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Travel
Information
First
hotel: In Chania.
Nearest
Airports: Chania, Heraklion, Athens.
From Chania (also called Hania) airport travel by taxi 15km
to the city centre. From
Heraklion either take taxi to the bus station (5 minutes), then a bus to
Chania (2 hours) and another bus to the hotel; or take a taxi all the
way (1.5 hours/£50 approx). From Athens International airport (west terminal) there are
several flights daily to Chania airport.
From Piraeus (the port of Athens) there is an overnight
ferry service to Chania (cabins available at a range of prices;
journey time 8 hours). From
the port of Chania at Soudha take the bus or taxi to the city centre.
Local time is 2 hours ahead of Britain. Transfers between airports and first and last hotels are not
included in the tour price.
End
of Tour: The tour ends on day 8 at Chora Sfakion. Return by bus to Chania (2 hours), and then taxi to airport
(15km). If travelling
by bus to Heraklion (3 hours) change buses at Vrisses, then taxi
from Heraklion to airport (3km).
Travel
options from the UK: Flights
from Gatwick to Chania or Heraklion on Tuesdays only. Charter
flights are also available from some regional airports.
Season:
May to October. Those
on full package with flights to
Chania or Heraklion, start any Tuesday from May to the last
week in October. Land-only customers can start any day.
It is normally possible for those on the full package with
charter flights from the UK to fly back one week later at no extra
cost, but this must be requested when you book the holiday. This would enable you to spend some time at a resort such
as Plakias, Georgioupolis, or Chania, and/or to visit the Minoan
archaeological sites of Knossos and Phaestos and the Heraklion
museum. A note re
swimming – the Libyan sea is deep and only warms up slowly in
the summer; don’t expect to lounge in the water in May or early
June; however by September and into October the sea is usually
delightfully warm.
Level of Difficulty
Fitness:
This trek is designed for those who enjoy good rough
country walking. The
tour is graded 'moderate' and is definately at the harder end of
the grade. The paths are very rough and stony; there are long descents (up to
1200m/4000 feet) and ascents (up to 750m/2500 feet) with numerous
'zigzags' ('switchbacks' in American) so that the gradients are
generally moderate. Afternoon temperatures may be up to 30 degrees
C/ 86 degrees F, or higher in summer. However the tour should
present no difficulty to anyone in good general health who is
accustomed to hill walking/day hiking in mountainous terrain. The most common problem experienced by those new to walking
in Crete is blistering on feet and ankles, which develops faster
in the warm conditions. Day stages range up to 18km/11 miles/about 7 hours walking. You only need to carry a daypack but on days 4 and 6 you
will need to carry overnight things for the two nights at Agia
Roumeli. NB
: Because of the rugged terrain this self-guided tour
is not available to single travellers.
Waymarks:
There are prominent 'E4' waymarks at occasional
intervals along the E4 long distance trail which our route follows
on days 4 and 5 and parts of some of the other days. On Days 6 and 7 the routes are not waymarked but are well
used and easy to follow with the help of our specially written
route notes.
General information
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason
being that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may
have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to
guests, but in the main it is showers.
Breakfast:
in Greece usually consists of coffee, toast/bread, plain yoghurt
and honey. If you want more for breakfast then we would suggest
you purchase some food the night before. It is important for you
to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your
holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Language:
Note
that you will not necessarily come across people speaking English.
Remember you have left home to find things different bring a
phrase book, try to learn a bit of Greek!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes
your luggage will have been taken to you room awaiting your
arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting
for you to take it up to your room. Please politely ask someone if
you need assistance.
Baggage Transfers
Where
there are roads we arrange local vehicle support to move your
baggage but for the stay at Agia Roumeli (nights 4 and 5) it will
be necessary to carry overnight requirements.
Accommodation & Meals
Evening
meal, bed and breakfast on the 3 nights spent away from the coast
(i.e. at Omalos and at Anopolis); bed and breakfast only on
the remaining 4 nights. Other
meals can readily be obtained locally. Note
that the meal when included is a set meal.
