What is the alternative to riding up?

The cable car: three minutes, a few euro each way, cash preferred. Or the 588 steps on foot, which is fine downhill and hard work uphill in summer.

How many steps are there at the old port?

588 between the old port and Fira, climbing about 220 metres, and roughly 300 between Oia and Ammoudi.

Are the donkeys in the villages treated the same way?

No. Inland at Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio they are farm animals working ordinary hours on flat ground in the vineyards, which is what they were bred for.

Is walking up the 588 steps a good idea?

Downhill yes, uphill in summer no. There is no shade, temperatures pass thirty-five degrees and you share the path with the animals.

How can visitors help?

Do not ride, do not share ride photographs as a recommendation, report visible sores or overloading, support a sanctuary rather than the trade, and tell your cruise line's excursion desk.

Santorini Private Guided Tour Archives - SANTORINI PRIVATE GUIDED TOURS

Q: Are the Santorini donkeys treated cruelly?

Heat, hard stone, repeated climbs, overloading and poorly fitted tack are documented by welfare organisations and mainstream press. As a local operator our position is that visitors should take the cable car instead.

Q: What is the weight limit for a donkey in Greece?

A fifth of the animal's own body weight, roughly 100 kilograms for a typical animal, under Greek law since 2018, along with requirements for shade, water and rest.

Q: Can a vehicle collect me from the old port?

No. There is no road to the old port. The cable car, the steps and the animals are the only three ways up, which is why drivers meet cruise guests at the top of the cable car in Fira.

Q: Has anything improved for the Santorini donkeys?

Yes. Since the 2018 law and the 2019 press coverage, tack and working hours are better than they were. Enforcement on a busy August day with several cruise ships in remains the weak point.

Why You Must Reconsider Before Riding a Donkey in Santorini

The Santorini donkeys work the 588 steps between the old port and Fira, carrying cruise passengers up 220 metres of unshaded cliff. Greek law has capped the load at a fifth of the animal’s body weight since 2018. Santorini Tours is a local operator and we ask you to take the cable car instead.

Residents of the island Santorini, Greece, make their best for visitors to have a great time. However, they are well asking all of us quit doing one point: Riding Santorini’s donkeys up 600-foot cliffs.

The island partnered with the cruise-line industry to release a new campaign entitled, “in their hooves” to enlighten travellers on the physical as well as mental stress put on the donkeys as they climb up the steep hillsides with human beings on their backs.

The campaign was initially introduced after locals observed the increasing number of donkeys suffering back injuries, saddle sores, as well as exhaustion. Instead of hiring donkeys, book a Santorini Private Guided Tour and relax in the comfort of an air-conditioned mini bus.

Useful initiative that have been taken in Santorini

Santorini also took the unprecedented step to make it prohibited for proprietors of the donkeys to allow animals to bring more than 220 pounds of either humans or freight. That weight restriction, is about one-fifth of the donkey’s weight.

You can take a tour of Santorini! Fortunately, the donkeys are not the only means up the steep hillsides of Santorini. There are also two other means of ascension. Travellers can walk the hill up on foot, or by cable auto.

Officials and also project supervisors are really hoping the brand-new “in their hooves” effort will certainly make visitors reconsider before riding donkeys. So, next time you’re in the gorgeous island of Santorini, possibly ensure to pack a comfortable set of footwear and hoof it up the mountainside on your own.

There is always another option to take. If you are not the kind of athletic person you can book a Santorini Impressive Caldera Private Tour.

See more about Santorini Private Tours:

Santorini Donkeys: What You Need to Know

The Santorini donkeys work the 588 steps between the old port and Fira, carrying cruise passengers up 220 metres of cliff in temperatures that regularly pass thirty-five degrees. Greek law has set a weight limit since 2018 – a donkey may carry no more than a fifth of its own body weight, roughly 100 kilograms – and enforcement is inconsistent.

We are a local operator and we do not recommend riding the Santorini donkeys. The cable car takes three minutes, costs a few euro, and is the answer for essentially everybody. This page explains why, what has and has not changed, and what to do instead.

Why Are There Santorini Donkeys on the Cliff at All?

Because for most of the island’s history there was no other way, and the Santorini donkeys were the only freight network there was. The old port sits at the foot of a sheer cliff with no road to it – there is still no road – and everything that came ashore, from wine barrels to building stone to people, went up those steps on the back of an animal.

