Here’s how it all started: we first heard about the climbing potential of Kalymnos in 1995 when one of the best Greek climbers out of Patras, Giannis Torelli, visited the island. He didn’t do any climbing, but he did take some rather uninspiring photos of the crags. All Greek islands are littered with cliffs anyway, so we didn’t jump to any conclusions. Why should Kalymnos be any different?

Everything changed by chance, when the Italian climber Andrea di Bari visited Kalymnos for his summer holidays in 1996. Seeing the excellent quality of the rock and the huge potential of the area, he returned to Kalymnos in May 1997 with some climbing friends to put up some routes. They opened 43 sport routes on Kalymnos (in the sectors Arhi, Odyssey and Poets). Andrea di Bari returned to Kalymnos in October of the same year, this time with Andrea Gallo, a photographer working for Alp magazine. Articles ensued in Alp and Rotpunkt magazines in the spring of 1999, and the rest is history.   Climbing on Kalymnos took off. Our own Aris approached the local municipality and proposed a set of guidelines for developing and promoting climbing on Kalymnos; the municipality was supportive.

The protection on existing routes was improved and new routes, as well as a basic multi-lingual website, were created. These efforts led to the first international climbing event on Kalymnos in October 2000, organized in part by the Acharnes Greek Alpine Club, which the prominent French alpinist Catherine Destivelle attended as special guest. 180 climbers from 13 different countries participated, exchanging views, giving talks and climbing together, transforming the crags into a joyous Babel. At the same time the first Kalymnos Rock Climbing Guide was published. It was little more than a thin brochure, which was funded by the local council and distributed for free to visiting climbers. Ah, how things have changed.

The dry climate of Kalymnos makes year-round climbing possible, though some seasons are better than others.

• Autumn: Ideal. Generally mild weather with comfortable temperatures make all-day climbing a possibility. It doesn’t typically rain here in September and October, and mid-October to late November is usually perfect. There’s a reason October is peak season.

• Winter: You often get mild, sunny, clear days during winter. Many premium crags, mostly between Arginonta and Emporios, are perfect for cold-weather climbing. Some restaurants and rental studios in Masouri stay open year-round, so you can still find places to eat and sleep, though your choices will be more limited.

• Spring: Almost as good as autumn for climbing. The sea is too cold for swimming and the chance of rain is higher, but, generally, Kalymnian rock dries fast. If the winter has been rainy, tufas may be seeping. Stalactites sometimes drip in the spring and, as they are softer, they are more likely to break. You can climb inside the caves when it rains, but you cannot during a thunderstorm.

• Summer: Better than you might think. The obvious rule is: Always climb in the shade. Some very popular newer crags (Secret Garden, Arginonta Valley, to name a couple) are in the shade almost all day; they often enjoy a cool breeze, and you may even need long sleeves for belaying on summer mornings.

The first climbing event described in the previous section was a milestone for Kalymnos, giving it just the right push forward to gain presence on the international climbing map. As early as 2001 and 2002, an estimated 4,000 climbers visited Kalymnos. Among these were some of the biggest names in climbing at the time, who also helped tremendously by putting up some excellent new routes.

• The 2nd Climbing Festival of Kalymnos (2-8 October 2004) brought it to the center of international climbing attention once again. The festival was a joint effort by the Municipality of Kalymnos and Aris. More than 600 climbers from all over the world participated, including special guests Dave Graham, Liv Sansoz, François Legrand, Daniel Dulac and Andrea Di Bari. Also present were some climbers known for their important role in the growth of climbing and equipping of numerous routes on Kalymnos, like Michel Piola, Hans Weninger, Guy Abert, Karsten Oelze, Manolo Zanolla, and Simone Moro. Jeff Achey, editor at the time of Climbing magazine, was also there, and he subsequently wrote a 10-page article in issue #238 of Climbing.   The highest achievement, perhaps, of the 2nd Kalymnos Climbing Festival was the opening of new routes in the 8a-9a range. Three PETZL climbers stayed on Kalymnos for a full month to equip the routes. They mostly set up routes in existing sectors Arhi, Spartan Wall, Grande Grotta, and established the first routes at Sikati Cave. Read more about the 2nd Kalymnos Climbing Festival.