The
standard of accommodation on Crete, as in other parts of Greece,
has improved radically in recent years, and we can now normally
guarantee modern accommodation with fully en-suite facilities
throughout this tour. All
the coastal towns and villages have a wide choice of places to eat
and shops where picnic materials can be obtained.
q
Night 1: Chania.
In Chania your
modern hotel is within a short walk of the Venetian harbour, 50m.
from the bus station and famous covered market. The bright rooms
are equipped with a private bathroom, balcony, telephone and T.V.
For your first evening meal there are plenty of places to choose
from by the old harbour with its Venetian lighthouse. Continental
breakfast is included.
q
Nights 2 & 3:
Omalos. Here
your accommodation is normally in a friendly and well-designed
lodge-style hotel with spacious balconies and stone flag hallways.
Dinner is included: the cuisine is local and traditional.
Vegetarian dishes are available, including an excellent bean soup
as a starter. Breakfast
includes yoghurt with honey – both are local produce.
q
Nights 4 & 5: Agia
Roumeli. Here
your small modern hotel is just behind the long beach of pebbly
sand and only 2 minutes walk from the Tara restaurant, which we
recommend for your evening meal – a wide choice with freshly
cooked traditional dishes and fresh fish available.
Rooms have balconies and private facilities. Breakfast –
with freshly squeezed orange juice - on a terrace overlooking the
Libyan Sea.
q
Night 6: Anopolis.
At the mountain village of Anopolis, where you are likely to see
local men in traditional dress of baggy trousers and crocheted
headgear, you get a feel of the old Crete of 40 years ago. We are
using a new English-speaking guesthouse well located overlooking
the village square of Anopolis. All rooms have en-suite facilities. The village church is just across the square, but after
your long walk today you should sleep soundly despite the church
bells. Dinner is included - menu of limited range, although
vegetarian dishes are available.
q
Night 7:
Chora Sfakion (also known as Sfakia).
On night 7 you return to the coast where your room is close
enough to the sea front to hear the waves on the harbour wall. It is also about as close as you can get to the bus station
for your departure. Your
hotel has its own taverna/restaurant alongside the harbour with a
wide choice. Basic
continental breakfast.
Books & Maps
To
whet your appetite we append a list of books and maps, which can
in most cases be bought in Chania and Chora Sfakion as well as in
London. Several
walking guides are available, such as: - Caughey, J. Off the
Beaten Track in Crete: Cicerone Press;
Rother Walking Guide to Crete, distributed in Britain by
Cordee and there are
inexpensive booklets on birds, flora and fauna. A comprehensive
study of flowers and geology is: Polunin, O. Flowers of Greece
and the Balkans (OUP. 1987) and for historical ecology:
Rackham,O/Moody,J The Making of the Cretan Landscape 1996
Mancs Univ Press. (For information on absolutely everything you
see on trek!).
Fascinating
on the history of archaeological discovery in Crete, and WWII
exploits on Mount Ida, is: Powell, D. The Villa Ariadne (Efsthiades).
Of the many Battle for Crete memoirs that are available: Eliot,
M: The Lion of Crete (Century Hutchinson, 1987) the story
of the New Zealand SOE agent who ran a guerilla band in what is
now our trekking area, and; Beevor, A. Crete, the Battle and
the Resistance (1991) A classic wartime resistance memoir of
interest to those who walk the mountains is;
Psychoundakis, G. The
Cretan Runner (translated by P. L. Fermor, who was himself
involved in the Cretan resistance).
The
1866 struggle for Independence from the Turks is vividly portrayed in the classic novel;
Kazantzakis, N. Freedom and Death. and his delightful
masterpiece Zorba the Greek, set in Crete, is well known.
Zorba was filmed on location near Chania with
Anthony Quinn type-cast in the title role.
There
are many general Guidebooks to Crete: The Blue Guide is the definitive guide to cultural
aspects, and the Rough Guide to Crete is good for everyday
information.
