Ecotourism Programs

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                             Come and share with us the unique nature experience called Kalamos ! 



                                                                                             Information documents

 

Fast Facts

Kalamos is an island situated in the inner Ionian archipelago of southern Greece. It has a very small population of 250 permanent residents divided unequally in three villages. Kalamos is a lush and green island with plenty of water, shady forests, crystal clear beaches, majestic mountains inviting adventures and a unique wildlife and friendly welcoming people, so come and delve into this with us!.

 

Nature

Kalamos is a very mountainous island with mountains rising over 800 meters above sea level.

Kalamos boasts a unique pine forest of exceptional beauty and vigor that welcomes you to the island from the distance ,inviting you to participate in its magic. Within it are towering trees and lush shrubs in a shady understorey creating a feeling  of wonder and excitement.

Within this forest you will find many species of trees, plants and animals such as the golden eagle and the giant scarab beetle.

If you are feeling warm just dive into the waters of one of the largest marine protected areas in the Mediterranean and experience the richness of marine life found there. The island is a host to more than 75 species of birds and is considered of international importance for the protection of birds, indeed a birders paradise while the waters are important for marine mammals like dolphins and the critically endangered monk seal and are in the core of the inner Ionian marine protected area , one of the largest protected areas in the mediterannean.

 

Our Services

 

At present we offer accomodation of the bed and breakfast type in the Kalamos island biological field station  that can also be combined with both pre-defined and tailor made eco tours in our base in Kalamos Island based on the time you have available . Our  ecotourism services include wildlife spotting ,including bird watching , hiking in trails, nature walking and many others.we also do snorkeling tours in the surrounding waters of Kalamos for people interested in exploring the sea. This is a chance to see our work first hand and get to experience life in the station and the picturesque traditional village of Kalamos. We are situated in a working experimental organic vegetable and fruit farm that surrounds .Crystal clear beaches are within walking distance of the station.


 

Predefined tours


 Pre-defined tours are organized based on our experience with our tailor made packages and our extensive knowledge of the area .We also tailor tours based on your individual needs and wishes to make sure that you get the best out of your experience.Tours are done by a mixture of walking and 4x4 car transport.

Currently we have two predefined tour packages that represent ideal options for exploring Kalamos and the surrounding waters for people . These are as follows





For more details on these tours including an itinerary please see the begining  of this page for a brochure


Accommodation

This is a mixed dorm bed in the Kalamos island biological field station or camping in the relevant site the Kalamos biological field station has(we have a limited number of two people tents , we encourage you to bring your own to use). This includes breakfast buffer for Station guests. Participation in a tour is not a requirement for a person to stay as a guest in the station or vice versa.


Your Impact 

By hiring us for a tour  or simply staying at our biological field station you are helping us with our important nature conservation efforts within the marine protected area that surrounds our islands and on land in Kalamos and Kastos. This is because all proceedings from our ecotouristic activities go to fund our nature conservation efforts in the region . 

Tours are available at present in two languages: Greek and English

 


  Rates and reservations for the year 2020 


Currently our rates for a tailor made tour start at 12 euros per person for a 4 hour tour for a minimum group of 5 people and a maximum of 10 people. 

Rates for a bed at the station are 20 euros per person per night while for camping space it is 16 euros per person per night .A  full continental breakfast buffet is included for all guests in this price.

There is a non refundable 30% deposit for all bookings.

Special prices are available for large concessions (more than 10 people), please contact us directly to discuss a package that suits your needs



For more information regarding our tours including bookings you can contact us here!



TERMS AND CONDITIONS

General

 

1. All participants in outdoor activities must be of a good health standard and any health limitations or physical impairments, including allergies and special food requirements, must be made aware to Terra Sylvestris tour operators prior to the commencement of any tour or activity or for being hosted as a guest in the Kalamos island biological field station.

2. Please take up comprehensive health and personal possessions insurance during your time here as we do not assume liability or responsibility for the services of medical doctors, evacuations, sickness, injuries, allergies, loss of property due to theft, injury , theft, fire, transport incidents among others.

