Crater floor
You can walk down.
Ввласенко — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ввласенко — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ввласенко — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alexandros Kellaris (https://www.flickr.com/people/alexecovis/) — CC BY 2.0 · Rob Koster — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Simos Xenitellis — CC BY-SA 4.0
Stefanos is the largest crater in the caldera of Nisyros, a volcanic island in Greece's Dodecanese between Kos and Tilos, about 37 km in a straight line south-west of the town of Kos. Nisyros is almost round, about 8 km across, with a caldera 3 to 4 km wide at its centre. Stefanos was formed by steam-driven blasts and is about 300 m across and nearly 30 m deep, one of the largest craters of its kind in the world. The last activity of this type in the caldera came in the 19th century, and the volcano is still active and closely monitored. Visitors can walk down a short path to the crater floor, where steam rises from small vents ringed with yellow sulphur, the smell of sulphur hangs in the air and the ground is warm underfoot. Walls of coloured rock surround the crater, and the villages of Nikia and Emporios look down on it from the rim of the caldera. A small entry fee is charged. The ground is hot and can be soft, so stay on marked paths and wear closed shoes. Boats reach Nisyros from Kos in summer, and the crater is best visited in the morning before the heat.
You can walk down.
Steam and colour.
On the caldera rim.
Nisyros, Dodecanese, Greece
Yes, by a short path; stay on the marked routes.
By boat from Kos in summer.