Incredible coastline,
spectacular sunsets, the friendliest innkeepers and taverna owners
you'll ever meet, warm waters in tremendously varied shades of blue
and green, amazing sea caves, cliff jumping for all levels of
risk-takers, never-ending sunshine, phenomenal food, an opportunity
to see the Crete that few tourists see. Rick Sweitzer, Executive Director
of The Northwest Passage, fell in love with Crete in the late 60's
and has been exploring the backroads and coastline of this incredible
island ever since. The Northwest Passage has been touring Crete by
kayak, bicycle and foot for many years and in the process, we have
developed great friendships with our local hosts. You'll feel
like part of the family as we share with you our most popular
international trip.
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| How
do I get to Heraklion from North America? |
Our adventure
begins in Heraklion, the capital of Crete. To reach Heraklion,
most participants fly into Athens. From there, you have a choice
of flying to Heraklion (a one hour flight offered by several carriers
including Aegean and Olympic Air or taking an overnight ferry.
If you choose to fly, most U.S. travel agents can book Olympic Air
but are not familiar with Aegean. You can book flights online for
either Olympic (www.olympic-airways.gr)
or Aegean (www.aegeanair.com).
You can also make reservations through Pacific Travel (www.pacifictravel.gr
or info@pacifictravel.gr)
We have been working with Pacific Travel for many years and they are
quite helpful. They have an office at the Athens Airport that is staffed
24 hours a day. There is also a website at www.cretetravel.com which
is quite helpful. You can also call our office to get more details
regarding the travel options. It is important to confirm your return
flights, both the flight to Athens and the flight from Athens to the
US, 48-72 hours prior to the flight.
If you choose to take the ferry, you can purchase tickets right at
the port or in advance through a travel agent. The port (Piraeus)
can be reached by taxi or bus from the airport. The cost for the ferry
will vary depending on level of accommodation (private cabin with
bath, semi-private, etc). Most of the ticket agents at the port will
take credit cards. |
| What
papers do I need for travel to Greece? |
All US citizens
require a valid passport to enter Greece. A visa is not
required for citizens of the United States, Canada, and the
European Union. If you are a citizen of another country,
please check with your nearest Greek embassy for visa requirements.
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| Do
I need to get any shots before traveling to Greece? |
No inoculations
are required when entering or leaving Greece.
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| How
and where will you meet me? |
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We will ask
for a copy of your travel itinerary prior to your departure. We
will meet the morning of the first day of the trip at the Heraklion
Airport, or otherwise by arrangement. Exact meeting time will
be determined once flight schedules from Athens to Heraklion are finalized
for that season. We have found over the years that the schedules
vary somewhat year to year. The airport is quite small and we
will be wearing Northwest Passage shirts and carrying an NWP sign.
We will meet in the arrivals area of the Heraklion airport. |
| How
long will it take me to get there? |
The flight to
Athens is usually an overnight flight, leaving the U.S. in
the late afternoon and arriving mid-day to late afternoon in Athens.
Depending on the carrier and connection, you may overnight in another
city en-route. There are flights out of Athens to Heraklion starting
at 6 a.m. and continuing throughout the day and evening until 11:45
p.m.
Returning from Athens, most flights back to the U.S. are in the early
morning, requiring an overnight in Athens the last day of the trip.
Generally, participants will book flights out of Heraklion late afternoon
on the last day. If you want to visit the Archaelogical Museum in
Heraklion, you should not book a flight before 4:00 p.m. on the
last day of the trip.
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| Where
should I stay overnight in Athens or Heraklion? |
There are many
hotel options in Athens in varying price ranges. The Plaka area
of Athens (near the Acropolis, etc.) is the most popular area and
not too far from the airport (45+ min. cab ride depending on traffic;
buses are also an option). Please feel free to check out our Hotels
section of the website or contact our office for hotel suggestions.
If you choose to overnight in Heraklion either at the beginning
or the end of the trip, there are hotel options downtown as well as
just outside of town, again in varying price ranges. We can give you
suggestions based on your preferences and budget.
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| What
is the exchange rate in Greece? Where can I exchange? |
The Drachma
was the Greek currency. However, Greece converted to the Euro
in January, 2002. For the most current exchange rate, there are several
helpful websites. Oanda (www.oanda.com)
will give you a handy conversion cheat sheet to take with you. You
can exchange money at the airport (either Athens or Heraklion). Exchange
rates at the airport may not be the most favorable and they often
have higher commission rates and/or minimum commissions. There are
ATM's at the airports which can be handy as there is not a commission,
just the ATM service charge. There are also ATM's in Matala, Plakias
and Agia Galini. Some of the hotels where we stay will also exchange.
Some shops do exchange money but their rates are often high.
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| How
much money should I take? What will I spend money on? How much is
a typical meal? Drinks? Souvenirs? |
|
The trip fee covers
most of your costs. The only things you will be responsible for are
lunches, drinks, one dinner, personal purchases, and gratuities.
Lunches generally range 5-10 Euro. Dinner ranges 10-20 Euro.
Personal purchases again vary- one can buy unique souvenirs made of
olive wood for 5 Euro or get fine jewelry for significantly more…
it's up to you. |
| When
in town, who do I tip? How much? |
|
Tipping is optional
and not expected in the same way it is in the U.S. However, it is
most appreciated and 10 % is typical. |
| Do
they take plastic in Crete? |
|
There is a Cash
Station at the Heraklion Airport. There are also ATM's in Matala where
we spend the first two nights and again in Plakias and Agia Galini.