The steps themselves date from the late nineteenth century. The Santorini donkeys and their mules were the island’s freight network, and the men who worked them were called agogiates. That is genuine history, and nobody sensible disputes that the animals belong to the story of this island.

The cable car arrived in 1979 and made the Santorini donkeys unnecessary almost overnight. a gift from a shipowning family, and made the animals unnecessary for transport almost overnight. What kept them on the cliff was tourism: a donkey ride up became a thing cruise passengers did, and the trade reorganised itself around carrying people rather than cargo.

That is the distinction that matters. Working animals on this island are not the problem. Two million cruise passengers a year, arriving in the hottest months, are.

What Is the Welfare Problem?

Several things at once, and they compound. Each is documented, and together they are why the Santorini donkeys attract the attention they do.

Weight. This is the core of the Santorini donkeys problem. Cruise passengers are, on average, considerably heavier than the loads these animals evolved to carry. The legal limit is a fifth of the animal’s body weight. Investigations by welfare groups have repeatedly documented riders well above it.

Heat. The steps face west and are unshaded. Surface temperatures on the stone in July are far above air temperature, and the animals work through the middle of the day because that is when the ships are in.

No rest and no water. On a five-ship day the Santorini donkeys go up and down repeatedly with short turnarounds. the animals go up and down repeatedly with short turnarounds. Access to shade and water at the top and bottom has been a recurring criticism.

Tack and sores. Ill-fitting saddles on animals working long days cause open wounds, particularly on the spine and girth. This is the single most photographed part of the problem.

Hard surfaces. Continuous work on worn stone damages hooves and joints over time.

Age and retirement. There is no formal retirement system for the Santorini donkeys, and older animals often keep working.

None of this is a secret and none of it is contested by serious people on the island. The disagreement is about enforcement, not about the facts.

Has Anything Actually Changed?

Yes, some things have changed for the Santorini donkeys, and it is worth being accurate about which.

2018: the weight law. Greece introduced rules capping the load on a working equid at a fifth of its body weight and requiring shade, water and rest. This was aimed squarely at the Santorini donkeys and the equivalent trade on other islands.

2019: international coverage. The Santorini donkeys reached a global audience. The Guardian and several welfare organisations published investigations, and the story reached a large audience. Some operators improved tack and shortened working hours.

Since then: mixed. Conditions on the steps are better than they were a decade ago. Enforcement on a five-ship day in August is still thin, and welfare groups continue to document overloading.

What has not changed. The economics that keep the Santorini donkeys on the steps. As long as passengers pay to ride up, animals will be on the steps. This is one of the rare travel problems where the visitor genuinely decides the outcome.

What Should You Do Instead?

Three alternatives to the Santorini donkeys, all of them better.

The cable car

Three minutes, a few euro each way, and it runs from early morning until late evening in season. The queue is the only drawback: up to an hour when several ships are in, and often worse on the way down when they all leave together. Take cash. This is the answer for almost everybody.

The steps, on foot

588 of them, zig-zagging up 220 metres, shared with the Santorini donkeys. Downhill is manageable in decent shoes. Uphill in August, unshaded, is genuinely hard work and you will be sharing the path with the animals and what they leave on it. Do it early or not at all.

Do not land there at all

If your ship is one of the few sent to Athinios rather than the caldera anchorage, there is a road and no cliff to climb. Nothing to decide.

What we do

We meet cruise guests at the top of the cable car in Fira, so the Santorini donkeys never enter the day. because no vehicle can reach the old port – there is no road. The day is planned backwards from your all-aboard time, and no animal is involved at any point. Shore excursion · Cruise guide.

Should You Ride One?

Our answer is no, and we will give you the reasoning rather than the slogan.

The ride takes about twenty minutes and costs more than the cable car. It is not comfortable, the path is narrow and steep, and a good number of riders describe it as frightening rather than charming. You are on an animal that has done the same climb several times already that day.

If you weigh more than about a fifth of the animal’s body weight – and most adults do – you are over the legal limit before the ride begins. That is not a judgement about you. It is arithmetic, and it is why the law exists.

There is also a practical point that gets lost in the argument about the Santorini donkeys that gets lost in the welfare argument: it is simply a worse way up. Three minutes in a cable car with a view of the whole caldera beats twenty minutes on a stone stair looking at the back of an animal’s head.