• The 3rd Climbing Festival of Kalymnos (25-30 October 2006) was the celebrated Petzl Roctrip Kalymnos. It brought approximately 1000 climbers to the island, including a collection of the finest climbing athletes in the world at the time, who challenged themselves against the newly-bolted “ultimate” routes in Sikati Cave. In the words of Steve McClure, “the super-overhanging women’s route went on forever, at a grade of 8b it climbed 60 meters on tufas and stalactites. The men’s route, at over 50m long and 8c was not only endurance orientated but had several distinct cruxes: a bouldery lower section, a long, hard span (especially for the short) under the main roof to reach a 6-foot stalactite, and a steep headwall on with tufa blobs. The route climaxed with 10m of relatively easy (about 7b) tufa climbing on crumbly rock to add a bit of spice to the finish!” And he continues, “the 15 men and 7 women were presented with a real challenge on their ultimate routes. They were allowed only one hour each to work the route before attempting a redpoint a few days later. Not an easy task when the route is 60m long, imagine remembering that many moves! However it still didn’t stop Martina Cufar (SLO), Charlotte Durif (FRA) and Daila OJeda (ESP) from clean ascents. The men’s route was proving more tricky especially with some of the tufas remaining damp and no one managed success on their first redpoint attempt. However, considering the standard of the climbers it was only a matter of time with Steve McClure (UK) and Chris Sharma (USA) getting it in their second attempt and Dani Andrada (ESP) on his third.” After climbing every evening, there were films and slideshows presented by Chris Sharma, Alex Huber, Arnaud Petit, and Stephanie Bodet, and Petzl’s own unforgettable techno party. Those were the days.   Here’s the lineup of what is still the best festival on Kalymnos to date: Dani Andrada (ESP), Klemen Beçan (SLO), Said Belhaj (SWE), Dave Graham (USA), Alex Huber (GER), Ivailo Krastev (BUL), Thanasis Ktenas (GRE), Tony Lamiche (FRA), Chris Lindner (USA), Steve McCLure (GB), Shawn McColl (CAN), Arnaud Petit (FRA), Ethan Pringle (USA), Manu Romain (FRA), Chris Sharma (USA), Katie Brown (USA), Stéphanie Bodet (FRA), Martina Cufar (SLO), Charlotte Durif (FRA), Melissa Lacasse (CAN), Daila OJeda (ESP), Liv Sansoz (FRA).

• The 4th Kalymnos Climbing Festival (22-26 May, 2009) was organized by the Municipality of Kalymnos and sponsored by the Greek National Tourism Organisation and the Greek sports company Polo. Special guests were the already mega-talented 16-year-old Adam Ondra and 22-year-old Slovenian climbing champion Maja Vidmar, and more than 300 registered climbers from around the world got to admire them. Also invited were the inexhaustible Claude, Yves, and Christine Remy, who, along with Boris Girardin, had already opened more than 250 sport routes on Kalymnos and counting.   Everyone stared in astonishment as Adam Ondra sent the hardest routes on Kalymnos with incredible ease. He climbed numerous routes from 8a+ to 8c+, many of them to warm up, haha. He also did the first ascent of Los Revolucionarios 9a 30m after 6 tries over 4 days. (Remember, this was 2009 and he was 16; climbing 9a was no small feat.) It was the hardest route on Kalymnos and the first 9a route in Greece. Immediately after Adam sent Los Revolucionarios, on a dreadfully hot and humid day, he went on to Los Kukos 8c and just barely missed the onsight. And right after that, he sprinted to Sikati Cave in the middle of the afternoon to flash the 50m Jaws 8c, also placing the draws. For the record, Jaws was the “ultimate route” in the 2006 Petzl Roctrip Kalymnos. But let’s not forget Maja Vidmar, who was also in excellent form. She climbed beautifully and onsighted her first 8b on Kalymnos, Spartan Wall 20m, a vertical technical route with small holds. During her week on Kalymnos, Maja onsighted a total of 9 routes 8a or harder. Again, remember this was 2009.

