Kalymnos (open to other suggestions?) in mid October, for almost a month...

I'm looking to do a nearly 4 week trip starting the middle of this upcoming October (leaving around October 16/17 from Western Canada or Spokane).  Have to be back at work in Canada on November 13th....so that's my travel window.  Kalymnos is highest on my list.  Mallorca is also on the list, and I'm open to any other ideas folks might have...more than likely in Europe, I figure...but I'll keep all options open.

I'm mainly a sport climber (can lead to mid 5.11, maybe harder if I get into training mode somewhat), so I'm looking for a sport climbing region, where I can climb easy to hard stuff, but also vacation/relax a bunch at the same time.  I'll prep for this trip, training-wise, but I'm pretty much using up all my vacation hours at my job for the year to be able to do this month-long trip...so being able to do non-climbing/relaxation type crap is nearly equally as important.  My ideal area wouldn't have an insane amount of people, but would still have enough that I could find partners without too much trouble.  The fine balance!

Kalymnos has been on my bucket list for eons, and it's been my preferred location for this next trip.  I'm entirely green regarding (climbing) travel anywhere outside of North America, however....so I'm very open to any opinions or suggestions.  Is a solo trip to Kalymnos a good idea around this time of year?  Weather? Logistics? I hear things slow right down at the end of October, and into November over there - which was why I was drawn to the idea....great area, less crowds, but maybe just enough to get by as a solo climber?  Tougher to get on/off Kalymnos/Kos around this time of year I have head as well, though.  Much truth to that?  I'm more than likely flying solo for most or all of this trek, though might have a partner for a few days or a week here and there.  Won't be bringing any trad gear...other than basics, I'll probably just have a 70m rope & a whole slew of draws.

Looking to travel on the cheap, but not normally as dirtbag as I often roadtrip (I can do better than sleeping in the back of my hatchback for a month, on this trip).  Have been just casually browsing the apartments available for rent in and around Masouri.  Would be great to split those costs with a few people, but I'm pretty much accepting the fact that if I go there, I'll be staying in a basic, cheap-as-possible place for just me.

Anyway, wide open to suggestions or thoughts.  Want to meet up?  I'll be looking for partners!

Russ Walling wrote: Sounds good... do it.  Or to save some money and have almost the same thing but bigger if you want it, El Potrero Chico

Thanks for the reply Russ...I was lucky enough to head to EPC last December, so I'm up for another adventure this year ;-)

Yo! Just got back from 3 weeks in Kalymnos. Here are a few things to consider.

1. It’s a smallish island that is logistically difficult to get to in terms of general international travel. That being said I recommend flying from North America direct to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to KOS and from KOS take the ferry. This will save you the most time and money. Keep in mind the ferry’s don’t travel on high wind days.

2. There are A LOT, of options in terms of lodging there. But if you’re solo staying in masouri/ merties is gonna be your best option since you can walk to thousands of climbs from your Airbnb.

3. Kalymnos seemed to be more of a destination where couples go, however we ran into some Americans who had met up on the island, so it’s not a stretch to think you’ll find a partner.

4. There are sooooo many moderates there. Whether you climb 5.7 or 5.13d, there is a lifetime of climbing there.

5. Relaxation: it’s great to be so close to the sea, and we swam every day, but I hear October is the busy season, so boom now if you’re doing it.

6. Masouri is a scene for sure. It’s catered to climbers and touristy. So you’re going to be spending about as much as you would in Canada/ the states for your standard meal. But... if you can I dunno... take a scooter two kilometers to Pothia... you can eat for much cheaper as well as actually experience kalymnos, and get some culture.

7. Do some research. Feel free to ask any questions. Everyone has beta for kalymnos, some of it was helpful for us, some wasn’t as helpful. Godspeed. 

-Dono

Also check out Leonidio, it’s the hippest new Greek climbing area, and comes highly recommended.

Btw if you’rein Europe for a month, I’d also consider some of the spanish classic areas, like Siurana, Chulilla etc

Kalymnos gets quiet end of Oct when all the European charter flights finish. So you'll go from crags being busy and lots of noisy scooters to having the crags pretty much to yourself. November is the best month in my opinion. Life is very convenient in terms of approaches and beaches, so Kalymnos will definitely tick all the boxes for a vacation.
Get a discounted monthly rate for a studio in Massouri, that's what the guides who work the climbing season do. Try Rita's or Fanny's (Triantafillos studios).
Shop at AB supermarket over in Elies for much cheaper groceries and use the (limited) cooking facilities in your studio. Eat out at "On the Road" in Massouri, cheapest, tastiest street food on the island.
You can use the public bus to access crags all the way to Emporios, that's if you get bored of all the stuff above Massouri.
Do go to Telendos north side for afternoon shade and brilliant climbing and get a day or two over at Secret Garden for some sweet tufa action.
You won't struggle to find people to climb with, but drop me a message if you do and we'll sort something out.
P. 

