There are no direct flights to Kalymnos, so you fly to Kos (airport code KGS) and finish the journey by sea. From Kos airport it is a short hop (around 7 to 8km, roughly 10 minutes, around €15 to €20 in a taxi) to the little port at Mastihari, where a passenger ferry crosses to Kalymnos in around 30 to 45 minutes for roughly £7 to £9 / €8 to €10 one way. Boats run through the day, but sailings thin out sharply outside high summer (dropping to only a few a week from roughly October to May), so check times before you fly. One important season note to set expectations: Kalymnos is a spring and autumn climbing destination, best roughly April to May and September to November; high summer is too hot to climb comfortably, so this week assumes you are here in one of those windows. Book flights →

The ferry lands at Pothia, the main town; from there it is about €15 in a taxi (or a local bus from the station near the town hall) up the west coast to Massouri, the climbers' hub, with the widest choice of tavernas, mini-markets and self-catering studios. If you want somewhere quieter but still on foot from the crags, Armeos sits just to the north and Myrties just to the south, where the small boats to Telendos leave. Search hotels →

Most sectors are a short ride and a short walk from Massouri, so pick up wheels for the week: a 50cc scooter runs from around €12 to €15 a day and is easiest for one or two climbers travelling light, while a small car (nearer €30 a day) makes sense for three or four, though note that parking at the popular crags is tight and cannot take many cars. While you are out, buy the current local Kalymnos guidebook and topo from one of the climbing shops on the strip; it is the single most useful thing you will carry all week.

Ease in with dinner at one of the tavernas along the main road, most of which look west across the water to the pyramid of Telendos. The sunset here, with the light dropping behind the islet, is the island's signature end to the day and a good moment to reset before an early start.