• The 5th Climbing Festival of Kalymnos (18-21 May, 2011) was organized by the Municipality of Kalymnos, with special guests Nicolas Favresse and Patxi Usobiaga. By all accounts this was not the most eventful festival; for some detail, see here and here.

• The North Face Kalymnos Climbing Festivals (2012/2013/2014): The North Face stepped in to organize three consecutive festivals on Kalymnos (2012-2014) with a lineup of many top athletes. The North Face festivals brought a certain prestige that had been missing since the 2006 Roctrip. For detailed reports of the 2012 North Face festival see here, and for a brief report of the 2013 North Face festival see here.

Since 2015, the local municipality has continued to throw together underwhelming annual festivals in September or October, even though Kalymnos has long outgrown any need for them.

The golden rule during any outdoor activity is always this: Leave no trace. While you are visiting, Kalymnos is your home. Treat the island and its crags as you would your own home, and treat other climbers as you would like to be treated.

• But I have to poop. Where’s the toilet? The toilet is at your rental, so give yourself enough time before hitting the crag to use it. That being said, when you need to poop at the crag…

– Go at least 100m away from the cliffs and the path

– Dig a deep enough hole with your hands or a stone

– When you are finished, cover and conceal the hole

– Do not bury the toilet paper

– Pack toilet paper in a bag and take with you

• What about my other trash? Pack it up and take it with you to dispose of when you are back at the village. Always have a bag(s) with you. No leftover food, food wrappers, toilet paper, or cigarette butts should be left behind. Please don’t wait until the end of the day to do this—if you leave things laying around, you are inviting the wind to blow them away.

• I heard Kalymnos is kid-friendly. It is. But remember that you are responsible for the safety and behavior of your children. At the crag, please keep kids away from the cliffs, away from people climbing, and quiet enough so as not to disturb the other climbers.

• These goats look hungry. Don’t feed the goats. They are now so accustomed to climbers that they will stop at nothing. They will take food straight out of your backpack, even if it’s wrapped, and it will happen so quickly you won’t know what hit you. Keep your backpacks zipped shut at all times.

• Close the gates behind you. A lot—if not most—of the land around the cliffs of Kalymnos is used by local shepherds and their animals. The gates are there to control the sheep and goats, and they are meant to be closed. Please respect this.

• This path doesn’t make sense! I’m taking a shortcut. Do not take shortcuts. Stay on the designated paths as shown or described in the guidebook. Going off the established paths may cause problems with landowners and shepherds, and destroy vegetation. Going off the path can also be quite dangerous, especially if the terrain is steep. Accidents have happened on Kalymnos before for this exact reason.

• Do some gardening. Weeds, woody shrubs, and thorny bushes often grown in the line of routes, especially in the spring and on routes that don’t get many ascents. Besides concealing holds and footholds, the plants may also conceal loose rock. A pair of gloves is a good thing to have at the crag, and your local equippers really appreciate any help they can get in cleaning vegetated routes.

Also good to know:

– Mosquitoes are everywhere. Be prepared to swat them away year-round. Bring some bug spray; the stronger the better.

– There’s no recycling. Our hopes go up every so often, but sadly Kalymnos still does not recycle. Keep this in mind when you shop. Bring reusable bags whenever you can, refill water bottles at the public water dispensers, use “green” products whenever possible, and generally remember that any positive change in our habits, no matter how small, can make an impact.

The rock of Kalymnos is limestone of the very best quality. It can be a bit sharp in places, but it is free of choss (i.e. rotten, loose rock). There is nothing monotonous about the climbing—there is a great variety of rock, with slabs, delicate walls, pumpy routes with pockets, and stalactites or tufas on overhanging rock and roofs. In some respects the rock resembles that of Thailand, only a little sharper.

Kalymnian rock seems to come in three varieties:

– extremely overhanging with blobs, tufas, and stalactites, which can still be “just” 7a even at a 20° angle;

– slightly overhanging or vertical smooth white and orange walls with pockets and smaller tufa features; and

– sharp grey slabs full of water pockets (gouttes d’eau) with little iron knobs cemented into the matrix.

