Crete 8 days

Sea, kayak & hike

1st Day: Heraklion

Arrival at Heraklion airport; the group is met by their guide. Transfer to the hotel.

2nd Day: Chania-Paleochora (sea kayak)

Heraklion-Chania by bus, lunch in the old harbor of Chania and later in the afternoon, we leave the city of Chania and head south to Paleochora. After checking in at the hotel, we will have our first (wet!) hands-on experience with the sea kayaks through lessons on basic safety, paddling technique and sea orientation. Afterwards, we are free to explore the local beaches and dive in the crystal clear waters of the Libyan Sea.

3rd day: Paleochora-Sougia (sea kayak)

We leave Paleochora and paddle our kayaks to Sougia. On the way there we will spend some time looking at the remains of the ancient site of Lissos.

4th day: Sougia-Omalos (Hike)

We leave Sougia and the sea to walk up the Agia Irini Gorge. The path is good and the scenery beautiful, quite different from that of the previous days. We arrive at the top of the gorge (600 m) for lunch. Afterwards, the minibus brings us to Omalos in the White Mountains, where we will spend the night. (4 hours hiking)

5th day: Omalos-Agia Roumeli (hike)

The first part of the walk at Xyloskalo is the steepest, but the path is very well constructed; soon (after 1 hour) we reach the bottom of the gorge and follow the river-bed. We can stop to eat our packed lunch by the river. After 6 hours of walking, we reach the village of Agia Roumeli where we will spend the night. There is plenty of time for swimming or just resting on the beach. (5-6 hours)

6th day: Agia Roumeli-Loutro (sea kayak)

Today we paddle our kayaks from Agia Roumeli to Loutro, leaving early.

7th day: Loutro-Sfakia (sea kayak)

We go by kayak from Loutro to Sfakia, stopping on the way to swim at the Sweet Water beach. From Sfakia, an old village situated against the backdrop of the tall peaks of the White Mountains, the minibus brings us back to Heraklion.

8th day: Heraklion

The last opportunity to explore the city of Heraklion. Transfer to the airport for the flight home.

TRIP DETAILS

Insurance: Participants should be covered by their own personal travel-health insurance and prior to the trip. The personal insurance must at least cover medical expenses as well as air rescue and the cost of repatriation.

DreamVillas Crete is not responsible for any accidents or mishaps directly or indirectly related to the tour.
(See Terms & Conditions)

Period: From April to October 2021.

Transportation: We travel by our own mini-bus, which leaves us to walk and continues, with our baggage, to the next place where we will stay for the night.

Accommodation: Hotels in the cities, village pensions throughout the trip (all with private facilities).
The trip prices are based on double occupancy.

Food: Every morning we have breakfast in the hotels, picnic lunch en route and dinner at a local restaurant. (Vegetarians are welcome on the trips)

Group Size: 4-14 participants.

Difficulty Level: Hike (2) ,The hikes offer a moderate trek with a maximum of 5-6 hours walk on rocky terrain. Participants should be in good physical condition with a little
Kayak (2) of experience.

PRICE

930€ / person

Required equipment

Daypack (approx. 20 lt.)
Trekking shoes
Waterproof jacket
Fleece
Water bottle
Hat
Sun cream
Sunglasses
Swimming suit

Price includes

All accommodations
All meals from breakfast on day 2 through breakfast on day 8
All picnic lunches
Group transfers from and to the airport
All transportations throughout the trip, luggage transportations
Services of the tour leader - guide
Entrance fees in the National Park (Samaria gorge) and Agia Irini gorge
All kayak equipment (single or double kayak, life vest, paddle)
All taxes and VAT.

Not included

Airfare to and from Crete
Personal travel-health insurance
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
Personal expenses
Entrance fees in Museums and other sites of interest that are not included in the program

Booking Policy

Deposit 12% to confirm the booking
All accounts to be cleared up on the arrival on Crete

Cancellation Policy

Due to COVID - 19 unpredictable circumstances, we offer a full refund for any cancellation up to 5 days before the scheduled trip.

reviews

Dear all the moms or dads - by Jessica Greenbaum -

Dear moms or dads, out there scrolling the internet looking for a perfect family vacation: you should stop here. Alpine will take you on a trip that is nothing less than a privilege in its beauty and delights, and they will make it luxuriously easy, less expensive and less mentally taxing than going yourselves. Our daughters (ages 9 and 13) have traveled with us all their lives and this was the first time I didn't have to do anything other than have a gloriously beautiful, fun, deeply satisfying trip. All of us did. We kayaked the Libyan Sea and hiked the gorges of southwestern Crete, all at an ideal pace. We were so often by ourselves in heavenly surroundings --wild thyme wafting through the air as we paddled in see-through aquamarine water, we had to stop for a reality check. We knew we were seeing all the most wonderful places and were being led by a guide who knew them thoroughly and loved them too. Dave, our guide, was the perfect teacher and raconteur; the food--we ate every meal outside for 10 days!--was what you dream of--real, fresh, Greek. When we had to reschedule our entire trip, George did it for us without blinking an eye; when my daughter got sick, he arranged for a ferry. Wherever Alpine is going we want to follow.

Nice people, we met there - by Gilles -

We are back in Paris with lots of nice souvenirs from Creta, and memories of the nice people, we met there. Anyway, I want to let you know that we all 6 have been very touched by your hospitality. The 4 girls can't stop asking when do we plan to go back.

I could have written pages and pages about the wonderful flowers - by Daphne & Mike Murray -

Dear George, a very big thank you, to you and Dave and Laurent of course, for organizing our trip in Crete. We had a brilliant time and loved the walks especially the Aradena gorge… I could have written pages and pages about the wonderful flowers and the ancient olive trees (mike's specialty), the lovely temple at Lissos and our exciting diversions up precipitous roads to unheard of villages where the raki is really quite nice.

One of the best trips of my life - by Randi -

I just wanted to drop a line because my mother and I just returned from Crete yesterday. It was one of the best trips of my life! Our local guide was unbelievably fantastic. We had a great group and the whole trip was phenomenal. The best part, though, was the connection that our guide had to the local people everywhere we went and the locals were some of the kindest, most interesting people I have ever met. This allowed our entire group to really, truly experience how Cretans live. Thanks for a wonderful time!!!