Walking in the winter is a real pleasure. The country is so full of colours that your eyes will never get tired from this variety. The dry hot summers bring our botanic beauties of Crete into a summer sleep, but the first rainfall in November awakes the early species. That’s why we call the winter in Crete actually the springtime.

For our visitors we have created a varied walking program with or without a specialized guide. You can receive our detailed booklet with nice routes and find your own way. For small groups but also individuals we have multi lingual guides available that will bring you to the areas that are interesting for walks. On small Sheppard and donkey trails the guides lead you along gorges, ancient villages or hike up to the mountains. In each tour you may experience the local hospitality and stories and enjoy a local lunch. Walking tours can be made to our visitors requirements, which means even if you like a short half day tour it can all be arranged.

To give you an impression of our winter walking program, we describe here briefly 5 of the walks we can always make during the winter/spring time, (except not with very bad weather).

• SAMARIA GORGE
  The most famous walk on Crete is of course the Samaria gorge. The long way is 16 Km. but it's only possible between May and October.
  During the winter you may visit the gorge from the bottom and walk up to the Sideres portes ( Iron Gate) it's the so called lazy way which is 10 Km up and down.
  Boats are leaving from Chora Sfakion on Tuesdays-Thursdays and Sundays at 10.45.
  
• The trip includes 2 nights in a nice pension, breakfast and dinner at the village Agia Roumeli, which gives you the chance to relax the next day on a beach where it's always summer. It also a unique possibility to meet the locals, the Sfakians and have a raki with them and a good meal.
  
  More information send the contact form
   

• IMBROS GORGE
  This gorge is on the eastern edges of the Lefka Ori, the mountainous area on the west of Crete in which we find also the famous Samaria gorge that is closed from November until May for security reasons. Therefore the Imbros gorge is a good alternative and you’ll discover that maybe it’s even better than his famous brother. We start with a ride by bus or taxi from your Hotel or Apartment to the village Imbros, lying at an altitude of about 600 meter. Here is the entrance of the gorge which is open all year. The walk is fairly easy and especially in the spring time you will see and smell the flourishing flowers and herbs. Sheppard’s use the gorge as a gateway from the mountains to the southern coastline, so be not afraid to find their herd on your way. Four fantastic small gates are in the gorge and a beautiful natural tunnel. Your guide will tell you stories about the gorge, point you out the botanic beauties and explain them. We close the tour with a typical lunch in the village Chora Sfakion, the place where the last English soldiers left in World War 2. Than the bus or taxi will bring you home. The walk is 8 Km. and it take 2-3 hours and good foot wear is necessary.
   
• ARADENA GORGE
  One of the more spectacular gorges on Crete is the Aradena, the neighbour from the famous Samaria. Distance is 11 km, 7 miles and because of the construction of a new path, without ladders and steep parts it’s a very comfortable walk which is possible all year.
  We bring you first by bus to the village Anopolis, high in the White mountains. Here we have breakfast before we continue for the deserted village of Aradena, where we descend in the gorge. Dramatic rocks, caves are on our way and we end at the beach of St.Paul. From here we walk a short coastal route to Loutro, the village on the south were we can only come on foot or by boat. The last transportation we use in the summer, but in springtime we walk another 4 Km, to reach the outskirts of Chora Sfakion, where the bus will pick us up.
  
   
• KOURTALIOTIKO GORGE
  This gorge lies on the south coast of Crete, near the village Plakias. We start at the springs and church of St.Nicolas. Your guide will tell you the fantastic story how the spring appeared to the monk Nicolas. Following a small foot path we come to a small plain with lots of olive and fruit trees. We continue on the banks of the river Megalo Potami (big river) and pass by on an ancient chapel with frescos. The finale is at the famous Palm Beach of Prevelli, where with good weather we can have a swim or get a little bit of sun tan. Before going home we visit the unique Prevelli Monastery symbol of resistance and freedom for all Cretans. After this we visit the village Lefkogia where we have a real Cretan lunch The walk is about 10 Km. with normal paths but walking shoes are required.
  
• SAINT ANTHONY GORGE
  For us this is one of the best gorge walks in the prefecture of Rethymno. Again we bring you by mini bus or taxis to the entrance of the gorge near the village of Patsos in the Amari valley.
  The guide will introduce you at the start to the cave church of St.Anthony and tell you unbelievable stories about miracles that happened there.
  
  The first part of the gorge is a fairly easy walk with beautiful views and sometimes an eagle or falcon in the sky. Than we descend to the river bed, which in the summer is dry or very low levelled. In the winter and spring this level can be deeper and it looks like an impossible job, but we have made bridges and floating boards to get across the places where it’s to deep to walk.
  A little adventure but not too dangerous. Here we close also with a Cretan lunch before going home.
  The distance is 8 Km. and again good walking shoes are required.
   
• Mili Gorge
  For our guest residing in Rethymno town or suburbs we have a very special walk just outside your holiday resort. This is the Mili Gorge and the tour starts in the old village of Chromonastery, which is about 7 Km from Rethymno. Our buss will bring us there.
  Walking on good paved paths we come to the entrance from one of the greenest gorges on Crete. In the gorge we follow the trails and sometimes we must make a little jump over a small stream. We pass over 20 Cretan watermills, a cemetery, small chapels and the deserted village, where we have a drink in the only place that is occupied, the kafeenion from Vangelis. At the end of the gorge we are almost back in Rethymno, but our buss will takes us to Sifis in Misseria, the best place in our area for the Cretan lunch.
  
  
• From the mountains to the lake.
  A very nice new walk in our program is on the eastern slopes of the White Mountains.
  We bring you by mini bus in the mountains and start in Miriokefala, where we visit the old Monastery and a church with old frescoos. Than we walk on footpaths along a small gorge and we visit ancient Lappa or as it it called now, Argiroupoli. Here are the remains from an old Roman house with a mosaic floor dating from the 6th century.
  We climb down from an easy path and visit the waterfalls from the village. Surely this is one of the most beautiful parts of Crete. Here water comes from a cave church and until today this is our drinking water in Rethymno.
  Passing villages like Episkopi and Filaki we end at Kournas Lake, the only natural sweet water lake of Crete. Here we enjoy a wonderful lunch at taverna Omorfi Limni ( Beautiful Lake).
  

If you want more walking ideas, go to our contact form.