Nea Kameni
Nea Kameni is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Santorini audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~120 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~120 min
- Santorini Santorini guide
About Nea Kameni
A black, still-steaming volcanic islet in the heart of the caldera, reached by boat and a gravel climb to craters that today only breathe fumes, not molten lava.
Nea Kameni, meaning 'New Burnt Island', is a small uninhabited volcanic islet in the centre of the Santorini caldera. It has been built up over roughly the past two millennia by repeated eruptions of dacitic lava and ash, with most of the visible island formed from 1570 onward. The Kameni islands began rising inside the flooded caldera left by the catastrophic Late Bronze Age eruption of about 1600 BCE. The most recent eruption was in 1950, and today only fumarolic steam and gas escape from the youngest craters.
Visitors arrive by boat and climb a gravel switchback to the summit, about 127 metres above the sea, where a loop of the crater rim is possible. Nea Kameni is protected as a National Geological Park. The warm springs on many volcano tours lie at neighbouring Palea Kameni, where iron- and sulfur-rich water, only mildly warm, colours the cove orange.
Did you know? Nea Kameni's last eruption was in 1950, the most recent in the whole Santorini group. Today its craters only give off fumarolic steam and gas, so there is no lava to see.
How long should you spend at Nea Kameni?
Plan about ~120 min at Nea Kameni. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Nea Kameni worth visiting?
Nea Kameni is one of the 12 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Santorini, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Santorini
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Nea Kameni and read more:
Day 2 of the Santorini in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Nea Kameni
Preview the Santorini tour free in the Gingerguide app.