A Greek High Speed Ferry Ride: Rhodes to Kastellorizo with Dodekanisos Seaways
Some may argue that no trip to the Greek islands would ever be complete without a ferry ride, however, this particular voyage was not one that I ever intended to take. Following a pleasant first flight with Aegean Airlines that consisted of an early morning hop over from Athens, I found myself in the airside portion of Rhodes Airport looking out at the small selection of aircraft sitting on the ramp. On the far side of this, the short and stubby Olympic Air Dash 8 100 that I had hoped would carry me eastwards to the small island of Kastellorizo could be seen.
Sitting less than eighty miles to the east of Rhodes and surrounded almost on three sides by Turkey, Kastellorizo is the easternmost inhabited Dodecanese Island. Whilst lacking in plentiful sandy beaches or major tourist resorts, the island can offer visitors a more quiet, relaxing and ‘authentic’ Greek island experience compared to a number of other more popular destinations. However in spite of Kastellorizo’s charm, my primary purpose of visiting was not to shut myself away from the world, but instead bag a couple of flights onboard one of Europe’s very few Dash 8 100 to and from one of the country’s most scenic and challenging airports. Unfortunately, this plan came a halt at the last minute when I checked the departure boards and found that my flight from Rhodes to Kastellorizo had been cancelled.
Upon seeing this, I found the nearest Aegean Airlines-Olympic Air agent who happily escorted me to the carrier’s small office in the landside portion of the terminal. After a short wait, I was advised that I was in luck as there would be a ferry service running from Rhodes to Kastellorizo several hours later at 1410. I was also informed that I would be eligible for a partial refund, EU261 compensation, reimbursement of costs paid for my ferry ticket and a free domestic ticket with Aegean Airlines or Olympic Air (this turned out to be a taxes only ticket). Once I had been provided with the name of the ferry company that would be operating that afternoon’s service, I made my way to the company’s website on my phone and promptly parted with a grand total of €38.70 for my one-way ticket to Kastellorizo. Set to depart Rhodes at 1410, if all went to plan I would be setting foot on the island at 1635 and I soon updated my AirBnb host with my revised travel plans.
After ensuring that I received my ticket, I made my way out into the early summer heat. Whilst I could have caught a taxi into the Rhodes seeing as this would be reimbursed, having timed things just right I instead stepped onto a bus for a more leisurely stop-start ride into the city. Once there, I grabbed an early moussaka lunch before spending several hours walking around Rhodes’ famous historic sights. Once all tired out, I made my way over to the port with around an hour to go until the ferry’s scheduled departure time.
Whilst Kastellorizo is served by the ships of Greece’s largest and most famous ferry company, Blue Star Ferries, that day’s service would be operated by the comparatively small Dodekanisos Seaways. Headquartered in Rhodes, as the company’s name would suggest this serves the Dodecanese Islands – operating ferries to 17 of the inhabited 26 islands. The company serves these with a fleet of just three ships – two high speed catamarans and one slower and larger conventional ferry, with all of these capable of carrying both passengers and vehicles. In Rhodes, Dodekanisos Seaways operate from a separate jetty to the main ferry terminal which is slightly closer to the heart of the old town. However, facilities there are almost non-existent with nothing other than a wooden gazebo and a ticket kiosk. Needless to say, if heading off on one of Dodekanisos Seaways’ voyages, I would avoid turning up to the port with heaps of time to go until departure.
Taking a seat underneath the gazebo, I had little to do other than admire the large yachts moored up to the jetty as well as the two mammoth cruise ships a short distance away. Eventually, just after 1400, the inbound ferry could be seen slowly and cautiously making its way into the harbour on its almost nine-hour long journey from Samos to Kastellorizo. That afternoon, this ship came in the form of the pride of the Dodecanese, the high speed catamaran, the Dodekanisos Pride. Constructed near the Norwegian city of Kristiansand, this ferry has been in service since 2005 and can carry up to 280 passengers and 9 vehicles.
A few moments after catching my first glimpse of the ferry, this could be seen backing up to the jetty as the ramp was lowered before the Rhodes bound passengers disembarked. With no vehicles onboard that afternoon, soon all those heading for Kastellorizo were permitted to cross the ramp and board the ferry. Almost as soon as I stepped onto the ship, my ticket was checked after which I was free to explore the nooks and crannies of the ferry. Standing at a length of 40 metres and with a width of 11 metres, the Dodekanisos Pride is by no means a large ship and consists of a lower deck and a smaller upper deck. Inside, most of the space is taken up by comfortable, well-padded and spacious seats arranged in a 3-4-4-3 configuration on the lower deck and 3-3-3 on the upper. In addition, a small café can be found at the rear of the lower deck which sells a range of hot and cold snacks and refreshments (albeit with an eye watering markup!). Thus for those intending on making a longer voyage on the ship, it may be a good idea to stock up on snacks beforehand if not wanting to part with your life savings. For those looking to soak up some sunshine and get some sea air, the ship features a good amount of outdoor space. For those looking to recreate that famous scene from Titanic, slightly unusually (at least in my experience of taking ferries), the very front of the ship is fully accessible.
A short time after boarding, I decided to make my way outside and just after 1410, the ferry powered away from the jetty. A minute or so later, we passed the remains of the fifteenth century Fort of St Nicholas and left Mandraki Harbour behind. Once away from the harbour, the ferry picked up speed as it headed out into the blue waters of the Aegean Sea and headed eastwards. Soon, Rhodes faded away and for a while nothing could be seen other than the horizon and several other boats lingering in the waters to the east of Rhodes.
Heading inside, I settled down for a short nap. Unlike many other ferries, the Dodekanisos Pride does not feature any reservable seats or paid-for onboard lounges, and I was pleased to find that the seats were spacious, comfortable and offered bags of legroom. Unfortunately, no wifi is provided and once out at sea I soon lost phone signal. Inside the ship, a good number of televisions could be seen playing the news and then some dramas, although the signal was patchy at best and the picture kept breaking up.
Around an hour and a half into the voyage, it was land ahoy as a tall rocky peak could be seen jutting out of the sea to the north, this being somewhere in Turkey’s Muğla province at which point I decided to sit down on one of the plastic seats outside at the rear of the vessel. As we voyaged onwards, the Turkish coastline could be seen rather clearly and I even spotted several Turkish Coast Guard vessels patrolling the edge of the country’s waters.
Indicating that we were nearing the end of the voyage, around two hours after leaving Rhodes the ferry passed the small uninhabited island of Ro. This island is famous across Greece for former Greek Resistance member Despina Achladiotou, known as the ‘Lady of Ro’. Having moved to Ro with her husband in 1927, following his death in 1940 she remained the island’s sole resident until her death in 1982. After passing the island, soon the hillside villas and holiday apartments of the Turkish town of Kaş could be seen before we skirted around the northern tip of Kastellorizo. Before I knew it, the ferry journey was entering its very final stages as the colourful buildings that line Kastellorizo’s harbour came into view and the ferry tooted its horn before lining up alongside the small ferry dock. Soon disembarkation commenced and I was promptly greeted by my lively AirBnb host and escorted to their apartments – commencing my two night stay on the island.
Summary
Whilst not expecting to have taken this ferry ride, all-in-all other than the lack of wifi and extortionate prices, I was left with nothing to complain about and would certainly consider a ride with Dodekanisos Seaways again at some point in the future. For those needing to travel between the centre of Rhodes and Kastellorizo, the company’s high speed ferry is most certainly the quickest and most convenient way to make this trip.
