Rock Climbing in Kalymnos

It is said that Kalymnos has the highest concentration of sports routes anywhere in the world. Quite a bold statement but it is certainly true there is a colossal amount of rock to climb here. The current guidebook (available from our shop) describes 43 sports crags, mainly west and south facing, with over 800 routes ranging from F4a to F8c. The existing routes only cover a tiny portion of what is available to climb here. There are some quality crags still waiting for their first route - all they demand is a little longer walk-in.

The rock is top quality solid limestone, which is a little sharp in places. The style of the rock climbing has everything from stalactites and tufas on steep and overhanging wall to delicate slabs and pumpy walls with pockets and smaller tufa features. The majority of the routes are single pitch of around 20 to 30m. However there are a few longer routes reaching 3 to 5 pitches. The limestone at Kalymnos is as yet almost unpolished, and this will be slow to change given the particular rough surface of the rock.

Kalymnos is only a short ferry ride from Kos, and flying here and then getting the boat is the easiest and quickest way of getting to Kalymnos.