Walking in Crete

Our Crete walking tour starts in Chania, a beautiful old Venetian walled town, with a bustling harbour and lively tavernas. For those arriving in time, our tour leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm and, for those that wish, there'll be the chance to go out for dinner. Due to the number of evening flights into Chania, our tour leader plans to hold the welcome meeting on the morning of day two. A note will be left in the hotel reception with details or timings and anything else you'll need for the day. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Chania at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive at Chania International Airport (CHQ) which is around a 20-minute drive from the hotel. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to stroll along the narrow streets to the Venetian harbour and along the harbour wall to the Lighthouse. There are plenty of waterfront restaurants where you can sample a selection of Cretan meze, too.

This morning, we'll take a walking tour around Chania. We'll walk around the harbour, lined with pastel-coloured buildings and through the winding back streets, home to the traditional cobblers who make the traditional Cretan leather boots. This afternoon, we'll take a bus up the winding roads to the Omalos Plateau (1,082 metres/3,550 feet). This wild plateau is situated in the middle of the massive White Mountains, poised on the edge of a titanic split in the rock and the gateway to the longest and perhaps most beautiful ravine in Europe, the Samaria Gorge. The isolation of the plateau made it a historic refuge for Cretan revolutionaries against the Turks. Today's 2 kilometre/1.2 mile walk is expected to take around 1.5 hours along a flat route.

Today, we'll walk through this spectacular gorge. To make the complete descent to the fishing village of Agia Roumeli, it might take us anywhere between six to eight hours. We'll follow a steep zig-zag path, some 760 meters/2,494 feet down into the gorge itself, past high cypress trees and alpine shrubs - and if we're very lucky - we might catch a glimpse of the wild Cretan Ibex (Kri Kri) leaping from ledge to ledge. Although the river dries to a trickle in the midsummer, there will still be some stretches of water that we'll need to cross using stepping stones. After walking for roughly three hours from the entrance at Xiliskalo, we'll stop at the now uninhabited village of Samaria, where the Venetian Church of Holy Mary with its old Byzantine mosaics and inscription over the front door can be seen. After passing below the Church of Aphendis Christos, we'll hike through the narrowest part of the gorge, the sidheroportes (the 'iron gates', only four metres/13 feet wide, but over 350 metres/1,148 feet high), and continue along the rocky riverbed into the small village of Agia Roumeli. Tonight, we'll stay in a family-run property located on the beach of Agia Roumeli. The rooms are simply furnished with en-suite bathrooms and air-conditioning. If you've worked up an appetite, the taverna is open all day, serving up delicious Cretan food. Today's 15 kilometre/9.3 mile walk is expected to take around 6.5 hours with 1,250 metres/4,100 feet of descent. If the Samaria Gorge is closed due to weather, we'll take an alternative route, walking down Agia Irini Gorge to Sougia and then taking a boat from Sougia to Agia Roumeli.

Today, we'll take a beautiful walk along the coast. Following the well-marked cliff path, we'll walk through pine woods, passing by secluded beaches. At Ayios Pavlos, we'll see an old chapel situated on a ledge above the water, built on the spot that Saint Paul is said to have first arrived at in Crete. Inside the somewhat crumbling facade are frescos dating to the thirteenth century. For those who would prefer not to walk today, there's the option to have a relaxing morning in Roumeli before taking the ferry to Loutro (not included). Today's 15 kilometre/9.3 mile walk is expected to take around 5.5 hours with 275 metres/902 feet of ascent and descent.

This quaint seashore village, perched on craggy rocks and nestled in a cove, gives us the opportunity to experience life in a less accessible part of the island. We'll spend the day here, perhaps taking a walk along the coast or inland, swimming or simply relaxing. An optional boat trip by water taxi can often be arranged to Marmara or Finix beach. Alternatively, you might prefer something more active such as a full day or half-day walk behind the village, up to the historic village of Anopolis or perhaps down the Aradena Gorge. In the evening, you might like to try freshly caught seafood in one of the local restaurants. Today's optional 12 kilometre/7.5 mile walk is expected to take around 5 hours.

Today we'll get the ferry along the coast to Chora Sfakion, a pleasant coastal village with just a few hundred inhabitants and an old reputation as a lair of brigands, smugglers, and pirates. The Sfakians cherish their independence and see themselves as Sfakians first, Cretans second and Greeks third. As a rallying point for revolutionaries, there are many sea caves in the area which were used as great hiding places during disputes. We'll then journey by bus to Zaros in the rugged Idi Mountains. We'll pause en route at Preveli cliff-top monastery. Perched high above the sea, its fame was capped in World War Two when the monks sheltered allied troops who were stranded on the island after the Battle of Crete and helped them to escape from the beaches nearby. The views from here are magnificent. We'll also break the journey for a short while in the pretty Greek village of Spili. We plan to arrive in the village of Zaros in the early evening.

Deep in the heart of Crete are the Idi Mountains. This scenic region is particularly noted for its spring waters, which are bottled and sold throughout the island. Our primary reason for visiting Zaros is to walk in the surrounding mountains, and we'll set off after breakfast to explore the dramatic Rouvas Gorge. Local vehicles will take us to a steep rough track from where we'll descend the dramatic five-kilometre-long gorge on foot enjoying spectacular views of the Psiloritis range as we go. This afternoon is free for you to explore the surrounding area at your own pace. Located in a peaceful setting overlooking the Koutsoulidi valley, this is an ideal spot to relax. Today's 5.5 kilometre/3.4 mile walk is expected to take around 4.5 hours with 540 metres/1,772 feet of descent.

We'll leave Zaros today to drive to Heraklion Airport where our trip ends. There'll be a transfer provided to Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport (HER) today, which is around a one-hour drive from our hotel. The transfer will arrive at the airport around 11.45am, the earliest your flight can depart is 1.45pm. If you have a later flight and you'd like to explore more, you can store your luggage at the airport and take a taxi into the city.