Milos

Milos (in Greek Μήλος) is the southwesternmost island of the Cyclades.

On a total area of 58 sq mi, the largest part of the island is covered by hills which highest, Mount Profitis Ilias, rises to 2539 ft. As Santorini, it is a volcanic island, full of geological wonders. The main port is Adamas and the capital is Plaka.

The island was inhabited from the 3rd millennium BC and, in ancient times, it sold its obsidian to mainland Greece, Cyprus, Crete and Egypt. Milos was a major economic center of the Minoan civilization.

In 1820, during excavations in the ruins of the ancient city of Melos, archaeologists found a statue of Aphrodite with both arms missing: it is the famous Venus de Milo you see in Paris, in Louvre Museum. It has been carved with marble from Paros, the most translucent in the world.

A big attraction is the cruise around the island, much of the coastline being inaccessible by land. Black volcanic rock, white kaolin and basalt strata, colorful cliffs, wild beaches... Very picturesque!

On the coast and accessible by car, two places must definitely be visited: the fishing hamlet of Klima with its colorful houses at the waterfront and the beach of Sarikiniko with its lunar landscapes. Between Klima and Tripiti, you definitely have to visit the Catacombs of Milos, largest in the world after the catacombs of Rome!

The very wild coasts allowed for the survival of a highly endangered species, the monk seal, while in the western part of the island, accessible only with 4WD, you may come across the lebetina viper (macrovipera schweizeri), a species living only on Milos and neighboring Kimolos and Polyaigos.