Tilos is a small Dodecanese island between Rhodes and Kos. In the cave of Charkadio remains were found of dwarf elephants, little more than a metre tall, that lived on the island until a few millennia ago: one of the most recent cases of elephants surviving in Europe, presented in the small museum at Megalo Chorio.
Tilos is also a test-bed island: hunting has been banned since 1993, and it is an excellent place for birdwatching; in 2019 a system combining wind, solar and batteries came into service to cover much of its consumption. The main town, Megalo Chorio, climbs towards a Knights' castle; Mikro Chorio, abandoned in the 1950s, is a ghost village visited on foot. A network of trails crosses the island. Beaches: Eristos, the longest, Livadia, by the port, and Plaka.
Getting there
Ferries from Rhodes, Kos and Piraeus, more frequent in summer; there is no airport.
See also Nisyros and nature in Greece.