dossier

Exploring Crete

Travel Information
First hotel: InChania.

Nearest Airports: Chania, Heraklion, Athens. From Chania (also called Hania)airport travel by taxi 15km/9mi to city centre. From Heraklion either take taxito bus station (5 minutes), then bus to Chania (2 hours) and another bus tohotel; or take a taxi all the way (1.5 hours/US$90 approx. From AthensInternational airport (west terminal) there are several flights daily to Chaniaairport. From Piraeus (the port of Athens) there is an overnight ferry serviceto Chania (cabins available at a range of prices; journey time 8 hours). Fromthe port of Chania at Soudha take bus or taxi to city centre. Local time is 7hours ahead of EST. Transfers between airports and first and last hotels notincluded in tour price.

End of Tour:The tour ends on day 8 at Chora Sfakion. Return by bus to Chania (2 hours), andthen taxi to airport (15km/9mi). If traveling by bus to Heraklion (3 hours)change buses at Vrisses, then taxi from Heraklion to airport (3km/2mi).

Season: Mayto October. Start any day. A note re swimming – the Libyan sea is deep and onlywarms up slowly in the summer; don't expect to lounge in the water in May orearly June; however by September and into October the sea is usuallydelightfully warm.

Level of Difficulty
Fitness: Thistrek is designed for those who enjoy good rough country walking. The tour isgraded 'moderate' .We previously graded our guided tour over this route as'B+', i.e. on the challenging side of moderate. The paths are very rough andstony; there are long descents (up to 1200m/4000 feet) and ascents (up to750m/2500 feet) with numerous 'zigzags' ('switchbacks' in American) so that thegradients are generally moderate. Afternoon temperatures may be up to 30degrees C/ 86 degrees F, or higher in summer. However the tour should presentno difficulty to anyone in good general health who is accustomed to hillwalking/day hiking in mountainous terrain. The most common problem experiencedby those new to walking in Crete is blistering on feet and ankles, whichdevelops faster in the warm conditions. On one day (day 3) thereis a possibility of some easy scrambling above the Linoselli pass on the way toGingilos summit, but as the way back on that day is the same as the way outthere is no need to attempt the scrambling section and we do not describe orrecommend it. Day stages range up to 18km/11 miles/about 7 hours walking. Youonly need to carry a daypack but on days 4 and 5 you will need to includeovernight things for the two nights at Agia Roumeli.

Note: Becauseof the rugged terrain the self-guided tour is not available to singles.

Waymarks: Thereare prominent 'E4' waymarks at occasional intervals along the E4 long distancetrail which our route follows on days 4 and 5 and parts of some of the otherdays. On Days 6 and 7 the routes are not waymarked but are well used and easyto follow with the help of our specially written route notes.

Baggage Transfers
Where there are roads we arrange localvehicle support to move your baggage but for the stay at Agia Roumeli (nights 4and 5) it will be necessary to carry overnight requirements.

Accommodation & Meals
Evening meal, bed and breakfast on the 3nights spent away from the coast (i.e. at Omalos and at Anopolis); bedand breakfast only on the remaining 4 nights. Other meals can readily beobtained locally.

The standard of accommodation on Crete, as in otherparts of Greece, has improved radically in recent years, and we can nownormally guarantee modern accommodation with fully en-suite facilitiesthroughout this tour. All the coastal towns and villages have a wide choice ofplaces to eat and shops where picnic materials can be obtained.

Night 1: Chania.In Chania your modern hotel is within a short walk of the Venetian harbor,50m from the bus station and famous covered market. The bright rooms areequipped with a private bathroom, balcony, telephone and TV. For your first evening meal there are plentyof places to choose from by the old harbor with its Venetian lighthouse. Basiccontinental breakfast.

Nights 2 & 3: Omalos. Here your accommodation is normally in a friendlyand well-designed lodge-style hotel with spacious balconies and stone flaghallways. Dinner is included: the cuisine is local and traditional. Vegetariandishes are available, including an excellent bean soup as a starter. Breakfastincludes yoghurt with honey – both are local produce.

