Crete Kayak Camping Adventure

Day 1: Our adventure officially begins at the Heraklion Airport, where your Northwest Passage guides will meet you in the Arrivals section. It’s a small airport; you can’t miss us. From there we begin our scenic transfer to the south coast village of Matala where we will soak up the beach town vibes and embark on a gorgeous sunset hike. Day 2: Today we jump aboard the support van and transfer to the mountain village of Omalos. From there we’ll begin our descent of “the Grand Canyon of Europe,” the Samaria Gorge. It’s quite a day. We start on a mountain plateau, descend into a pine forest, walk through Europe’s deepest canyon and emerge on the remote beach hamlet of Agia Roumeli. The Samaria Gorge is a hike you’ll never forget. Hardy hikers will enjoy logging the “bonus kilometers” up to a Turkish era ridgeline sentinel fortress that offers panoramic views of the Libyan Sea. Tonight we stay with old friends of The Northwest Passage at their beachside hotel and take in the nighttime serenity of lapping waves rolling up to a peaceful village. Day 3: Today is our first day of paddling, and tonight is the first of four that we’ll spend camping out on a Cretan beach. We’ll begin our day by getting acquainted with our kayaks and learning some basic skills before setting out along the coast. We’ll take at least two breaks during our paddling day (as we do each paddling day). We break for coffee at a beachside taverna that neighbors a Byzantine era chapel commemorating the location where Saint Paul was shipwrecked on Crete. We also break for lunch at Marmara beach which is home to a taverna that’s touted as one of the two best beachside eateries in all of the Mediterranean (join us on Santorini to experience the other). From there we paddle on to our campsite. Weather will influence our campsite selection but we plan to stay the night at Sweetwater Beach and enjoy a delicious dinner in the memorably quaint nearby town of Loutro. Day 4: Depending on weather conditions we will either continue paddling east to our next campsite or stay put and spend the day hiking the magnificent trails in the Loutro area. Our favorite route scales a 2,000’ coastal ridge before dropping back down to the sea through a sheer-walled slot canyon. We would certainly also carve out some time to enjoy a drink and / or a traditional meal in unforgettable Loutro. Day 5: We continue our Cretan paddling voyage to Palm Beach, a freshwater estuary with, as the name suggests, a tropical appearance that sits beneath the Preveli Monastery. Ask your guides about the WWII history of Preveli specifically and Crete in general. It’s an incredible story that comes alive when you’re hiking and paddling in the actual setting of the bygone dramatic events. Just before reaching Palm Beach we’ll drop by one of The Northwest Passage’s secret spots, the “Cretan Grotto Azzura”. Discovered by our own Rick Sweitzer, this blue grotto is just as mesmerizing as the more famous (and exponentially more crowded) blue grotto on the Isle of Capri. Day 6: We continue our paddling journey east towards Matala. Highlights include the beautiful, remote beaches of Trio Petra and Agios Pavlos. Our route leads us past several offshore sea stack rocks and rugged cobble beaches. Tonight we enjoy the comforts of a hotel in Agia Galini. Day 7: After breaking camp for the final time, we knock out the final stretch of our return journey to Matala. After beaching our kayaks we’ll check into our accommodations for the night, and enjoy the afternoon in beach town heaven. For those that are up for it, we highly encourage a visit to Red Beach where you can indulge in our secret Minoan Mud spa treatment. Day 8: Today we say farewell to those who are saying farewell to Crete. Northwest Passage guides can help facilitate any airport or port transfers. Those that are sticking around for the 3-day add-on adventure, get ready soak up some more Cretan stoke. Note: This is our intended itinerary. As with any adventure travel, the forces of nature can be unpredictable, causing us to make adjustments and changes to the itinerary. Rest assured that our many years of exploring Crete have provided us with numerous options if changes need to be made. If it is too windy to paddle, various hiking, cultural and historical options will make you glad for the winds.