Sea Kayaking & Hiking in Crete: A Greek Odyssey

Your Crete adventure officially begins at 10 am, which is when you’ll meet your guides or the company staff at the Heraklion Airport! Drive to Knossos, a city in ancient Greece, the capital of the legendary king Minos, and the center of Minoan civilization.

Keep on driving across Crete down to the beach town of Matala on the south coast. There will be a kayak outfitting session followed by welcome drinks while viewing the incredible sunset. Get to know your guides and your team over your first delightful dinner together at an authentic Greek taverna, where you will review the itinerary for the trip and get answers to any questions you may have.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 16,1 km/10 miles

After breakfast, everyone will be outfitted with a paddle, PFD (personal floatation device) and a sprayskirt, and then head to the beach for a basic kayaking instruction session. The protected bay in Matala provides you with an ideal intro location, surrounded by the famous “hippie” caves—which were once home to Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, and many others in the ‘60s.

Following a morning paddle session, paddle to two neighboring beaches, Red Beach and Kommos Beach. After enjoying lunch at Kommos Beach, return to Matala for some cliff jumping into the bay and a highly-recommended Sunset Hike. The day ends with a delicious meal (as always) and a chance to experience the exciting nightlife of Matala.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 16,1 km/10 miles

Early start today! Visit the breathtaking site of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos on your way to the trailhead for the Samaria Gorge—a must see for everyone visiting Crete. This incredible national park draws thousands of visitors every day, but your guides have designed the itinerary to be able to experience the Gorge after the vast majority of hikers have already headed down.

While most visitors to the Samaria Gorge rush to catch the last ferry, you will spend the night in Agia Roumeli, a charming and traditional town where the Gorge ends. Celebrate your accomplishments over dinner on a seaside terrace of your hotel on the beach, and fall asleep to the sounds of waves crashing against the shore.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn

Wake up to the gentle ringing of goat bealls from the herds on the hillside. Depart from Agia Roumeli in your kayak and head along the coastline to Agios Pavlos for a cappuccino stop. The small 10th-century Byzantine chapel built in honor of St. Paul is a remarkable site. From there, continue along the coastline to Marmara Beach, a fantastic lunch stop offering additional cliff-jumping opportunities from the wind-carved marble rocks.

Paddle to the water-access-only town of Loutro, where you will spend the next two nights. Rounding the point to catch your first glimpse of this idyllic town has been a highlight of the trip for all past participants! No more details are necessary—you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 12,9 km/8 miles

Today you have multiple options! From Loutro, you may continue up the coastline to Sweetwater Beach, where freshwater springs bubbling out of the sand provide a truly unique experience. After stretching your legs, enjoy a refreshing swim stop and a cup of cappuccino. You can then paddle on to Hora Sfakion for your lunch stop before paddling back to Loutro.

Another option is a challenging full-day hike up into the traditional villages in the hills, and then descending through the beautiful Aradena Gorge before walking back to Loutro through ancient olive groves. Then you join up for another Sunset Hike to the Turkish fortress overlooking the harbor followed by dinner at yet another bayside taverna.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 16,1 km/10 miles

You can either paddle to Hora Sfakion or hike the trail which follows the coastline. You will then continue paddling or shuttle by van along the coast to the Venetian-era fortress at Frangokastello for a brief tour before continuing the journey along the coast to the town of Plakias.

Plakias has an upbeat nightlife and some great shopping opportunities as well as one of your guides’ favorite bakeries on the island—the Cretan Specialty. Dinner is on your own tonight as there’s a large selection of fantastic restaurant possibilities in town. Maybe even go dancing at a local nightclub, but remember that it’s an early paddling morning tomorrow!

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 29 km/ 18 miles

Heading out of Plakias, next stop is Palm Beach! This is where Cretan palms line a picturesque stream joining the sea. An optional short paddle up the inland freshwater creek provides a glimpse of river turtles and local birds.

After lunch, paddle on to the beach at Agios Pavlos. At this point, you can opt to shuttle the last section or paddle the final 7-mile (11-kilometer) stretch (making the total day mileage +20 miles / +32 km!). In the evening, celebrate with a final dinner overlooking the harbor at Agia Galini.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Family-owned inn
Distance: 32,2 km/20 miles

Those wishing to complete the paddling circle may choose to launch early in the morning and paddle across the bay from Agia Galini to Matala (approximately 8 miles / 13 km in an open water crossing). Others can sleep in and board a van to Matala where you’ll have a brief stop to pick up any luggage you may have chosen to leave at the hotel, unload boats, and do some last-minute shopping.

The van will depart for Heraklion between 11 am and noon, giving you enough time to visit the renowned Heraklion Archeological Museum before catching late afternoon and evening flights back home.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 12,9 km/8 miles