Swim Trek's Greek Cyclades Tour

The pace: Three miles per day, island-hopping around the Aegean Sea one swim stroke at a time.

The place: The twinkling turquoise water. Stone beaches. Sun-baked islands home only to mountain goats and monk seals. This is what the Greek Isles were before the invasion of all-night discos, jam-packed ferries, and swarms of Mamma Mia!-mad tourists. But the Little Cyclades, a scattering of tiny, mostly uninhabited islands south of Naxos, remain as untouched as ever. On Swim Trek's seven-day Greek Cyclades tour would-be mermaids and mermen can take a decidedly old-fashioned approach to immersion in Mediterranean life. You'll be swimming to islands dotted with craggy mountains, brown-sugar sand, and remote caves. After a day in the water, you'll have earned a warm, dry night in a classic white Cubist hotel and a hearty portion of moussaka at a local taverna. Just go easy on the ouzo, or you might find yourself hitching a ride on the sailboat that accompanies swimmers.

Swim Trek
Tel: 44 1273 739 713
Seven-day tours from $1,080; departures in May, June, July, and September 2011

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