Nelles
Verlag does a useful map of the whole of Crete at scale 1:200,000
and can be obtained from Stanford Ltd, 12 Long Acre, London WC2,
Tel: 0207 836 1321. Other
maps may be available in Chania.
Further
Information
National
Tourist Office of Greece in London: tel. 0207495 9300 |
Outline
Itinerary
q
Day 1. Morning
flight from London Gatwick to Heraklion or Chania. Transfer by bus or taxi (not included) to the centrally
situated hotel. Rest of the afternoon and evening available to explore
the town, its old quarter, two harbours, museum, market, and
waterfront. It is possible to swim off the town beach to the west
of the promenade. There is a wide choice of places to dine on the
waterfront and elsewhere in the old town.
q
Day 2. Morning
in Chania before late morning taxi transfer (included in the tour
price) with your baggage to the beautiful Omalos Plateau (1050m)
in the heart of the White Mountains. After lunch at tonight's
hotel you can either explore the plateau (formerly intensively
cultivated) or, with the help of a lift from the hotel to
Xiloscalo (1200m/4000 feet) at the head of the Samaria Gorge you
can walk up to the Austrian-run Kallergi Mountain Hut (1689m/5540
feet) to enjoy a cold beer and admire the magnificent view before
walking back down the track to Omalos in the cool of the early
evening.
q
Day 3. After
early breakfast a short transfer to Xiloscalo at the head of the
Gorge of Samaria. From
here your way climbs among scattered trees (cypress and thorny
maple) to the refreshing Linoselli spring. The last part of the ascent to the summit of Mt. Gingilos,
a rugged peak of 1975m/6480ft involves some scrambling and is
above the grade of this tour, but the Linoselli saddle at about
1750m, half-way between the spring and the summit provides an
enjoyable, if more leisurely walk with spectacular views in all
directions. You return by the same route back down to the plateau,
crossing it on farmers' tracks to return to the hotel. 5.5 hours
walking from Xiloscalo to Linoselli saddle and back to Omalos.
q
Day 4. You
pack minimum requirements (including your own towel for the beach)
for two nights (three days) and leave your main luggage at Omalos
to be sent round to Anopolis where you will regain it on day 6.
After catching the bus to Xiloscalo you start your walk down the
full length of the Gorge of Samaria. This is a popular walk and
you are unlikely to be the only ones on the trail, but by starting
a little later or a little earlier you can miss the crowds. The gorge, one of the finest in Europe, is designated a
National Forest Park. The forest trees are mostly evergreens:
pine, cypress and holly oak, with massive plane trees close
to watercourses. 17
kilometres long, the gorge walls rise in places to 600 metres. The flora of the gorge is particularly abundant in the
spring. On the way
down you pass the chapel of Ay. Nikolaos, surrounded by some of
the largest and most ancient cypress trees in Crete, and later,
the old deserted village of Samaria, a nice spot for a picnic with
tables, shade and water. Next, the gorge narrows towards the
famous Iron Gates which are at one point a mere two metres wide. You emerge finally at the village of Ayia Roumeli where you
can swim in the Libyan sea and enjoy well-earned drinks and dinner
at "Tara", our recommended taverna at the water's edge.
21km/12.5 miles/6 hours walking.
q
Day 5. Today
is a favourite for many people: a magnificent coastal walk, at
first along the pebbly beach, then above low cliffs through
fragrant woodland of Calabrian pine, dropping down at one point to
the beach to visit the little church of Aghios Pavlos, where St
Paul is said to have landed on his voyage to Rome; then across a
bare and rocky hillside before descending to the oasis-like Marble
Beach; after a break you continue along the cliffs to Loutro, from
where you catch the afternoon boat back to Agia Roumeli.
You should carry swimming things, but there is no need to
carry a picnic, as you can buy lunch at Marble Beach or Loutro. 16km/10 miles/5 hours walking.
q
Day 6.
After an early start to catch the cool of the morning, you
walk along the shore eastwards for an hour or so before turning
inland to climb the 600m/2000 ft coastal escarpment, via the
dramatic Sellouda mule track, which winds up through the cliffs.
