WALKING through the Cretan landscape…

Walking is the best way to discover Crete and its people. Especially in the spring is going on feet a relaxing and healthy experience. The country is so full of colours that your eyes will never get tired from this variety. The dry hot summers bring our botanic beauties of Crete into a summer sleep, but the first species awake in the spring as early as in January. That’s why we call the winter in Crete actually the springtime.

For our visitors we have created a varied walking program with or without a specialized guide. You can receive our detailed booklet with nice routes and find your own way. For small groups but also individuals we have multi lingual guides available that will bring you to the areas that are interesting for walks. On small Sheppard and donkey trails the guides lead you along gorges, ancient villages or hike up to the mountains. In each tour you may experience the local hospitality and stories and enjoy a local lunch. Walking tours can be made to our visitors requirements, which means even if you like a short half day tour it can all be arranged.

To give you an impression of our walking program, we describe here briefly 7 of the walks we make during the spring & summer.

• SAMARIA GORGE (from May until November)
  This is by far the most famous gorge of Crete and with its 11 miles also the longest in Europe. We recommend making an early start, because in the summer the heat in the gorge can be very hot, there for its good if you passed the gorge halfway before noon. We in the prefecture Rethymno start with the transfer from our guest at 5-6 am. Than the coach will bring us in about 2 hours to the entrance where we can have breakfast before we start the walk. The first 3 miles, you’ll descent very steeply from the mountain and for people with very “soft” knees, this will hurt for sure. The remaining 9 miles go through a dry riverbed, but sometimes it appears not to be dry, and you’ll cross it. The path that you’ll walk is far from normal, but it’s mainly with stones and pebbles, so forget about your Sunday beach-or country walks. At the end of the gorge is the village Agia Roumeli, from where the ferries leave to Chora Sfakion and Paleochora. From here the participators will be brought back to their hotels in about 2 hours.
  A good physical condition, walking experience, good walking shoes, bring food and drinks, all this is necessary to make the Samaria Gorge a real success. Walking time approx. 6-7 hours, you can do it in 5 hours, but than you’ll probably see nothing of all the beauties in the gorge.
  
  
  
   
• IMBROS GORGE
  This gorge is on the eastern edges of the Lefka Ori, the mountainous area on the west of Crete in which we find also the famous Samaria gorge that is closed from November until May for security reasons. Therefore the Imbros gorge is a good alternative and you’ll discover that maybe it’s even better than his famous brother. We start with a ride by bus or taxi from your Hotel or Apartment to the village Imbros, lying at an altitude of about 600 meter. Here is the entrance of the gorge which is open all year. The walk is fairly easy and especially in the spring time you will see and smell the flourishing flowers and herbs. Sheppard’s use the gorge as a gateway from the mountains to the southern coastline, so be not afraid to find their herd on your way. Four fantastic small gates are in the gorge and a beautiful natural tunnel. Your guide will tell you stories about the gorge, point you out the botanic beauties and explain them. We close the tour with a typical lunch in the village Chora Sfakion, the place where the last English soldiers left in World War 2. Than the bus or taxi will bring you home. The walk is 8 Km. and it take 2-3 hours and good foot wear is necessary.
   
• ARADENA GORGE
  One of the more spectacular gorges on Crete is the Aradena, the neighbour from the famous Samaria. Distance is 11 km, 7 miles and because of the construction of a new path, without ladders and steep parts it’s a very comfortable walk which is possible all year.
  We bring you first by bus to the village Anopolis, high in the White mountains. Here we have breakfast before we continue for the deserted village of Aradena, where we descend in the gorge. Dramatic rocks, caves are on our way and we end at the beach of St.Paul. From here we walk a short coastal route to Loutro, the village on the south were we can only come on foot or by boat. The last transportation we use in the summer, but in springtime we walk another 4 Km, to reach the outskirts of Chora Sfakion, where the bus will pick us up.
  
