Greece's Crete Walk
Day 1:
Arrival in Athens. Your English speaking Trekking Hellas guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you from the airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" to the hotel, which is conveniently located in the heart of Athens. In the evening, you will meet with your guide for a short walking tour of Athens and enjoy dinner in a traditional Greek tavern in the old part of Athens, in Plaka, overlooking the Acropolis.
Day 2:
Chania-Crete. After breakfast, half-day sightseeing tour of Athens. Visit Acropolis, the Parthenon and Panathinaikon Stadium, the stadium where the first Olympic games were held in 1896. Lunch in a tavern. Early in the afternoon, transfer to the airport to catch the flight Athens-Chania. Arrival in Chania, and transfer to the hotel in the old part of Chania. In the evening, have dinner altogether at a tavern close to the old picturesque harbor, tasting for the first time the delicious regional Cretan cuisine.
Day 3:
Chania - Sougia After breakfast, leave by bus or taxi to Agia Irini. From the village of St. Irini, walk through the St. Irini gorge to Sougia (approximately 4.5 hours of easy walking). This is a lesser-known gorge than Samaria, but rivals its neighbor for beauty and spectacle.
Day 4:
Around Sougia (3-4 hours). For those who are interested in the Greek history, today's walk will be a rewarding one with the visit of the ancient site of Lissos, a spa in Roman times with a mosaic floor.. Picnic in the deserted Lissos bay where you will also have the opportunity to swim in the crystal clear waters. Overnight in Sougia. (Easy walk).
Day 5:
Sougia - Omalos - Gingilos. By private bus, arrive after an hour's drive to Xiloskala. This is where the walking starts, as you follow the path to Gingilos. After an hour and a half of moderate to strenuous walking, you will make your first stop at Linoselli spring. Then continue on towards the top of the mountain. (4 hours moderate walk.) You will spend the night back at Omalos (Omalos means smooth), where you may taste home made recipes and enjoy a quiet night.
Day 6:
Omalos - Samaria Gorge (5-6 hours) - Agia Roumeli. An early local car brings you to the head of the Samaria gorge, Europe's longest and certainly one of its most spectacular. The descent begins on a good path in shady pine forest, dropping steeply and crossing the river before reaching the deserted village of Samaria. Soon the path is in the riverbed itself before you climb again at the point where the (underground) river re-emerges. The path criss-crosses the river before bringing us out to the village of Agia (St.) Roumeli and the sea. After a swim and/or drinks, we settle into our rooms. (Moderate walk, 17 kilometres, between 5-6 hours.) Mode of transportation: walking.
Day 7:
Agia Roumeli to Loutro (5 hours). A coastal walk. You make an early start in the cool of the morning, walking on sand and shingle next to the sea to the picturesque chapel of St. Pavlos (Paul), said to mark the place where Saint Paul landed on Crete. Next to the chapel is a freshwater spring coming out of the pebble beach. Here you will make a short stop for swimming. After 5 hours of moderate walking, the silhouette of the blue and white washed houses of Loutro village appears. Overnight in a beach hotel on the Libyan Sea.
Day 8:
Loutro. Today you walk to Anopolis village, one of the most "authentic" of the village communities in full swing - men in headdress and local costume, and you will visit St. Catherine's chapel to enjoy the beautiful view of the Loutro area and the blue sea of Liviko Pelagos. You will then descend from the same path to Loutro. (5 hours).
Day 9:
Loutro to Chora Sfakion (2 hours) and return to Chania. This morning you will follow the coastal path to Chora Sfakion, stopping for a swim at Freshwater Beach. This 2-hour stretch has a nice path built on a steep rock face overlooking the deep blue sea. From Chora Sfakion on a private A/C bus that will bring you to Chania. Or you may follow an alternative route and take the boat from Loutro to Sfakia (15-20 minutes ride) and then from Sfakia take the bus and go to Chania airport to catch the flight back to Athens.
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