The volcanic Nisyros

Nisyros is a volcanic island part of the Dodecanese archipelago, in the Aegean Sea. This island has an almost round shape and counts with an area of approximately 42 km2. Its interior is mountainous and counts with many craters, while its coastlines are very attractive and have several appealing sandy beaches.

The island of Nisyros is located near several other attractive islands and islets, such as, for example, Kos, Gyali, and Tilos. This way, when visiting Nysros, tourists can also easily visit a variety of other attractive destinations and, due to their closeness, in a short period of time.

The volcano of Nisyros is active but not erupting, and is, without any doubt, one of the most characteristic attractions offered by this destination. This volcano has not presented any eruptive activity since the year 1888 when it had a steam explosion. This island is also characterized by having gone through an important amount of earthquakes during its entire history. Since 1996, when several consequent seismic movements took place in the island, a group of scientists from around the world started a permanent monitoring on the volcano and its surroundings.

This island is strongly related to the ancient Greek mythology. According to mythological tales, Nisyros was origined as an island when Poseidon cut a part of the island of Kos in order to put it in the way of Polyvotis and prevent him from escaping. This relation with the Greek mythology adds an extra charm and appealing to this island which combined with its volcano turns it into a mysterious and mystique destination.

The capital town of Nisyros is Mandraki, and is where most of the approximately 950 inhabitants of the island live. Besides this, tourists might find interesting to know that this island has several traditional dishes as well as a unique drink, called soumada, which exports to many other destination. The soumada is a unique almond flavored and non alcoholic drink which all those visitors who meet Nisyros should make sure of trying, ideally accompanying one of the several local dishes and while enjoying the beautiful natural landscapes this destination offers.

Map of Nisyros in Greece