The best of the routes can combine all three types of rock in one pitch. Equally important is that the limestone is showing less signs of polish compared to the rock at other well-known climbing areas of Europe. This situation will be slow to change given the particularly rough surface of the rock. Most routes are about 30m long on average, but there are several longer routes around 3-5 pitches, and a lot more potential for great new routes at all levels. Many climbers describe the equipping of routes on Kalymnos as “the gold standard of sport climbing.” Routes are generally equipped in a sensible and encouraging manner using stainless steel bolts. Grades range from F3a to F9a, although quite a few project routes are expected to exceed 9a.

Kalymnos is strictly a sport climbing venue—there is no bouldering or trad climbing. There are, however, several very good bolted multi-pitches on Kalymnos and Telendos, some of which go all the way up. Routes are graded according to the French grading system.

One of the greatest things about Kalymnos is that every single climber can find something to climb here. About half of the routes on Kalymnos are graded up to 6b+, and more than one-third of the total routes are between 6a–6b+, so Kalymnos is ideal for new climbers, older climbers, or those transitioning from the gym to outdoor climbing. But there are also more than 700 routes graded 7b and up, and the hardest confirmed grade on Kalymnos is a 9a (Los Revolucionarios at sector Odyssey, which was redpointed by Adam Ondra in 2009).

Great efforts have been made toward consistent grading, but since routes on Kalymnos are equipped by climbers from all over the world, and some of these routes have not yet seen their second ascent, some may need re-grading. In the route descriptions in our guidebook we try to give you a feel for a route without giving away specific beta or spoiling your onsight. If you disagree with a grade or description, please share your feedback publicly on this site or email us.

• A note about route length: The length of routes in the guidebook or on this site are approximations, and they are usually rounded up.

Route lengths can never be exact, so always tie a knot at the unused end of your rope.

At a minimum, plan on 15 quickdraws + a 70m rope. This is a recommendation only. Use common sense: always check the route length, and always make a knot at the end of your rope. As a guide:

– Routes up to 20–25m: 10–12 quickdraws

– Routes from 25–35m: 15 quickdraws

– Routes from 35–40m: 20 quickdraws

Again, this is the minimum number of quickdraws you need to climb safely. In most cases, if you need more than 15 quickdraws it will be mentioned in the route description (i.e. “18 QDs”). Beyond that, for maximum enjoyment, we’d strongly urge you to bring 30–40 quickdraws, both for climbing extra long pitches (24–28 quickdraws) and for the flexibility to leave some of your QDs on a project and still have 12–15 extra to use on another route.

• For routes on stalactites: Use medium-to-long quickdraw slings. For the monster routes at Grande Grotta and Sikati Cave you will also need 5–6 long slings to reduce rope drag, directing your rope around the tufas and stalactites.

• What rope length: 70m is the minimum standard single rope length for Kalymnos (9–10.5mm diameter). However, many remarkable long routes (40–45m) have been opened on Kalymnos in the past few years. Bringing an 80m rope (or longer) to Kalymnos is always a good idea.

Lastly, once again, always tie a knot at the end of your rope.

Equipping new routes on Kalymnos is no longer encouraged. A “New Route Protocol” voted by the Kalymnos municipality in 2016 was never meaningfully implemented in practice, and it is no longer relevant to how climbing on the island is managed today.

Following a fatal accident in March 2026 caused by the failure of ageing hardware, the priority on Kalymnos has shifted decisively. The focus is now on rebolting existing routes using the highest international standard for marine environments: certified titanium glue-in bolts and epoxy resin.

What this means 

In practical terms, this means that new routing is strongly discouraged. The island already has thousands of routes, and the need now is not expansion but maintenance. Many older routes are equipped with hardware that is no longer reliable in a marine environment, making systematic rebolting the clear priority.

All rebolting should be carried out using certified titanium glue-in bolts and high-quality epoxy resin. 

Kalymnos is a marine environment. Keeping climbing as safe as possible depends on consistent, high-quality rebolting using materials designed to last in this environment.

