonisia barbecue cruise asks for a jacket in late spring and in October. Dress in layers for a Rina Cave Naxos day in those months. The same list names swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and cash or a card.
The north wind decides whether a sea day runs as planned. On Naxos this wind stays strong for long spells, mostly in July and August. It also cools the island in summer. A single spell can go on day after day. At force seven or eight, inter-island ferries and yachts can be held in port.
The south of Naxos is naturally protected from the strong summer winds. Even so, a Rina Cave Naxos boat day from Panermos adapts to the sea and the wind. On the return leg, the number of swim stops depends on the weather. The Kato Koufonisi stop on the Koufonisia cruise is weather permitting.
Age and swimming rules differ by format for Rina Cave Naxos. The kayak tours set age limits per tour. One tour takes paddlers from 8 years old, and everyone must know how to swim. Children under 16 paddle with a guardian in a tandem kayak. The Koufonisia cruise names no minimum age but is not suitable for unaccompanied minors.
The Koufonisia cruise is not suited to non-swimmers or to anyone prone to seasickness. The Panermos boat trip, the Koufonisia cruise and the kayak tour are each listed as unsuitable for wheelchair users. The kayak tour is described as suitable for all fitness levels. Life jackets come with the cruise and the kayak tour.
The kayak tour lists beach shoes, a change of clothing and medication if needed. Dry bags come with the kayak kit. The Panermos boat trip adds a reusable water bottle to the towel and sunscreen. A barbecue cruise lists sports shoes and a dry set of clothes.
Naxos airport has a taxi rank at the arrivals hall but no bus stop at the terminal. The ferry port lies a short walk from the town centre. Taxis wait there, and the bus terminal stands outside it. In summer, buses serve Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios and Panermos. Buy tickets in advance at the ticket office near the port.
Book Rina Cave Naxos ahead, because the booking page shows live availability for your dates. The Panermos boat trip lets you reserve now and pay later. Last-minute bookings can lose free cancellation. The kayak tour needs at least 2 paddlers to run. After a bad-weather cancellation, it offers a free new date or a refund.
- Swimwear, towel, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
- A jacket for late spring and for October.
- Beach shoes, dry clothes and any medication.
- Cancel one day before the start for a full refund on the Koufonisia cruise and the kayak tour.