Nature And Outdoors in Mykonos

Nature on Mykonos comes down to one word: meltemi. The northern wind blows here for weeks in summer, and it is what shaped the island — almost treeless, strewn with granite boulders rubbed smooth, its whitewashed houses turned with their backs to the north. The practical consequence is simple: the northern beaches are given over to the wind and the kitesurfers, while swimming happens on the south coast, where the water stays calm even on a rough day.

That is where the boat trips go. A cruise along the south coast puts into bays that either have no road or a gravel one: the boat anchors, lunch is cooked on board, and in a day you cover the places that from land come with a queue of cars. There is a full-day version with several stops and a shorter one, if all you want is a quiet swim.

On land the island is taken apart by jeep. The safari leaves the asphalt for the interior: Ano Mera, old farms, paths between dry-stone walls built here without mortar, and viewpoints that take in the neighbouring Cyclades. A half-day island tour adds the coastline and the villages, while a separate trip to Tinos gives a whole day among dovecotes and granite hills of a kind Mykonos itself no longer has.