If you want to be near the Santorini donkeys that are genuinely working animals, the inland villages still have them, doing what they were bred for, at a walking pace, on flat ground.

What About Donkeys Elsewhere on the Island?

Not all of the Santorini donkeys work the cliff, and the distinction matters.

The Ammoudi steps. Three hundred steps down from Oia to the fishing harbour, with animals working them in the same way. Smaller trade, same issues, same answer: walk down, and take the road back up if your knees object. Oia.

The villages. These are the Santorini donkeys nobody argues about. Inland, in Pyrgos, Megalochori, Emporio and the farms between them, donkeys and mules still work the vineyards and carry loads through lanes no vehicle can enter. These are working farm animals living ordinary working lives, and there is nothing wrong with them. Pyrgos · Emporio.

Sanctuaries and rescue. There are donkey welfare projects on the island and in Greece more widely that take retired and injured animals. If you care about this, that is where your money does something.

The photograph problem. Not every image labelled as the Santorini donkeys is one. A great deal of what circulates online about Santorini donkeys is genuine. Some of it is old, some is from other islands, and some is from Greek mainland trades entirely. Being accurate helps the argument rather than weakening it.

How Can You Help?

Do not ride. This is the whole thing. The Santorini donkeys trade exists because there is demand for it. The trade exists because there is demand.

Do not photograph a ride as a recommendation. A cheerful picture of a donkey ride reaches more people than any welfare campaign.

Report what you see. Visible sores, animals working without water, or obvious overloading can be reported to Greek animal welfare organisations and to the port authority.

Support a sanctuary rather than the trade.

Tell your cruise line that the Santorini donkeys excursion is not one you want offered. Excursion desks respond to passenger feedback faster than legislators do.

Take the cable car and say why. Quietly, without lecturing the handlers, who are working people in a trade their families have run for generations and who are not the villains of this story.

Santorini Donkeys: Frequently Asked Questions

Can you still ride the Santorini donkeys? Yes. The trade operates on the 588 steps between the old port and Fira, and on the Ammoudi steps below Oia. It is legal, regulated by weight limits since 2018, and inconsistently enforced.

Are the Santorini donkeys treated cruelly? The conditions – heat, hard stone, repeated climbs, overloading and poorly fitted tack – are well documented by welfare organisations and by mainstream press. Our position, as a local operator, is that you should take the cable car.

What is the weight limit? A fifth of the animal’s body weight, roughly 100 kilograms for a typical animal, under Greek law since 2018.

How much does a donkey ride cost? More than the cable car, for a twenty-minute climb rather than a three-minute one.

What is the alternative? The cable car, three minutes, a few euro, cash preferred. Or the 588 steps on foot, which is fine downhill and hard work up.

How many steps are there? 588 between the old port and Fira, and about 300 between Oia and Ammoudi.

Can a vehicle collect me from the old port? No. There is no road. The cable car, the steps and the animals are the only three ways up, which is why drivers meet cruise guests at the top.

Are the Santorini donkeys in the villages treated the same way? No. Inland they are farm animals working normal hours on flat ground, which is what they were bred for.

Has anything improved for the Santorini donkeys? Yes, since 2018 and 2019. Tack and hours are better than they were. Enforcement on a busy August day is still the weak point.

Is walking up the steps a good idea? Downhill yes, uphill in summer no. No shade, thirty-five degrees, and you are sharing the path with the animals.

Skip the Steps Entirely

If you are arriving by cruise ship, the simplest version of the day involves no animals and no decision: first tender ashore, straight into the cable car before the queue builds, and a driver waiting at the top in Fira with your name on a board.

We plan the day backwards from your all-aboard time and have you back at the cable car ninety minutes before it, because the queue down is worse than the queue up. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms the date.

See the shore excursion, the full list of tours, or the FAQ.

Every Village and Site on the Island

Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.

Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes

Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia

Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi

Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port

All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour

Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog

Santorini is a citizen of the world and a dream destination for many people and you can explore the island with Santorini Private Tours. It is no coincidence that for many people on the planet it is a lifelong dream to travel to Santorini. Many even spend a lot of money to be able to see the Caldera up close and enjoy the famous sunset from there. So surely something makes this place unique for the visitor.

