The Cretan partisan tour

Departure date : 19th - 26th May 2009

Price from 1110€ per person (without flight) Single supplement €120

We are pleased to offer this exciting new tour for 2009. Thanks to my participation in a BBC documentary last year about Patrick Leigh Fermors’ wartime activities in the Cretan mountains, and particularly his part in the kidnapping of two generals. This gave me a much deeper insight into the activities of the British & Cretan resistance in the mountains from 1941 to 1945, and brought me into contact with new people and new information.
We will use the many books written about Crete as text to illustrate the activities of Patrick Leigh Fermor, George Psychoundakis, Dudley Perkins, and many others. We will also be using the expert Georgos Kalogerakis, a Cretan historian and an expert on WW2 history. He will give us more background information about the war and bring us into contact with his friends in the mountain villages.
We will walk on the network of footpaths used by the resistance, meet some of the partisans, and visit their hideouts and villages. This tour will bring us right to the heart of the Cretan mountains, and will be an opportunity to learn about the exceptionally brave and resistant people who defended their island at all cost throughout Cretan history.
This tour will be a two center holiday. The first part will be three nights in the village of Kastelli in central Crete, and then 4 nights in Xania.

 

Special aspects of this tour

- A one off chance to learn in depth information on the Cretan and British resistance in the Dikti, Ida, and Lefka Ori mountains.
- Meet up with locals and communicate with them via an interpreter.
- Visit unknown parts of the island on foot.
- Eat meals in Cretans homes and villages.
- Particular interest will be shown to the battle of Crete, the kidnapping of General Krieper, the evacuation of the King of Greece, and the ambushing of Dudley Perkins.
- The tour is lead by two guides Jonathan Peat (European mountain leader), Georgos Kalogerakis (expert on WW2 history in Crete and teacher at the Heraklion university)
- An adventure in a part and aspect of Crete unvisited by everyday visitors to the island.

Walking grade two--

The terrain in Crete is notably rocky and uneven. We will walk on a variety of terrains. Some dirt roads, cobbled footpaths, goat paths and some cross country walking too. Participants will need to be used to walking on varied terrain and practise uphill walking, as Cretan partisans lived in some of the wildest parts of the island.
Proper footwear is essential, in other words, proper walking boots with a good tread.


Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week ; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to Heraklion airport.

Price does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

Travelling to crete:
This holiday starts at Heraklion airport. To get your flight we suggest you look on www.cheapflights.co.uk There are many options.


Book a Cretan partisan's tour in 2008




Exploring Eastern Crete

Departure date : 14th to 21st October 2008


Walking grade two-- b a

Price from 1035€ per person (without flight) Single supplement €120.

The far eastern end of Crete is one of the least visited parts of the island. It has a mild climate, is less mountainous than the rest of the island and is a thriving agricultural area where bananas, olive trees, vineyards and all-year- round vegetables flourish. Spring comes early and with it there is a profusion of wild flowers, orchids and birds
The area is overlooked by the Thripti Mountains (Mt Afendi Stavromenos at 1450 metres). To the east there are vistas of undulating countryside.

Far eastern Crete is an area of remote, hidden villages and highland plateaus with thriving communities of shepherds; there is wild moor land, alive with hares and red-footed partridges. You will find some of the some of the best mountain walking and many beautiful beaches.
There are numerous archaeological remains, some dating back three thousand years. You will see the sites of Minoan villages and palaces, Dorian graves and frescoed Byzantine chapels. 





Special aspects of this tour:

  • visiting the Minoan palace of Zakros and the famous Valley of the Dead (where the Minoans buried their dead in 2500 BC)
  • exploring the deserted villages of Daphne and Pefki
  • walking across the barren, beautiful Ziros moor, to lunch in the home of a shepherd
  • exploring the biblical Kapsa Gorge en route to a Venetian mansion
  • ascending an ancient cobbled footpath to the hidden mountain plateau of Thripti for lunch with a Cretan family
  • swimming in the crystal clear, blue sea
  • enjoying a picnic on a deserted sandy beach.


Walking grade two-- b a
We walk for between four and six hours a day, covering about 10 miles (14km), with up to 700 metres ascent and 400 meters descent. Terrain is rocky, some walking on dirt roads, small goat paths and some neglected ancient footpaths.

Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week ; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to Heraklion airport.

Price does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

Travelling to crete:
This holiday starts at Heraklion airport. To get your flight we suggest you look on www.cheapflights.co.uk There are many options.

Book a walking tour in East of Crete in 2008




Western Crete

On request

Walking grade two-- b a
Price from €1035 per person (without flight) Single supplement €120.


Enter password : Crete07
Thanks to David & Truus you can see their pictures from this tour which they walked in October 2007

This tour is a two-centre holiday, based in western Crete. We spend three nights in Xora Sfakion, a small picturesque port on the south coast, looking out across the Libyan sea followed by four nights in Xania, on the north coast, the most beautiful and interesting city in all Crete. By moving from the south coast to the north coast, you can visit more places with less driving than is otherwise possible. Crete is a large island with high mountains; it can take a long time to travel short distances.

Three days on the south coast gives us the chance to walk in some of the wildest parts of the island.  On our doorstep are at least 30 gorges, 50 kilometres of coastal paths, easy access to the high mountains and to the Samarian Gorge national park. Four days on the north coast allows us to get to know Xania’s rich history and culture, as well as Roman ruins, monasteries, diverse farming areas and a variety of terrains within a short drive from the town.


 Special aspects of this tour:
  • exploring some of the lesser known gorges of south western part Crete such as Asfendos, Kalikratis and Aradena
  • On several of the south coast walks, boat transfers at the start of the walk, stunning coastal paths and plenty of opportunity to swim in sparkling, crystal-clear water
  • walks on the northern side of the island through olive groves, orange groves and ancient cypress forest in and around the foothills of the White Mountains
  • visiting monasteries, hidden Byzantine chapels, local artisans and archaeological sites
  • meeting the locals, walking through many of the most interesting sites in western Crete
Walking grade two-- b a
An average of four to six hours’ walking each day on a variety of terrains with up to 700 metres of ascent and descent in a day. The terrain is rocky in most places on Crete and hardly ever flat. We walk on ancient cobbled footpaths, dirt roads, goat tracks and, sometimes, cross-country on rough terrain.

Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week ; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to Xania airport

Price does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

Travelling to crete:
This holiday starts at Chania/Xania airport. To get your flight we suggest you look on www.cheapflights.co.uk There are many options.

Book a walking tour in Western Crete in 2008



Central and western Crete itinerant with Diktynna Travel


Exploring Central and Western Crete
oo(with Diktynna Travel)
00

This is a four-centre holiday. We stay in places selected for their character and charm, explore remote and unknown parts of the island, meet the locals, and participate in village life in the evenings. There will be the opportunity to learn about Cretan cooking, pottery-making, herb-gathering and much more.

For more details, please contact Jonathan or follow this link: www.diktynna-travel.gr









Book a walking tour Central & western Crete in 2007