Set in the eastern Aegean, just 4km from Turkey, and shaped (not entirely inappropriately) rather like a bottle opener, Kos is the second largest island in the Dodecanese, after Rhodes. Forty km in length, and from 1.5 to 10km wide, it has an area of approximately 283km2 and a population of 26,000. Much of the island is comparatively flat, a mixture of large, fertile coastal plains, and raised areas of severely gullied badlands. In the eastern half, the 846m (2775ft) Mt Dikeos is the only mountain of any size.
Hippocrates founded a school of medicine here in the 4th century BC, at the Asklipio, southwest of Kos Town. The island was governed successively by the Greeks, the Ptolemies, the Byzantine Empire, the Franks, the Genoese, the Knights of St. John, the Ottomans and the Italians, until it finally became Greek territory again in 1948. The Italian influence is still obvious in the area of Kos Town.
The majority of tourists, particularly from Scandinavia, go to Kos Town and Kardamena, for their beaches, exuberant nightlife and cheap alcohol. Smaller numbers of visitors stay in Tingaki and Kamari.
Kefalos
43km from Kos Town, and with about 2100 inhabitants, Kefalos is the island's westernmost and most isolated village. It is perched on a bluff, above pale eroded cliffs, and overlooks its summer coastal annexe, Kamari. Although rather ugly at first sight, closer investigation does reveal a muted charm. There are the bases of several windmills, the largest of which is the Papavasilis, though for a working model, you must visit Andimahia, further east. Unlike Kamari, the population is resident all year. It is said to have the best climate on Kos, being well away from the cloud-gathering influence of eastern Kos' Mt Dikeos.
The Knights of St. John built a fortress here for defence of this end of the island but abandoned it in 1504. The remains are at the edge of the village, overlooking Kamari harbour, and seen most dramatically from below.
Long before the Knights, Astipalia, 1.5km to the south, was Kos' pre-Christian capital, and the probable birthplace of Hippocrates in c. 470 BC. It was abandoned in 366BC, after its destruction by the Spartans during the Peloponnesian war, and a new capital established at Kos Town. A few fragments remain of Astipalia.
Kamari sprawls over the coastal plain to the east of Kefalos, and consists almost entirely of hotels, apartment blocks, supermarkets, bars and restaurants all devoted to the summer season tourist trade. A long beach stretches along the bay, encroached upon by development and unfinished shells of buildings. At the southwest end, below Mt Zini, is the harbour. Here, fishing boats still moor, along with the day-tripper boats for Nisyros island. A few small fishermen's cottages co-exist with modern amenities and accommodations. At the far eastern end of the bay, behind Agios Stefanos, is the huge Club Med site, the precursor of mass tourism in the area.
A rocky point separates the two halves of the beaches used by Club Med, and on this point are the extensive ruins of two Byzantine basilicas, each with three aisles. There are floor mosaics, but these are now almost entirely obscured by protective nets and gravel. Offshore, the small rocky island of Kastri is usually surrounded by sailing and windsurfing holidaymakers. The church of Agios Nikolaos is planted on the more level portion of the islet, but the upright rocky cone on the seaward half gives a clue to the volcanic origins and geology of the Kefalos peninsula.
The peninsula has two main peaks, 362m (1185ft) Zini, overlooking Kamari and Kefalos, and the taller, 427m (1400 ft) Latra. Both are on volcanic outcrops and both have OTE communication masts. Latra is comparatively untouched, apart from a sometimes noisy modern windmill, but the top of Zini has been extensively quarried. Small black obsidian crystals of volcanic origin occur extensively, and are found both loose on the ground and occasionally extruding from trackside rocks.
To the east of Agios Stefanos, a series of beaches runs along the coastline. They are mostly accessed by asphalt or dirt roads running south from the main Kamari-Andimahia road. From west to east, the first is Camel Beach, separated from the others by the rocky spike of Akrotiri Tigani. Beyond Tigani is Paradise Beach. It is also called Bubble Beach after the volcanic venting just offshore. If you love crowds, motorboats, jet-skis, paragliding, hundreds of sunbeds and beach umbrellas, plus a couple of big tavernas, you will think you are in heaven here. If you don't, then go elsewhere. Banana Beach is next, followed by Sunny Beach and Magic Beach, becoming remoter and quieter the further you go. The exception to this is Xerokambos Beach, at the very far end, which is directly in front of the army's range for tanks and artillery.
Most days in season, day trips run from the harbour to the island of Nisyros, so conspicuous on the southern horizon. Not quite as famous as Greece's other live volcano that in Santorini bay it is nevertheless a remarkable place. Also visible, between Kos and Nisyros, is the smaller, twin-peaked island of Yiali, partly mined away for its huge gypsum reserves.