Lotte Meijer wrote: Also check out Leonidio, it’s the hippest new Greek climbing area, and comes highly recommended.

Agreed...and if you're in Leonidio drop down the new coast road to Kyparissi.   mountainproject.com/area/11…  Don't be put off by the "only 12 routes" posted in MtnPrjct, Theodoropoulos lists about 200.]   

    Nafplio is also good, but the first two are great.  Much more likely to find a partner in Leonidio. I understand the guidebook author now ships to the US, so I guess he'd ship to Canada too. "Greece Sport Climbing", 2017 ed.  Aris Thjeodoropoulos. (doesn't cover Kalymnos, that's a book all its own)  aristheodoropoulos.com ;  climbgreece.com ;  climbkalymnos.com 

Robert Hall wrote:

Agreed...and if you're in Leonidio drop down the new coast road to Kyparissi.   mountainproject.com/area/11…  Don't be put off by the "only 12 routes" posted in MtnPrjct, Theodoropoulos lists about 200.]   

    Nafplio is also good, but the first two are great.  Much more likely to find a partner in Leonidio. I understand the guidebook author now ships to the US, so I guess he'd ship to Canada too. "Greece Sport Climbing", 2017 ed.  Aris Thjeodoropoulos. (doesn't cover Kalymnos, that's a book all its own)  aristheodoropoulos.com ;  climbgreece.com ;  climbkalymnos.com 

Patrick Leonard wrote: Kalymnos gets quiet end of Oct when all the European charter flights finish. So you'll go from crags being busy and lots of noisy scooters to having the crags pretty much to yourself. November is the best month in my opinion. Life is very convenient in terms of approaches and beaches, so Kalymnos will definitely tick all the boxes for a vacation.
Get a discounted monthly rate for a studio in Massouri, that's what the guides who work the climbing season do. Try Rita's or Fanny's (Triantafillos studios).
Shop at AB supermarket over in Elies for much cheaper groceries and use the (limited) cooking facilities in your studio. Eat out at "On the Road" in Massouri, cheapest, tastiest street food on the island.
You can use the public bus to access crags all the way to Emporios, that's if you get bored of all the stuff above Massouri.
Do go to Telendos north side for afternoon shade and brilliant climbing and get a day or two over at Secret Garden for some sweet tufa action.
You won't struggle to find people to climb with, but drop me a message if you do and we'll sort something out.
P. 

Thanks for the replies, guys.  I'll look into Leonidio too.  Could be cool for sure, but that would trim down my Kalymnos time a bit if I went there as well.  Regarding Kalymnos...anyone ever stay in Panormos over Masouri?  It's a bit away from Masouri, but it almost seems like there's more options for longer-term, cheaper rentals there?  Being that I'm after peace and quiet, I figured the neighbouring Panormos might be a good bet (I get that I wouldn't have as much food/liveliness compared to Masouri, but that's OK....I'll grab a scooter).

As it turns out, a co-worker of mine is trying to get time off around the same time as me.  He's not a climber...but he wants to buy property around Valencia, Spain, so he suggested a mainland week-or-so trip around Valencia.  He's been there before, said it's reasonably priced, everything is scooter-accessible as well, and I would be close enough to Chulilla if I was so inclined to keep climbing on my vacation portion of my trip.  So I might bail on other Mediterranean islands for the end of my trip, and just scoot around Spain a bit.

I'll drop you a note here, Patrick.  Would be great to connect at the crags!

I stayed in this place in Kantouni, which I guess you could consider a part of Panormos:

http://www.andromedakalymnos.gr

I really enjoyed the peace and quiet there, and thought it was well worth a bit longer scooter ride.

side note....anyone have an opinion on the newest kalymnos guidebook, versus the last edition? i have access to the last one, but am just wondering if the newest one is worth buying.

I wouldn't buy the newest one if you have the last one. There's not that many changes. And there's a lot of new routes not in the new one, so I'll skip this one.
If you do go to Leonidio then I recommend the local panjika guidebook from the wonderful people at the cooperative. Proceeds go to rebolting, new route development and local sustainable projects: panjikacooperative.wordpres… . You'll also find partners at their cafe. If you do go to Leonidio, try to organise a shared house to keep costs down, it's harder to find cheap studios in Leonidio, it's less developed for climbing tourism (and that's a positive).