If you want to contribute to climbing on Kalymnos, don’t add more routes. Help upgrade what already exists.

A brief history (2000–2025)

From the early 2000s, Kalymnos stood out as one of the few climbing destinations where route maintenance was approached in a relatively systematic way. The foundations were laid in 1999–2000 through collaboration between HMGA mountain guide Aris Theodoropoulos, the local municipality, Thomas Michaelides, and other Greek climbers, establishing clear standards for equipping routes, including closely spaced stainless steel bolts and two-bolt lower-offs.

Early upgrades addressed serious safety issues. The original single-bolt lower-offs on the first routes were replaced, and between 2000 and 2010, regular rebolting took place with municipal support. During this period, hundreds of routes were systematically checked and upgraded, including a major effort in 2006 targeting the most popular sectors. Signs of corrosion and heavy wear, especially on lower-off carabiners, were already evident, leading to the adoption of more durable solutions such as double opposed carabiners and improved stainless steel hardware.

In 2010, another large-scale rebolting effort was funded by the municipality. However, between 2010 and 2015, institutional support largely disappeared, and maintenance fell to a small group of dedicated volunteers. A renewed municipal initiative in 2015, supported by EU funding, resulted in the rebolting of nearly 300 routes and the addition of new ones. Since then, responsibility has once again rested primarily with the climbing community.

Over the years, guidebook proceeds have played a consistent role in supporting this work. Since 2010, a minimum of €5000 per year was allocated by the Kalymnos guidebook authors Aris Theodoropoulos and Katie Roussos directly to bolts, anchors, and hardware, with the majority of these resources used for rebolting rather than new route development.

Where things stand now

In early 2025, the grassroots initiative Rebolt Kalymnos was formed to bring more structure and continuity to rebolting efforts on the island. Operating as a donation-supported nonprofit, it prioritizes rebolting based on need, using field reports and the evolving Bolt Beta database to track hardware condition and plan interventions.

During 2025, Rebolt Kalymnos carried out emergency rebolting on around 100 routes and completed full rebolting using titanium glue-in bolts and epoxy resin in the sectors Secret Garden (60 routes) and Kasteli (~35 routes). 

Alongside this, a separate municipal rebolting program started at some point in 2025. While it appears to operate with a larger budget, limited information has been made publicly available regarding its scope, specifications, or long-term planning.

In March 2026, a fatal accident caused by the failure of ageing hardware marked a turning point for the island. In response, Rebolt Kalymnos adopted a clear and uncompromising standard moving forward: All rebolting is now carried out exclusively using certified titanium glue-in bolts and epoxy resin, the most reliable solution currently available for marine environments.

By May 1, 2026, Rebolt Kalymnos had almost fully rebolted the sectors Spartacus (~30 routes), Jurassic Park (~27 routes), and Iannis (~30 routes), all using titanium glue-in bolts. Work is ongoing.  

Moving forward 

Kalymnos is a marine environment where corrosion is a constant threat and often invisible until failure. Maintaining safety across thousands of routes requires ongoing effort, clear priorities, and the use of materials designed for long-term durability.

Rebolting is no longer an occasional task. It is the central responsibility of the climbing community.

If you are an experienced route equipper with glue-in rebolting experience and would like to contribute to Kalymnos, please contact Rebolt Kalymnos.

Today, rescue operations on Kalymnos are the responsibility of the local fire brigade. The Kalymnos Rescue Team, founded in 2013, is a volunteer group that may assist during incidents, but it does not operate as a professional, fully equipped, or continuously available mountain rescue service.

Climbers should not lose sight of the fact that they are operating on an island without professional mountain rescue infrastructure, and in a country where helicopter-based mountain search and rescue is not available. Climb with judgment.

IF AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS

• Call 112

• Answer the following questions:

– who (name of injured climber and telephone number where you can be contacted);

– what (type of injury, number of people injured, severity of injury);

– where (name of crag and route);

– when (time of accident)

• Do not try to move the injured climber.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

• Universal Emergency Number: 112

• Hospital: (+30) 22433 61931

• Police: (+30) 22430 29301