Daily itinerary 8 days

FLOWER walking tour Central Crete

Day 1. Arrival at Heraklion airport. We drive by minibus to Spili, our residence for this week. Spili is a lively mountain village 20 km south of Rethymnon. There are interesting shops and it is also a bishop's see.

Day 2. The walk starts on a high plateau between Spili and Gerakari, known for its tulips and orchids. In the background we see the highest mountain of Crete, Psiloritis, with snow on its slopes. First we go uphill, cross-country, then following tracks and old footpaths we descend to Gerakari, situated in the Amari valley. After lunch we make a loop around the village and walk gradually up again to the plateau.

Day 3. Starting at Mournes, 3 km from Spili, we'll find orchids on a hill close to the village. Today we will also visit two Byzantine churches. Crossing the pass of the Xiron mountains we walk down to Drimiscos, partly along an ancient Roman road. This part of the walk has an abundance of flowers! We continue our walk, ending not far from Spili.

Day 4. Today we walk in the mountains of Bouvala. Starting from Melambes we follow a high mountain ridge with spectacular views of the south coast and the Paximadi islands. Leaving Saktouria we take a different loop back to the foot of the mountain, partly along a riverbed with a good chance of finding orchids! For the last descent we walk along an old footpath in between two hills. At the end of this day there is the possibility of visiting the beach at Agios Pavlos.

Day 5. We start at Kare for a walk where not only will we see a lot of flowers but also a landscape which is geologically very interesting. Fossils and shells tell us about a distant past when this area was still connected to the sea. A short but steep walk brings us up to a plateau from where we have a view of the White Mountains as well as the Ida Mountains. We also come across a basilica with remains of a mosaic floor.

Day 6. Today we will have some more cultural aspects in our programme. We drive to the south where there is the opportunity to visit the excavation of the Minoan Palace of Festos. The alternative is a walk to Agia Triada, with lots of flowers on the road verge. Because we are much more to the south than on previous days, we will see quite different vegetation today on our small walk near Agia Triada.
Depending on the interests of the group we can also pay a visit to the Roman excavation of Gortys.
We will return to Spili driving through the Amari valley stopping several times in order to enjoy and photograph the flora and the views of the Ida Mountains. The lusciousness and abundance of flowers in the pastures are overwhelming

Day 7. Starting from the hotel we walk fairly steeply uphill, first on an old footpath winding up, then along a river through a small gorge. Continuing on donkey roads through olive fields full of flowers, we walk up to the plateau which we visited on our first walk. We take a last walk around this plateau. Will there be some new flowers?

Day 8. After breakfast it is time to say goodbye and leave for the airport.

Date in 2012
   »  Friday April 13 - Friday April 20

Price
   »  540 € per person
   »  additional charge single room 75 €

Further information on 8-10 day walking tours.
Click here for pictures of the flora of Crete.