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✦Adventure · 5 days · 4 nights

Five sports, one base in Kalamata

Five private days from Athens and back: the Messinian Gulf, Kardamyli, Polylimnio, the Ridomo gorge and the olive groves above Kalamata.

5
Days
2–14
Group size
14+
Ages
€2,400
From · per person, 2 travelling
Luxury from €3,050
Trip overview

SUP on the Messinian Gulf on day 1, a Kardamyli kayak and cove picnic, Polylimnio by rope and zipline.

A private five-day trip from Athens Airport to the Messinian Gulf and back, by private transfer, with our team and certified guides on every activity. The days run on water, rope, foot and pedal: a paddleboard, a sea kayak, a canyon with a zipline, a gorge walk and an e-bike. Kalamata over the Mani villages as the base for a short multi-sport trip: the gulf coast, Kardamyli, Polylimnio and the Ridomo gorge are all day trips from the city, and the old town is there in the evenings.

The order keeps the sea at the start and the olive country at the end, so the last morning’s ride stays close to the city before the road north. Day one ends on a paddleboard in the afternoon, a few hours after landing. The kayak at Kardamyli follows, with lunch in a cove, and the Ridomo gorge takes the morning of day four.

The grade is gentle to moderate and no previous experience is needed for any of the five activities. Days one and five carry the Athens road: we reach Kalamata by noon on day one, and on day five the ride comes before the drive back, so Athens is reached by evening and the last day is long. We run it April to October.

“Gulf salt in the hair by the end of day one, Ridomo dust on the boots by the end of day four, and the suitcase never leaves the room.”Fotis Kontargiris - Guide
Why this trip

Kalamata as the base, not the Mani villages

Stand-up paddle on the Messinian Gulf

The first afternoon, a few hours after landing in Athens, is on a paddleboard off the gulf's east coast. No experience needed, and a certified guide sets the pace.

Kardamyli by sea kayak

A guided kayak along the Outer Mani shore below Taygetos, with lunch as a picnic in a cove. Beginners are welcome, and the afternoon is free once you are back.

Ropes and a zipline at Polylimnio

Canyoning through the pools and falls of Polylimnio, a name that means many lakes, then the zipline. Gentle to moderate grade, with equipment and certified guides included.

Morning in the Ridomo gorge

A guided walk into the Ridomo gorge on the western side of Taygetos, done in the morning so the afternoon is free before the farewell dinner on day 4.

E-bikes above Kalamata's olive groves

The last morning rides the olive country above the city on an e-bike, the motor doing the climbing, before the transfer back to Athens by evening.

Day by day

Afternoons on water, mornings in the gorge

Four nights in one Kalamata hotel, with a different activity each day.

Arrival
01
Arrive

Athens Airport to Kalamata, SUP on the gulf

Athens → Kalamata → east coast of the Messinian Gulf

We meet you at Athens Airport as you land, and the private transfer drives south to Kalamata, reaching the city by noon. Bags go to the hotel, which stays the base for all four nights.

In the afternoon a certified guide takes you to the east coast of the Messinian Gulf for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), with boards and equipment provided and no experience needed. Dinner tonight is the hosted welcome in Kalamata. Keep swim kit and a dry change in your hand luggage, so the board is the first thing after the road.

Overnight in Kalamata
Day 2
02

Sea kayak at Kardamyli, picnic in a cove

Kalamata → Kardamyli → Kalamata

South of Kalamata, the coast road reaches Kardamyli on the Outer Mani shore. A certified guide leads the sea kayak along the coast below Taygetos, which rises straight behind the village, and beginners are welcome. Lunch is a picnic in a cove, eaten on the pebbles before the paddle back. The afternoon is free in Kalamata, and so is the evening in the old town. Tell us at breakfast and we book a table for tonight.

Overnight in Kalamata
Day 3
03

Canyoning and zipline at Polylimnio

Kalamata → Polylimnio → Kalamata

Canyoning at the Polylimnio waterfalls fills today, with the zipline alongside, all with certified guides and the equipment included. The drive out from Kalamata is short enough for a full session. Polylimnio means many lakes, and the name is literal: a chain of pools linked by falls, which the canyoning route follows. The grade sits at the gentle to moderate end and needs no experience. Dinner is the hosted mid-week meal in Kalamata. Bring a towel and dry clothes for the ride back.

Overnight in Kalamata
Day 4
04

Ridomo gorge walk, farewell in Kalamata

Kalamata → Ridomo gorge → Kalamata

Morning goes to the Ridomo gorge, on the western side of Taygetos, after the drive out from Kalamata. A certified guide walks the gorge with you, at a gentle to moderate pace. Its walls cut down from Taygetos toward the Messinian coast, the same range behind Kardamyli on day 2. Back in Kalamata, the afternoon is free. Tonight’s farewell dinner is the last hosted meal, held now because tomorrow ends on the road to Athens.

