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Day One: Transfer from Heraklion Airport. Visit to the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos and enjoy lunch or snacks at a local taverna. Fed culturally and physically, we then drive south to the romantic seaside village of Matala, allegedly the place where Zeus brought Europa ashore and where Helen of Troy and Paris spent a mad weekend. An optional skills assessment session can put you on the water today, but the jet-lagged can just join us for welcoming drinks and dinner at a picturesque seaside location.
Day Two: After breakfast, participants will be outfitted with all necessary kayaking equipment and then we'll go down to the beach to choose our initial boats and receive some on-shore instruction in the basics of paddling. Then, conditions permitting, we'll take to the waters for the first time as a group and paddle 20 minutes or so to renowned Red Beach, where we'll enter a sea cave, explore carved rocks, enjoy a unique Minoan beauty treatment, and have the option of joining the other beachgoers in going bare. After plenty of time for frolicking, we'll get back in our kayaks and head back to Matala for lunch. Some paddlers may choose the option of continuing on to Kommos Beach for lunch at a tavern on the sand and a brief visit to the recently-excavated archeological site of Kommos, a few hundred yards down the beach. Later, both groups will have the option of expanding their adventure curve by cliff-jumping into the bay at Matala. In the evening, a visit to an ancient chapel and a sunset hike is followed by a delicious dinner.
Day Three: We'll give you a day out of the water as we move to the West. Some participants will choose to hike the impressive and challenging 11-mile all-downhill Samaria Gorge, while others may take the kinder, gentler option of hiking into the lower part of the gorge from our overnight stop at Agia Roumeli. Either way, we'll have a triumphant dinner to celebrate today's accomplishments. If conditions permit, a guided moon- or star-lit paddle opportunity may present itself to intrepid nighttime paddlers. It's an unforgettable experience!
Day Four: Today's paddling will take us to some beautiful beaches located to the west, where protected coves permit additional instruction and skills development in the gorgeous blue, turquoise, and green waters that wash this coast. You'll experience the joys of a hot pebble massage and explore some shallow caves, while keeping an eye peeled for a glimpse of giant sea turtles and bounding dolphins.
Day Five: Ready to stretch a bit? Today we have the option of proceeding by paddle or by ferry to our next stop along the coast. While the ferry ride is pleasant, paddlers have the advantage today and will enjoy a visit to Agios Pavlos Beach, where a 10th century Byzantine chapel marks a spot where St, Paul was allegedly shipwrecked. Then it's back in the kayaks to continue on to Marmara Beach, which offers traditional Cretan cuisine for lunch in a visually thrilling setting and some wonderful cliff-jumping opportunities. We end the day at the calm, picturesque bay of Loutro for personal instruction in wet exits and Eskimo rolls (no, not a type of cold sushi) before joining for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Crete.
Day Six & Seven: The schedule offers several options these days for both hiking and paddling. With our new high confidence on the water, most will paddle at least to Sweetwater Beach, a renowned and often nude beach which boasts a charming taverna for a cappuccino or something more substantial. There will be the option to spend the day at Sweetwater, sunbathing, swimming, receiving additional instruction, or just blissing out. Some may continue on to Chora Sfakia for lunch and shopping before paddling on back to Loutro for a fun kayak skills demonstration by our guides (which usually brings out the entire population of Loutro to watch those crazy Americans), followed by another sunset hike to a beautiful and historic location just outside of Loutro.
Day Eight: You won't want it to be over (and, in fact, we occasionally have participants sign right up for the following week at this point!). We have breakfast in Loutro and then get on the ferry to travel the short distance to Chora Sfakia, where we meet our van and driver to return to Heraklion.
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