Tílos

Tílos (pop. 550) has been one of the best-kept secrets in the Dodecanese for some time, with good unspoiled beaches, low prices, friendly people and wonderful walking country, with its 67km of marked trails.

Although at first glance the island looks rugged and barren, inland it shelters groves of figs, almonds, walnuts, pomegranates and olives, and small farms watered by fresh springs. Village life goes on with few concessions to tourism, although it’s beginning to trickle in: a few hydrofoil links with other islands have inspired a sprinkle of holiday development.

But so far, nothing overwhelming. It’s as fine a place as any to do nothing or birdwatch. A dreaminess surrounds all practical activities, and the visitor who neglects to wind his watch is in danger of losing all track of time.

Green Tílos

Tílos is proud to be the Green island of the Dodecanese. The island mayor and doctor, Anastásios Aliféris, a member of Greenpeace, banned hunting on the island in 1987, for the sake of the many birds who flock here (there are over a hundred species, including golden eagles, golden orioles, kestrels, Eleanora falcons, hoopoes, falcons, kingfishers and rollers) and with difficulty island environmentalists have kept it that way, in the face of pro-hunting lobbyists, most of whom don’t even live on Tílos.