However, not a little has been written about this unique place which is the creation of one of the most dangerous volcanoes on our planet. Consider that around 1600 BC, when it exploded, an entire civilization disappeared at once. There are many who believe that the lost Atlantis may have been buried under the lava of this volcano once and for all.

Its ideal location, its special morphology, the uniqueness of gastronomy, the strong character of its hotels but also the correct and highly professional utilization of all the above by businessmen have turned Santorini into a trendsetter of luxury tourism worldwide. Loud hotel openings, gastronomic concepts by award-winning chefs, gourmet street food are things that happen in Santorini in the summer.

Do not miss the famous sunset of Oia

The route from Imerovigli to Oia is about nine kilometers and as it runs through the beautiful landscapes of Santorini with the cliffs, the volcanic rocks, the white chapels, the restored windmills, it literally wins the impressions.

Oia is world famous for its unique sunset. Oia is divided into two neighborhoods. One is on the side of the caldera with the restored caves that are hidden in the volcanic land and is the area where the farmers and sailors of the island lived. The other is the neighborhood where most of the shipowners ‘neoclassical residences and captains’ houses are located.

Even today, Oia, despite its tourist development, maintains a nostalgic atmosphere. It is worth visiting the Maritime Museum where objects from the maritime history of the island are exhibited, as well as an important collection of books. Remarkable are the nearby traditional villages Tholos and Finikia. Descending from Oia the 214 steps, you will find the coves Ammoudi and Armeni.

Taste the special local cuisine of Santorini

Santorini is famous for its fava beans, , its excellent tomato, white eggplant, its tomato meatballs and of course for the fishes. It will impress you that what is produced on the island is smaller than normal due to lack of water but this means that they are all much more rich in elements and taste. Of course, all the food you will try, make sure to accompany them with one of the wines of the island to take off the delicious experience.

Some special local recipes of the island to try are the koufeto, the melitinia, the Santorini pudding, the sponge, the psarolia, the atherinopita, the and the rabbit. Also, do not forget to try the local salad of the island, which combines plenty of capers with all the local products of the island. You can have a Santorini Private Tour and Food Experience with us!

Ideal island for extreme sports

After last year’s summer, Santorini welcomes the new season with more and more intriguing activities than ever. Only a diving enthusiast can understand the uniqueness of the experience of becoming part of this wonderful aquatic world. In Santorini you will feel this many times over, since at the same time there is the peculiarity of the seabed, the volcanic rocks and the awe from the bottom of the caldera. In Santorini you will find many activities to do such as hiking, kayaking, sailing, water sports and more. You can take a tour of Santorini!

Admire the beautiful villages of the island

The capital of the island is Fira, which are built on the Caldera, 260 meters above sea level and have a wonderful view of the clear blue waters of the Aegean. Also, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia stretch along the caldera and will enchant you, each in its own unique way. The settlement of Oia is the first in Greece that was considered preserved, as it looks like a work of art, which is natural and has no human intervention, since its rocks were sculpted and carved in a unique way from the lava of the volcano.

In the village of Akrotiri, which is about 10 km from Fira, there is the most important discovery of the Eastern Mediterranean that concerns the prehistoric settlement that was first inhabited in 4500 BC. Pyrgos is a jewel village and a pole of attraction for many tourists who seek tranquility and natural beauty. It is 5-10 minutes from Fira and is the most beloved village of the island, as in 1800 it was the capital of Santorini and to this day it retains the glamor of the past. The highest peak of the island is located in this village, in the church of Profitis Ilias, from where you can see the most beautiful view of the island and the sunset.

Still, Megalochori seems like a painting with its sculpted rocky houses and incredible tranquility. There are also many wineries that you can visit. Also, you can visit the windmills on the hill of Gavriilos that especially at night with shaving look extremely romantic. Book a Santorini Full Day Private Tour now.

See rare finds in the museums of the island

A visit to the museum of Prehistoric Thira but also to the archeological site is like a dive into the long history of the island. The first houses finds from excavations in Akrotiri, such as furniture molds, bronze utensils and the only golden chamois figurine.

The Archaeological Museum has collections of sculptures and inscriptions from the Archaic to the Roman period. Excavations have revealed parts of an advanced settlement of the 3rd millennium BC buried in the ashes of the great eruption of the volcano (15th century BC). It is considered one of the most important prehistoric centers of the Aegean and the Mediterranean.