Nights 4 & 5: Agia Roumeli. Here your small modern hotel is just behindthe 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 cookedtraditional dishes and fresh fish available. Rooms have balconies and privatefacilities. Breakfast – with freshly squeezed orange juice - on a terraceoverlooking the Libyan Sea.

Night 6: Anopolis.At the mountain village of Anopolis, where you are likely to see local men intraditional dress of baggy trousers and crocheted headgear, you get a feel ofthe old Crete of 40 years ago. We are using a new English-speaking guesthousewell located overlooking the village square of Anopolis. All rooms haveen-suite facilities. The village church is just across the square, but afteryour long walk today you should sleep soundly despite the church bells. Dinneris included - menu of limited range, although vegetarian dishes are available.

Night 7:Chora Sfakion (also known as Sfakia). On night 7 you return to the coast whereyour room is close enough to the sea front to hear the waves on the harborwall. It is also about as close as you can get to the bus station for yourdeparture. Your hotel has its own taverna/restaurant alongside the harbour witha wide choice. Basic continental breakfast.

What's Included
The price is based on two people sharingtwin or double bedrooms. (We do not accept single travelers on this tour). 7breakfasts and 3 evening meals are included. Transfers are included during thetour 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 fromAgia Roumeli where you spend nights 4 and 5, as there is no road access. Youwill therefore need to carry overnight things and a change of clothing (andswimming things if required) in your daypack/rucksack on days 4 and 6. Alsoincluded is a set of detailed day-by-day route notes and directions speciallyresearched by and exclusive to Breakaway Adventures and a map at 1:100,000scale (published by Harms Verlag) showing the walking route.

Not includedare the evening meals on days 1, 4, 5 and 7, lunches, international airfare,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 AgiaRoumeli on day 5 (approx. US$8).

Extra nights
Travelers can book extra nights ifrequired at any of the stops on the walking tour if arranged at the time ofbooking.

On this Self Guided Tour we provide you with:
Route notes (specially researched by andexclusive to Breakaway Adventures); maps at 1:80,000 scale. The available mapsare not as good as those in west European countries; in particular paths andtrails are not accurately shown.

Books & Maps
To whet your appetite we append a list ofbooks and maps, which can in most cases be bought in Chania and Chora Sfakionas well as in any specialty travel book store. Several walking guides areavailable, such as: - Caughey, J. Off the Beaten Track in Crete: CiceronePress; Rother Walking Guide to Crete and there are inexpensive booklets onbirds, flora and fauna. A comprehensive study of flowers and geology is:Polunin, O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans (OUP. 1987) and for historicalecology: Rackham,O/Moody,J The Making of the Cretan Landscape 1996 Mancs UnivPress. (For information on absolutely everything you see on trek!).

Fascinating on the history of archaeologicaldiscovery in Crete, and WWII exploits on Mount Ida, is; Powell, D. The VillaAriadne (Efsthiades). Of the many Battle for Crete memoirs that are available:Eliot, M: The Lion of Crete (Century Hutchinson, 1987) the story of the NewZealand 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 wartimeresistance memoir of interest to those who walk the mountains is;Psychoundakis, G. The Cretan Runner (translated by P. L. Fermor, who washimself involved in the Cretan resistance).

The 1866 struggle for Independence from the Turksis 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 inthe title role.

There are many general Guidebooks to Crete: TheBlue Guide is the definitive guide to cultural aspects, and the Rough Guide toCrete is good for everyday information.

Nelles Verlag does a useful map of the whole ofCrete at scale 1:200,000. Other maps may be available in Chania.

ITINERARY

1000m=3281ft; 1000 feet = 304 metres. 1km= 0.62 miles. 5 miles = 8km.

Day 1. Flight to Heraklion or Chania . Transfer by bus or taxi (not included) to the centrally situated hotel. Rest of 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 wide choice of places to dine on the waterfront and elsewhere in the old town.

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.

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 past 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.

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.

Day 5. Today is a favorite 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.

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.

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 mule track 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 according to whether you walk from Loutro or catch the boat.

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.

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