Daily itinerary days
Walking tour EAST CRETE
Day 1. Arrival at Heraklion airport, at the latest at 18.00 hours.
We drive by minibus to our first hotel in
Arolithos, 15 km southwest of Heraklion. Arolithos is a hotel with the character of a traditional village and a lively village square.
Day 2. We drive to the highest and most well-known part of the
Lassithi Plateau where windmills used to grind the corn.
Not far from here our walk starts at the village of Lagou.
We walk uphill, sometimes climbing steeply with breathtaking views all around, to the top of Karfi Mountain, where ruins of the late Minoan village can still be seen.
Going gently downhill along an ancient footpath we come to the Lassithi Plateau at the village of
Tzermiado.
Day 3. Today we start close to our hotel.
First we explore the entrance of the
Havga Gorge, then we take an old footpath to the Timios Stavros chapel. We traverse the
Katharo Plateau, where we will have beautiful views on the Dikti Mountains.
Via dirt roads we return to the Lassithi Plateau.
Day 4. We first drive to the village of Kritsa, where we start our walk through the beautiful
Kritsa Gorge.
First we walk along field roads and footpaths, then we descend to the riverbed. Sometimes a bit of clambering is involved and in places the gorge is not more than a metre wide!
In the afternoon we drive to
Agios Nikolaos, our next place to stay.
Day 5. First we visit the
Panagia Kera church in the village of Kritsa, which has possibly the finest collection of frescoes in Crete. Then we walk from the village of Mardati on dirt roads and an old footpath uphill to (the village of) Kroustas.
The descent through olive groves brings us back close to Kritsa.
Day 6. A day off.
There is the option to visit the island of
Spinalonga.
Day 7. A beautiful scenic drive takes us to the village of
Kalamafka.
The walk leads us partly among big rocks. It looks as if they have been scattered all over the landscape which is now cultivated but still rugged and very impressive. A beautiful footpath through a small gorge brings us back again to the village.
Transfer to the village of
Makrigialos on the south coast.
Day 8. A short drive brings us to the starting point of our circular walk above the village of Pefki. The terrain is rather rough in places with three small gorges and a high plateau.
Magnificent views on the south coast and the Libyan sea!
We either drive back to the hotel or, for the diehards, have a strenuous descent.
Day 9. Today the butterfly or Dasaki gorge is on the programme.
We start in the village of Koutsouras and we walk uphill through the gorge to a chapel and a bridge. After a second small gorge we continue on a dirt road to return to the south coast.
An adventurous walk!
Day 10. After breakfast it is time to say goodbye and leave for the airport in Heraklion or to Rethymno.
N.B. Due to the distance to the airport, your return flight should not be earlier than 11 in the morning!
Date in 2019
Price 740 € per person; Single supplement 95 €.
Further information on 8-10 day walking tours.