Hopefully you will reach the top just before the shade leaves the
path to rest and refresh yourselves while admiring the panorama
from this eerie-like spot high above the coast. After a break you
continue on across a barren stony plateau and through pine forest
to the almost deserted village of Aradaina perched on the edge of
the awesomely deep Aradaina gorge. The village church is a
scheduled ancient monument. You have the choice of crossing the bridge for memorable
views down the gorge, or following the village mule track down to
the bottom and up the other side, and you reach Anopolis by mid
afternoon. 18km/11
miles/7 hours. If you have enough energy we recommend (either in
the early evening or before breakfast) a walk up to the Agia
Ekaterini (St Catherine) chapel on a hilltop with an incredible
all-round view. This takes about 1 hour.
Close to the chapel are the as yet unexcavated remains of
the sizable Roman town of Anopolis.
q
Day 7. There
are two alternative walks for today.
(A) Our recommended walk is the traverse of the Imbros
Gorge; perhaps the next-best known gorge in Crete after Samaria.
You travel with the baggage (included in the tour price)
down the long winding road to Chora Sfakion, then after dropping
the baggage off continue by bus (11am) or taxi (fares not
included) to the village of Komitadhes at the lower end of the
gorge. The traverse
of the gorge up to Imbros village (moderate grade) takes about 3
hours. At Imbros
there is a fairly basic taverna where you can get lunch before
catching the afternoon bus back to Chora Sfakion which passes at
around 3.30pm. 3 to
3.5 hours walking. (B)
For those who would like another visit to the coast at Loutro you
can return to the coast by walking down the remarkable zigzagging
muletrack from Ay. Katerini chapel, with extremely fine views
along the way, to arrive at Loutro. Here you can linger to enjoy
the small pebbly beach and pleasant restaurants of this former
fishing village now protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. You can then take the afternoon boat, or walk (2.5 hours,
challenging grade, head for heights needed) along the coast to
Chora Sfakion (the
principal port of this rugged area of Crete, also known as Sfakia).
Walking time 2.5 to 5 hours depending on whether you walk
from Loutro or catch the boat.
q
Day 8. Depart
from Sfakia. Direct
buses to Chania; or via Vrisses for Heraklion, depart daily at
approx. 7am and 11am. Journey time is 2/3 hours. For those
spending longer in Crete there is also a bus service along the
south coast of Crete from Sfakia to the resort of Plakias and
(with one change en route at Spili) to Agia Galini.
What's Included
The
price is based on two people sharing twin or double bedrooms and
for UK based full package customers includes return flight from
London Gatwick to Heraklion or Chania. (We do not accept single travellers on this tour).
7 breakfasts and 3 evening meals are included. Transfers are included when you move on during the tour as
follows: Day 2 (Chania to Omalos, customers plus baggage), Day 4/6
(Omalos to Anopolis, baggage only) and Day 7 (Anopolis to Chora
Sfakion, baggage, also customers if required). There is no baggage
transfer to or from Agia Roumeli where you spend nights 4 and 5,
as there is no road access. You
will therefore need to carry overnight things and a change of
clothing (and swimming things if required) in your
daypack/rucksack on days 4 and 6. Also included is a set of detailed day-by-day route notes
and directions specially researched by and exclusive to Sherpa
Expeditions and maps showing the walking route.
Not
included are the evening meals on days 1, 4, 5 and 7, lunches,
bus and/or taxi transfers from and back to airports or elsewhere
within Crete (other than those specified above as included), boat
ticket from Loutro to Agia Roumeli on day 5
(approx. £6).
Extra nights
Because
charter flights between UK and Crete are only at one-week
intervals it is not feasible for those travelling by air charter
to vary the duration of the stay in Crete except by a whole week.
Customers on land only tours or flying via Athens can
however book extra nights if required at any of the stops on the
walking tour if arranged at the time of booking.
On this Self Guided Tour we provide you with:
Route
notes (specially researched by and exclusive to Sherpa
Expeditions) and maps. The available maps are not as good as those in west
European countries; in particular paths and trails are not as accurately shown. |