   
• KOURTALIOTIKO GORGE
  This gorge lies on the south coast of Crete, near the village Plakias. We start at the springs and church of St.Nicolas. Your guide will tell you the fantastic story how the spring appeared to the monk Nicolas. Following a small foot path we come to a small plateau with lots of olive and fruit trees. We continue on the banks of the river Megalo Potami (big river) and pass by on an ancient chapel with frescos. The finale is at the famous Palm Beach of Prevelli, where with good weather we can have a swim or get a little bit of sun tan. Before going home we visit the unique Prevelli Monastery symbol of resistance and freedom for all Cretans. After this we visit the village Lefkogia where we have a real Cretan lunch The walk is about 10 Km. with normal paths but walking shoes are required.
  
   
• THE RIVER SAFARI
  The Kourtaliotiko gorge we make from June until October in a very different way, namely as a RIVER SAFARI. This adventure for young and old is something you’ll not forget for a long time in your life. We start the gorge now at the old venetian bridge, close to the old lower Prevelli Monastery (Kato Prevelli) Shortly after the bridge we enter the river with our shoes or sandals. Than we wade in de river and walk with the water up to maximum our knees. There are some deeper points, but your guide who walks in front, knows them. We make rest on some lonely and beautiful places in the gorge and pass the narrow part of the walk...........also in the river ! Once we passed this point we enter the Palmgorge of Prevelli where we see an ancient forest on both sides of the river. It’s like an oasis in the dessert and to finish this tour you can swim in the sea or river before we go home with the tourist boat Prevelli express to Plakias. Here our bus is waiting to bring us back to the hotels. Necessary are water resistant shoes like trainers or sandals, and they must be closed around your feet. Not so much luggage, but with some food, drinks and bathing clothes. We finish that you have an adventurous attitude and once you bring your teenagers they will be thankful for doing this your whole holiday.
  
   
• KATSONISI MOUNTAIN
  This mountain has its peak at 1100 meter above sea level and is about 20 Km. (13 miles) from Rethymno in the Amari valley. We designed this walk as a sunset walk, because in the evening hours Crete has the best temperatures for walking. The Bus will bring us to the starting point and we walk on a good path about 2 hours op to the highest point on the mountain. Once you arrive there you’ll enjoy the best sunset of the island. Than we return, which goes faster and we close with a typical meze dinner and good glass of wine. Good walking shoes are needed and a good physical condition.
  
   
• SAINT ANTHONY GORGE
  For us this is one of the best gorge walks in the prefecture of Rethymno. Again we bring you by mini bus or taxis to the entrance of the gorge near the village of Patsos in the Amari valley.
  The guide will introduce you at the start to the cave church of St.Anthony and tell you unbelievable stories about miracles that happened there.
  
  The first part of the gorge is a fairly easy walk with beautiful views and sometimes an eagle or falcon in the sky. Than we descend to the river bed, which in the summer is dry or very low levelled. In the winter and spring this level can be deeper and it looks like an impossible job, but we have made bridges and floating boards to get across the places where it’s to deep to walk.
  A little adventure but not too dangerous. Here we close also with a Cretan lunch before going home.
  The distance is 8 Km. and again good walking shoes are required.
  
   
• MILLI GORGE
  For our guest residing in Rethymno town or suburbs we have a very special walk just outside your holiday resort. This is the Mili Gorge and the tour starts in the old village of Chromonastery, which is about 7 Km from Rethymno. Our buss will bring us there.
  Walking on good paved paths we come to the entrance from one of the greenest gorges on Crete. In the gorge we follow the trails and sometimes we must make a little jump over a small stream. We pass over 20 Cretan watermills, a cemetery, small chapels and the deserted village, where we have a drink in the only place that is occupied, the kafeenion from Vangelis. At the end of the gorge we are almost back in Rethymno, but our buss will takes us to Sifis in Misseria, the best place in our area for the Cretan lunch.

If you want more walking ideas, go to our contact form.