3.While we give every opportunity for the participants to see wildlife in their natural environments, we never guarantee sightings. 

4. Any removal of animals, plant matter or articles from protected areas or any form of private or public land and waters without an official government license where needed or the owners permission or both  when both are required (including the community woodlands) is not allowed for any participants in our programs and/or guests in our field station or any other  guest hosting structures that we may be cooperating at any given time .

5. No drugs or controlled substances are to be taken on tours or activities. If prescription medication is required, please make Terra Sylvestris aware before the commencement of any tour or activity.

6. Participants are responsible for any equipment borrowed or used from Terra Sylvestris, any damages to the equipment will incur an additional cost to the participant. 

7. When participants in our ecotourism activities use the facilities of the Kalamos island biological field station but are not guests in any way the relevant terms and conditions for visitor use of this facility apply. This includes access to the communal sitting areas and the field lab including toilet facilities ONLY by the approval of a relevant member of Terra Sylvestris.

8. All participants in any tour or activity run by Terra Sylvestris do so at their own risk and responsibility. It’s vitally important that prior to the commencement of any tour or activity all participants agree with the terms and conditions.

9.  Ecotourism guests in the Kalamos island biological field station receive access to the following: 

-Bed use and bedroom use, linen  and towels in the case of dorm bed including package or use of tent space in case of camping allong with towels in the case of a camping space accomodation package 

-Communal area cleaning services

-Kitchen facilities access and use

-Reception and tourist information services

-Toilet and bathroom facilities use (including washing machine access at no additional cost for use)

-Full breakfast buffet access available from 0830 to 1030 am daily

-Consumable items for daily life(not meal materials). Full list available here

- Certain items of equipment. List available here

 Ecotourist guests or visitors may not bring any persons or groups of persons to spend any length of time at the station unless approved by the station manager, Regular guests  at the station are pre-approved by the board of directors of Terra Sylvestris. Visitors are either approved by the board or the station director depending on the individual case.

10. There is no form of meal offered for participants regularly other than the breakfast buffet service for ecotourism guests at the biological field station. However additional meals can be potentially be arranged for groups only at an additional cost. Please contact us to discuss further if you are interested in this option.

 

 

      Booking and Cancellation Policy

 

1. Reservations are required for all ecotourism related programs including individual accommodation type only arrangements. We would appreciate if it is possible for you to make a booking at least a calendar week in advance prior to your planned time with us

2. We require a 30% non refundable deposit for any ecotourism program reservation (tours, accommodation or combined packages of these) to guarantee your booking. The remaining 70% have to be paid at least 15 days prior to arrival. Due to reasons like the very limited number of beds, cancellations near the arrival date can seriously affect our operations, as we already start organizing your stay well in advance (e.g. grocery shopping). Additionally, cancellations will leave our rooms unoccupied, when other guests or students might have used them. The  same is the case for tour places. We understand that late cancellations are often caused by significant problems; nonetheless there are no refunds for no-shows or cancellations. Therefore we recommend purchasing a cancellation insurance.

3. We make every possible effort to guarantee that an ecotourism program will run as planned and in the dates agreed with the participants, however this may not always be possible . Extreme weather is the main reason why an itinerary may be changed, please note these changes are done for the safety and benefit of the participants. 

4. If we are forced to make changes to an itinerary due to adverse weather conditions or problems out of our control and they incur extra costs (such as accommodation, food) then the customer will be charged the additional costs.

5.  You can choose to either make a money transfer to our Greek bank account or to pay via PayPal. In any case the fees for the transfer must be covered by you, so please check which is the most convenient way for you. For payments from European countries, the easiest and cheapest method will probably be a transfer to our Greek bank account. Prices must be converted into EURO depending on the current Dollar/Euro exchange rate. Please note that for some countries a transfer fee of 12,50 € might apply. 

6.  As soon as we have received your deposit, you’ll receive a confirmation email.