Responsible Travel Statement

 

All vacations and holidays abroad have positive and negative impacts locally and globally. Responsible travel must maximise the benefits and minimise the negative effects of tourism.

The following are some tips on travelling to us responsibly and being a responsible tourist when you are here with us. Our home is the Pelion Peninsula, a region still relatively undeveloped and one which still retains many of its traditional values. Please help us to do everything we can to preserve its uniquely Greek quality.

• Plan your route to minimise carbon emissions - travel by train and public transport where possible (we offer a 5% discount if you do), and minimise internal flights. See seat61.com for information about rail or coach travel to Greece.
• Minimise flying time and stopovers - the worst carbon emissions are emitted during take off and landing. For the flights that you cannot avoid, offset the carbon emissions of your flight with ClimateCare.org. Your money is invested in carbon reducing initiatives around the world, offsetting the emissions caused by your flight. DEFRA have an informative area on their website about carbon offsetting.
• Read up on the local Pelion, Greece culture which dates back thousands of years. Learn a few words of Greek —travelling with respect earns you respect.
• Remove all excess packaging before you leave and recycle whatever is possible—waste disposal is difficult in remote places and developing countries.
• Our meals are vegetarian, and we use local produce in preference to imported goods and organic produce where possible.
• On your free time take time to discover more about the local culture and people's lives and how they earn their income.
• Please do not buy products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artefacts.
• Respect our local village culture, traditions and holy places—if in doubt ask advice.
• We provide daily transport to and from the local beach. However, if you are fit, we encourage you to walk when convenient. It's a great way to meet local people on their terms and reduce pollution and carbon emissions.
• Although Mt Pelion is blessed with abundant pure water, please use it sparingly—it’s very precious in many countries and tourists tend to use far more than local people.
• Remember that local people have different ways of thinking and concepts of time, this just makes them different, not wrong. Cultivate the habit of asking questions rather than the Western habit of knowing the answers!
• If you've promised to send pictures or gifts to local people remember to do so, many are promised and not all arrive.

Kalikalos Holidays and the Environment

We recycle all possible materials we use in the office and use recycled paper for all our correspondence and our brochures. We compost our food scraps and use the compost for our organic permaculture vegetable garden. We heat our hot water with solar panels. We recycle glass, metal, some plastics, paper and cardboard.

Before you throw something in the rubbish BE SURE IT CANNOT GO IN ONE OF THE RECYCLING BINS! There is a special container in the kitchen for exhausted batteries. Take plastic bags with you when you go shopping. Be the change you want!

PLEASE NOTE: A racial nondiscrimination policy for the selection of students, student scholarships, staff and faculty operates at this Centre.

Kissos Village & Environs

Kissos is a village of fruit trees, flowers and greenery, carved out of the forest above the seaside resort of St Yiannis, about 25 minutes from the county seat of Tsangarada.

Set in a charming position in a lovely hillside area overlooking the sea, Kissos is 25 miles/35 km (an hour and a half by local bus or Taxi) from the city and port of Volos. At an altitude of 1600 feet (515 m) Kissos village is never oppressively hot, even in August. The village is notable for its 17th Century ornate Church and its fine tavernas specialising in regional dishes.

Agios Ioannis Seaside Resort Village

With its many fish tavernas, mini markets, small hotels, rental cars, travel agent, discoteque, and three wonderful beaches, Ag. Ioannis is the centre of local tourism for the area.

A sleepy fishing village for most of the year, Ag. Ioannis comes alive in mid July for 6 weeks during the Greek tourist season.

Centre's Daily Rhythm

(may vary with certain workshop weeks

• 0730 Qi Gong, Yoga, Tai Chi (on selected weeks)
• 0800 Morning sanctuary meditation
• 0830 Breakfast
• 0915 Breakfast cleanup
• 0930 Staff Work Attunement / Community meeting
• 1000 Staff Work / Workshop Session 1
• 1330 Staff lunch / beach picnic for participants
• 1430 Beach / free time
• 1800 Kitchen and garden teams attune/second work period  (Some workshop leaders offer 1-1's at this time to guests not on rota work shifts)
• 2030 Dinner
• 2115 Dinner cleanup (KP rota)
• 2145 Healing Circle / Sharing / Individual Ad hoc Offerings

    Dinner Cleanup

800 Year Old Plane Tree at Tsangarada

This magnificant ancient tree graces the Tsangarada village square. The square is a favorite on all walking weeks and makes a fine contrast with the local beaches 500 m below.

Tent Occupancy

We have a half dozen tents and tent spaces located on the upper extended terrace. Provided that you bring your own sleeping bag, towel and pillow (if required) we offer a discount for tent occupancy: 5% to use one of our tents, 8% if you bring your own tent. We provide comfortable foam mattresses for our tents.

Please first before booking to be sure space is available.


Tent occupancy is not recommended in May or September as thunderstorms are possible during those months.

Volos and Mt Pelion

Coming through a mountain pass from the west you come upon this spectacular view of Volos and Mt Pelion looming 2000 m above the city.

Volos is Greece's sixth largest city, linked by rail to the main Athens-Thessaloniki intercity line. The Volos airport opened in 2011 and now receives flights from many continental cities via Ryan air and Air Berlin, as well as Monarch air flights from London, Gatwick and Manchester.

Xania, at the top of Mt Pelion is one of Greece's little known ski resorts.

House plan

There are seven available guest rooms in the venue hotel: one single (A), two ensuite twins (B and C), two first floor tiwns (G and H), a triple (E) and an ensuite quad (F). Room J is the office and Room D is the workshop/toolroom.

Damouhari Bay

Many workshop groups like to take an afternoon excursion to Damouhari bay, where parts of Mama Mia were filmed. A little cluster of well appointed small hotels, guest houses and tavernas have sprung up in what was once a secluded fishermen's cove.

We occasionally combine an excursion with our Tuesday evening night meal out here at Apostoli's taverna, one of the best in the area.

Meditation Sanctuary

The universal sanctuary, overlooking the sea on the upper terrace, is open 24 hr to all for quiet contemplation. There is a led meditation every morning from 8:05 until the 8:30 breakfast bell.

Sunrise as seen from the sanctuary.

Horse Riding at Tsangarada

A half hours drive from us at Tsangarada there is horse riding. €30 per hour-long ride on forest trails.

On the eastern side of the peninsula at Kali Nera you can ride right down to the sea.

Taverna Night Out

Traditionally Tuesday night we eat out at one of the local tavernas. Cost of that meal (€13-15) is not included in the basic weekly workshop/retreat price.

For those of you who are not vegetarians, this is your chance!

Hiking Trails

Mt Pelion is a walker's paradise. The mountain is criss crossed with ancient donkey tracks (kaldarini), there are incredible sea overlooks, icy waterfalls and, as you approach sea level, olive groves. Higher up, the forest trails meander through magnificant chestnut, beach and cherry trees.

We have two guided walking weeks every season, the first in June and the second in September. Generally the walks start after breakfast and often end with a picnic lunch on the beach.

Our Sister Campus at Anilio

This project began in 2001 at the "House of the Centaurs", Spiti ton Kendavron (STK), nestled in the forest near Anilio village. In 2008 we were obliged to move 3 km south to Kissos village where Kalikalos has remained.

Two years ago we were able to re-rent Spiti ton Kendavron and our group divided into two with some members moving to STK which they now run independently as the Pilion Centre.

Today the two Centres are united through a similar holistic community vision and share many resources. With its spacious grounds, extensive vegetable gardens and large covered group room STK is ideal for permaculture, ecotourism and dance workshops.