Many of the more upscale shops will take credit cards. You can sometimes
negotiate a better price on goods if you pay cash. Many smaller shops
do not accept credit cards. |
| What
are the accommodations like? |
|
We choose the nicest
inns/hotels in each of the towns where we stay. That said, we
are avoiding the major touristy towns of Crete so options are somewhat
limited. All of the hotels are clean and rooms have private baths.
Bathtubs are a rarity in Crete but all rooms have showers.
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| Can
I plug in my hair dryer? What about my electric razor? |
If you bring
any items requiring electricity, be sure to bring both a converter
and adapter plugs. These can be purchased at Radio Shack®, other
electronics stores, travel stores etc. Let the salesperson know you
are traveling to Greece and they can help you select the appropriate
converter and adapter plugs for your equipment. Note that hair dryers,
irons, and any other heat producing devices require a stronger converter
than other devices. It is helpful to know the wattage of your particular
equipment when purchasing the appropriate converter.
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| Can
I drink the water? |
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The water is
safe to drink in all the areas we visit except the town of Loutro.
In Loutro, the water will not make you ill but has a salty taste.
However, bottled water is readily available everywhere and
quite inexpensive so most folks choose to drink bottled water. |
| What's
the food like? |
|
Breakfast generally
consists of fresh Greek yogurt with honey, bread, cheese, juice, coffee
or tea, with eggs as an occasional option. Lunches and dinners are
ordered off the menu which typically consists of Greek specialties
such as moussaka, pastitsio, grilled meats and fish, spaghetti (doesn't
sound Greek but very popular), stifada (generally beef stew), etc.
Selections for vegetarians are more limited but previous vegetarian
clients have not gone hungry, enjoying dolmades (grape leaves), eggplant,
zucchini, tzatzki (yogurt/cucumber/garlic dip), saganaki (fried feta),
Greek salads etc. |
| What
time zone will we be in? |
|
Greece is two
hours ahead of Greenwich Time, which makes it 7 hours ahead of US
Eastern Time, 8 hours ahead of Central Time, 10 hours ahead of Pacific
Time. |
| How
can people reach me in an emergency? Can I call home? |
|
We will provide
you with a list of our hotels including phone and fax numbers. You
should also provide family/friends with The Northwest Passage number
(800-RECREATE, 732-7328) as NWP staff will always be notified of any
changes in the itinerary. You can call home using a calling card.
Many of the hotels will have phones in the rooms. Keep in mind the
time difference listed above. It can be helpful to remind family and
friends about this also. MCI access code for calls from Crete is 00-800-1211.
AT&T access code is 00-800-1311, Sprint access code is 00-800-1411. |
| How
can I prepare physically for the trip? How much prior experience is
needed? |
|
We have had
participants on this trip who have never been in a kayak before
and others who have been paddling for years. We have found that all
levels of kayakers have enjoyed this adventure. A good level of personal
fitness makes the journey more enjoyable. For kayaking, upper body
exercises that strengthen your shoulders, back and arms are recommended.
Strengthening exercises with free weights can be very beneficial.
Upper body stretches and exercises such as rowing are also useful.
Keep in mind that we have had folks at all different levels of physical
conditioning thoroughly enjoy this trip and the van is always an option!
It is extremely important that you know how to swim and are comfortable
in the water. Please don't hesitate to contact our office if you have
any questions or concerns about your physical capabilities for this
trip. |
| How
much time do we spend kayaking each day? |
We will generally
kayak 5-6 hours per day. The paddling is broken into multiple
sections with plenty of time to explore the coastline, paddle in and
out of sea caves and jump in and out of the water to cool off. We
generally begin paddling at 8:30 each morning, then take a
cappuccino break at a seaside taverna after an hour or so. We stop
again for lunch after another hour or so and generally reach our next
hotel between 3:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon.
Distance traveled varies each day, ranging from 6-24 miles.
Once we reach our destination, you will have some free time to shower,
relax, and/or explore the town. We will generally offer some additional
skill training for folks who are interested at the end of the day.
Some participants have wanted to work on Eskimo rolling, paddling
techniques, etc.
Each day, the van will be following our route, meeting us at the
cappuccino stops and lunch stops, offering multiple options. You can
paddle to the cappuccino break, then hop in the van to the lunch stop,
then paddle again in the afternoon. Or start with a van ride and paddle
later in the day. The choices are endless! |
| What
kind of equipment do you use? |
|
We have a combination
of hard shell plastic doubles, singles and folding doubles. Some participants
prefer to paddle in the doubles the whole time (paddling is a bit
easier with two people powering the boat and the doubles tend to be
more stable) and some prefer to trade on and off with the singles.
We will provide kayaks, paddles, spray skirts and PFD's (personal
flotation devices) for all participants. If you prefer to bring your
own paddle and/or PFD, you are most welcome to. Please let us know
in advance so that we can pack the appropriate gear, especially if
you have a particular need or unusual size. |
| How
many people are on this trip? How many guides? |
|
Our
group sizes for this trip range from 6 to 16 participants. We
generally have two guides on the water and one or two additional
staff members as van drivers. One of our van drivers is George,
a local Cretan with a wealth of knowledge about and love for his
native land. Your other guides will be knowledgeable Northwest Passage
staff members who are highly skilled in all aspects of sea kayaking
and wilderness travel and have years of experience leading groups.
They all have training and/or certification in Wilderness First
Aid.
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