Overnight in Kalamata
Departure
05
Depart

E-bike the olive routes, then Athens

Kalamata → olive routes above the city → Athens

Olive groves start just above Kalamata, and the last morning rides through them on an e-bike with a certified guide. The trees are mostly koroneiki, the small olive behind most Messinian oil, and the motor takes the climbs. After the ride, the private transfer drives north to Athens, arriving by evening. This is the long day of the trip, a ride followed by the full road. Pack the night before, so nothing waits on the bags after the bikes come back.

Departure
What's included

Four nights, three hosted dinners, all the kit

Accommodation

4 nights in one 4-star hotel in Kalamata.

Meals

Every breakfast and lunch, including the cove picnic at Kardamyli on day 2, and 3 hosted dinners: the welcome on day 1, mid-week on day 3 and the farewell on day 4.

Five activities

SUP, sea kayak, canyoning with zipline, the Ridomo gorge walk and the e-bike ride, with all equipment.

Certified guides

A certified guide on each of the 5 activities.

Daily transfers

Transfers from the hotel to the gulf coast, Kardamyli, Polylimnio, the Ridomo gorge and the olive routes.

Athens transfers

Private road transfer from Athens Airport on day 1 and back to Athens on day 5.

Table booking

A reservation in Kalamata old town for the free evening on day 2, on request.

Not included

  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Premium drinks: wines by the bottle and spirits
  • Dinner on day 2, a free evening in Kalamata old town (we book a table on request)
Stay & eat

One 4-star hotel in Kalamata, four nights

All four nights are in the same 4-star hotel in Kalamata, rooms shared as doubles. Nothing is repacked between activities: the bags arrive on day 1 and leave on the morning of day 5.

Each day starts with breakfast at the hotel and a transfer out: the gulf coast, Kardamyli, Polylimnio, the Ridomo gorge, the olive routes above the city. Each evening ends back in Kalamata, which is why the city works as the base: three hosted dinners are here, and the free evening on day 2 is in the old town, a short trip from the hotel. Wet kit from the kayak and the canyon has a room to dry in rather than a car boot. A single room is available with a supplement.

On the table

Three hosted dinners and a cove picnic

We host three dinners in Kalamata: the welcome on day 1, the mid-week dinner on day 3 and the farewell on day 4. The farewell falls on the fourth night because day 5 ends on the road to Athens.

Breakfast and lunch are included every day, and on day 2 lunch is a picnic in a cove at Kardamyli, between paddles. Kalamata gives its name to the olive, and the city also makes pasteli, a bar of sesame and honey worth carrying in a day bag.

The evening of day 2 is yours in the old town. The old town is the better choice than the hotel restaurant that night, and we book the table if you ask at breakfast.

Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel in Kalamata each morning, before the transfer to the day's activity.
Picnic
Lunch on day 2 as a picnic in a cove on the Kardamyli coast, between paddles.
Dinner
Three hosted dinners in Kalamata: the welcome on day 1, mid-week on day 3 and the farewell on day 4.
Getting there

By road from Athens Airport

Meeting point is Athens Airport on day 1 at At your Arrival.

  • Athens transfers

    Private road transfer from Athens Airport to Kalamata on day 1, arriving by noon, and back to Athens by evening on day 5.

  • Daily transfers

    Transfers from the Kalamata hotel to each of the 5 activities: the gulf coast, Kardamyli, Polylimnio, the Ridomo gorge and the olive routes.

Rates & dates

Check the band for your group size

Party sizeClassicLuxury
2 guests€2,400€3,050
3 to 4 guests€2,100€2,900
5 to 6 guests€1,850€2,550
7 to 9 guests€1,800€2,500
10 to 14 guests€1,700€2,400

Per person sharing a double room, accommodation included

Single supplement
€400 / €800
Classic / Luxury, whole journey
Valid until
31 Dec 2027
On request
1 guest
or 15 and more

The price covers 4 nights in one Kalamata hotel, every breakfast and lunch, 3 hosted dinners, all five activities with equipment and certified guides, the daily transfers and the Athens transfers both ways. It is per person sharing a double room, by group size; the band table on this page gives each size. A single room carries a supplement, quoted with the trip.

We run it from April to October.

From per person
€2,400pp
Pick your start date5-day trip
November 2026
MTWTFSS
  • Tailor-made — we reply within 24 hrs
  • No payment until itinerary is confirmed
  • Free changes up to 60 days out
Make it yours

What we can swap, and what stays fixed

The free afternoons on days 2 and 4 and the free evening in the old town are yours, and we book around them on request. A tailored version starts from that conversation.

Two things stay fixed: the minimum age of 14, and a certified guide on every activity. Canyoning and the zipline are the reason for both, and we would rather say no to a booking than run Polylimnio without them.