Arrival at Chania Airport (CHQ) or Heraklion (HER) and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day and evening is at leisure. Overnight stay in either Chania or Heraklion, depending on your gateway airport.
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Explore the natural beauty of Crete at your own pace; one week's self guided hiking tour of the island's best locations.
START / FINISH - Chania (or Heraklion)
Activity code: CR-TR01
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate. [Participants should be in good physical condition with a bit of hiking experience.]
Duration: 8 Days
Crete’s rugged scenery is ideal for a walking holiday - gorges and mountains dominate the landscape. Crete offers an inexhaustible source of vivid impressions - tall mountains, plains with wild vegetation, small traditional villages and an incredible array of ancient palaces, particularly from the Minoan Civilisation (Knossos, Festos, Malia, Zakros).
This walking holiday is available as an individual reservation only. The itinerary includes sightseeing opportunities in Chania and Heraklion together with hiking in the White Mountains, the Samaria Gorge and many off the beaten track locations.
We include evening meals (except arrival day), opportunities for sightseeing, accommodation and transport with a fully detailed timetable, maps and route planner.
Departures
Extra Information
Accommodation
The hotels and guest houses in this itinerary are generally small, independent or family-run, properties which add significantly to your travel experience on this fascinating island. We select accommodation which has been personally inspected and experienced by our team - all hotels and guesthouses are comfortable and fully equipped with heating, en-suite bathroom/shower, air-conditioning, telephone, and television.
Suggested equipment to bring
Itinerary
If you arrived into Heraklion, you will take the bus across to Chania, a beautiful old Venetian walled town in western Crete.
If you flew into Chania you will have the morning to explore. We recommend lunch in the old harbour.
Later in the afternoon a bus will bring you to Paleochora on the south-west coast of Crete. Your hotel is close to a sandy beach, and there is plenty of time for your first swim in the Libyan Sea. Overnight Stay in Paleochora.
After breakfast you leave Paleochora to walk along the coast to Sougia following the European long distance path E4. The path ascends and descends until you reach the archeological site of Lissos. You can take some time here to admire and study the remains of this important city which was abandoned after its destruction by a powerful earthquake. Continuing on the E4 along the coast for about one hour, you'll reach the village of Sougia spending the rest of your day by the sea. Overnight stay in Sougia.
You leave Sougia and the sea and walk up through the Agia Irini Gorge along a well-made path. The scenery is beautiful and quite different from that of previous days. At the top of the gorge you can stop for lunch, and afterwards take the mini-bus to Omalos, in the White Mountains. Overnight stay in Omalos.
Today you will discover one of the most famous sites of Crete and one of the most famous gorges of the world, the Samaria Gorge. Your hike begins at Xyloskalo, which is the entrance of the gorge at an altitude of 1200 m [3937 ft]. The first part of the walk is the steepest, but the trail is well maintained and after an hour you will reach the bottom of the gorge. Following the river-bed, you will cross the gorge after a 6 hours walk and arrive at the village of Agia Roumeli by the sea. There is plenty of time for swimming or resting on the beach. Later in the afternoon you will take the ferry to Loutro where you will spend the night. Overnight stay in Loutro.
Your route today both begins and ends at Loutro. At first, you walk through old terraced fields to the hamlet of Livaniana at about 320 meters above sea-level; the view is fantastic. Then you begin the descent into the Aradena Gorge, and after reaching the bottom you will follow the dry river-bed to the sea. You can stop for lunch at Marmara beach and you can afford to spend more time there, because afterwards it is only an hour walk to Loutro. Overnight stay in Loutro.
Today you take the coastal path that climbs above Loutro to Sfakia and don't worry because it is actually not as steep as it looks. You can stop at the Sweet Water beach to swim and then walk to Sfakia, an old village against the backdrop of the tall peaks of the White Mountains. From there, a bus will bring you to Heraklion (or Chania). Overnight stay in Heraklion (or Chania).
Transfer to the airport at Chania (or Heraklion) for your return flight.
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