Walking holiday in Crete
| country: | Greece |
| location: | Crete |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 19 May, 26 May, 2 Jun, 9 Jun, 25 Aug, 1 Sep, 8 Sep, 15 Sep, 22 Sep 2010: 18 May, 25 May, 1 Jun, 8 Jun, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep |
| price: | From £699 - £749 (8 days) including UK flights, from £359 - £379 excluding flights. Local payment €130. Optional single supplement £75, and single trip insurance £29. This trip can also be booked without flights. |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Steering clear of the main tourist areas, this holiday offers that very special magic of Crete - small simple villages tucked away along the coast and in the wild mountains, isolated beaches, secluded coves and giant gorges. We plan to hike the Samaria Gorge and meander along the warm south-west coastal beaches, staying in villages, enjoying the simple life and fabulous seafood.
We arrive in Crete at the old Venetian harbour-town of Khania (where Zorba the Greek was filmed). After traversing mountain roads, we begin our walk following hill trails on the Omalos Plateau (1100m), where traditional goat-herds tend their flocks. From here we descend the winding and awesome canyon of Samaria - Europe's longest and most spectacular gorge (6-8 hour hike) - to emerge at the old fishing village of Ayia Roumeli, where we board the ferry to Loutro.
Two days are then spent hiking along this dramatic stretch of coast, sculpted by deep ravines and dotted with old castles, ruined churches and forts. We discover secluded coves and sandy beaches, and perhaps make a sortie along ancient pathways to the Aradhena Gorge. Finally, we base ourselves in the lively Cretan village of Zaros (640m) - a thriving agricultural community in the foothills of the Idi Mountains. Here we visit a friendly working monastery and hike through the spectacular ravines and canyons, before ending at the capital, Iraklion.
We arrive in Crete at the old Venetian harbour-town of Khania (where Zorba the Greek was filmed). After traversing mountain roads, we begin our walk following hill trails on the Omalos Plateau (1100m), where traditional goat-herds tend their flocks. From here we descend the winding and awesome canyon of Samaria - Europe's longest and most spectacular gorge (6-8 hour hike) - to emerge at the old fishing village of Ayia Roumeli, where we board the ferry to Loutro.
Two days are then spent hiking along this dramatic stretch of coast, sculpted by deep ravines and dotted with old castles, ruined churches and forts. We discover secluded coves and sandy beaches, and perhaps make a sortie along ancient pathways to the Aradhena Gorge. Finally, we base ourselves in the lively Cretan village of Zaros (640m) - a thriving agricultural community in the foothills of the Idi Mountains. Here we visit a friendly working monastery and hike through the spectacular ravines and canyons, before ending at the capital, Iraklion.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Khania via Athens |
| Day 2: | In Khania, walking tour; short drive to Omalos |
| Day 3: | Walk in White Mountains |
| Day 4: | Hike through Samaria Gorge to Ayia Roumeli (6-8hrs); ferry to Loutro. |
| Day 5: | In Loutro village; optional walk in Aradhena Gorge |
| Day 6: | Boat Khora Sfakion; drive via Preveli monastery to Zaros |
| Day 7: | In Zaros village; walk in Zaros Gorge |
| Day 8: | Drive Iraklion; fly London via Athens. |
travellers' tales
The highlight was the group-- a great bunch; and the scenery (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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All accommodation is locally owned and in which you experience great food, most of which is sourced locally, and lovely wine. This not only provides direct employment within the hotel, but also has the effect of percolating money beyond to small businesses that supply the hotel and in this way money is spread throughout the region we visit.
Our Tour Leaders are trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. Minimising our impact by exploring on foot means that this tour operates in a very eco-friendly way. Donations given on optional sightseeing visits to the monasteries around Zaros means that we are helping maintain these local churches, whilst taking the optional sea-kayaking at Loutro supports local people located in a very much out-of-the-way location and who depend upon tourism for their survival. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |