Top Crete Outdoor Activities

This class was truly incredible! My husband and I have taken 3 or 4 cooking classes while traveling, but this one was really special. The hosts, the food, the animals, the scenery, literally everything—was unforgettable. I couldn’t recommend it enough!

Go in the spring- beautiful and perfect temperature and river not dried up Hire walking poles as it is difficult terrain and they make a huge difference - gives you 4 legs like one of the goats Carry one bottle of water and refill from the springs and river as totally clean and fresh Only make short rest stops and eat small snacks - don’t do a long picnic break as your muscles won’t want to get going again and you don’t want to feel full. Make sure you have plenty of battery in your phone, or 2 phones as you take so many photos it uses your battery fast Take a hat If you are struggling at the end, after you have walked 1km on exit there is a minibus that is 3€ that will take you to the village saving you 2km walk. The Kri Kri bar/restaurant is lovely- family run and we had a lovely late lunch/early dinner there, and sat drinking beer till we went for the ferry. Sarah was an amazing guide, really informative and stayed at the rear helping stragglers. Be aware it is the hardest walk I have ever done. I have walked far further than that, I walk every day, but this was hard because of the terrain. I did fall once because the rocks move- you need to be vigilant. Stop to admire the scenery, don’t walk and admire at the same time as you need to watch your footing. Viator and Elafonisi company were excellent.

Elafanisi Beach is gorgeous. The bus takes a 1/2 hour stop on the way. When we arrived at about 11 or 12 a.m. in mid-May, there were still a few beach chairs available. Later in the summer, expect not to get one, so be prepared to relax in full sun. The bus is a big one, and the chairs are very comfortable. It’s a Mercedes Benz. At noon, some parts of the sand were a very very faint pink, so don’t expect pink sand, but the water is blue and green, fresh, clean, and so beautiful. I’d considered walking out to where it’s deep enough to swim but it’s really far so I didn’t even try. Basically, this is a place to walk in the sea, enjoy happy people, take photos and relax. Enjoy! The tour company really knows their stuff! They picked us up at Mylos Super Market on the way where they said they would and were almost exactly when they told us they would, like within two minutes! That’s amazing cause it was 55 minutes after their first pick up in Chania.