Pan Expeditions

Who they are

Pan Expeditions is a small outdoor-activities company in Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, based at the site of Mitikas, on the edge of the city towards Aria. It is run by Alex, guide and head of the outings, who spent eight years in the United Kingdom studying and training in wilderness skills before returning to Greece; he has experience in rafting, sea kayaking, mountains and treks. Working with him are Dimitra, who runs the office and customer service and is from Epidaurus, and Marianthi, who cooks on the outings and gives the cooking class. The website does not give the year of founding. Its idea is to blend outdoor activity with the history and mythology of the Argolid.

Qualifications and safety

Alex is a sea kayak guide and coach qualified by Paddle UK, the British canoeing federation, and has Wilderness Medical Training's remote first-aid training and the British Canoe safety and rescue course. The company says it follows the guidelines of those bodies and of the international adventure tourism association, and has insurance for personal and property damage; they show the policy if asked. The website does not publish a registration number with the Greek tourism body.

What they offer

Its main activity is sea kayaking for people without experience, in two areas: below the walls and castles of Nafplio, and in Epidaurus bay, over the remains of the sunken ancient city. There are short four-hour trips and long six-hour ones, with the kayak, life jacket, dry bag and snorkelling gear included, and a seven-day expedition by kayak for groups of six to twelve. On land they organise a cooking class with lunch or dinner, a guided visit of Nafplio's old town and a treasure hunt through its streets. Groups range from two people to about thirty on day trips.

The meeting points depend on the outing: the starting beach in Nafplio or Epidaurus for kayaking, their base for cooking and Nafplio's Land Gate for the walking tours. When booking you can ask for transport.

Ages and requirements

They set no general minimum age, although in kayaking they admit children from 6 in a double kayak with an adult. Minors must go with an adult or with written permission from their parents. All participants must be healthy, reasonably fit and able to swim. For safety reasons, such as the weather, they may change the equipment or the plan.

Booking and cancellation

You book with the form on its website, stating a preferred date and an alternative, or by phone on +30 697 991 5340 and +30 693 604 6484, and by email at [email protected]. For day trips a 25% deposit is paid, and the rest can be paid in cash afterwards. With the deposit paid, cancelling with eight days or more refunds the deposit and with less it is lost. If everything has been paid, it is refunded in full up to seven days before, half between seven days and 48 hours, and nothing after that. The website is in English and does not say in which languages they guide.