Greece · Dodecanese
Yacht Charter Halki
Five hundred people, one village of sponge captains' houses, and a UNESCO title nobody else has.
Halki lies an hour west of Rhodes and has about five hundred permanent residents in a single village. Nimborio is a horseshoe harbour lined with ochre and cream houses two and three storeys high, built by captains who made money from sponges in the nineteenth century and spent it where everyone could see. In 1983 UNESCO named it the Island of Peace and Friendship of Young People of the World, which is a mouthful and is also the only such title going.
Nimborio
The houses round the harbour were restored under the UNESCO programme rather than replaced, so the front is the same one the sponge boats came home to. The clock tower and the church of Agios Nikolaos have the tallest bell tower in the Dodecanese.
When the sponge trade collapsed most of the island left for Tarpon Springs in Florida, and the connection held: the Florida community paid for repairs here for decades and the two places still trade visits.
Chorio and the water
Chorio, the old village inland, was abandoned when the danger from the sea passed and people moved down to the harbour. It stands empty under a Knights of St John castle, an hour's walk up, with the shell of the houses still standing.
There are almost no cars. Water was shipped in for years and the island now runs a solar park that covers most of its own demand — one of the pilot islands for the Greek renewable programme. The beaches are reached on foot or from the boat.
Practical notes
- About five hundred permanent residents, all in one village
- Named by UNESCO in 1983 as the Island of Peace and Friendship of Young People of the World
- Chorio, the abandoned old village under a Knights' castle, is an hour's walk inland
- Almost no cars; a solar park now covers most of the island's electricity
Reached from: Rhodes and the Dodecanese
Where to dine
A table by the water
Maria
NimborioOn the harbour front, cooking what the island's own boats bring in and little else.
Aretti
NimborioAt the end of the quay under the clock tower, and open late by island standards.
Lefkosia
NimborioSmall, family-run, and the place the residents go rather than the visitors.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Nimborio
A horseshoe harbour of ochre and cream captains' houses, restored under the UNESCO programme.
Chorio
The old village standing empty under a Knights' castle, an hour's walk inland.
Agios Nikolaos
The church on the harbour, with the tallest bell tower in the Dodecanese.
The beaches
Reached on foot or from the boat, because almost nothing on Halki has a road.
The fleet
Yachts available for Halki
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Halki
- Why does a village this small look so grand?
- Sponge money. Nineteenth-century captains built two and three storey houses round the harbour, and the UNESCO programme restored the front rather than replacing it.
- What is the Florida connection?
- When the sponge trade collapsed most of the island emigrated to Tarpon Springs in Florida. That community paid for repairs back here for decades, and the two places still trade visits.
- What does a yacht charter to Halki cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on Halki
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.