Why Western Crete?

There are two very different Cretes. The better known eastern end of the island perhaps enjoys a faster pace of life and draws in the crowds. The west, dominated by the majestic Lefka Ori (the White Mountains) enjoys a much slower and relaxed pace of life. The beaches still exist but come with sleepy villages and tavernas. Head inland and you pass through olive groves into hillside villages surrounded by orange and lemon trees, up into the White Mountains. At a height of up to 2,400 metres, these can remain snow-capped until the month of June, lending a truly spectacular backdrop to this end of the island.

For the more energetic, there is the beautiful Samaria Gorge, at 18 kilometres, the longest gorge in Europe descending from the mountains to the South coast and the Libyan Sea.

The island abounds in wildlife and is one of the last remaining nesting sites for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle in the Mediterranean. More than 330 species of birds have been recorded on the island and is one of the few remaining homes of the endangered Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture).

From Spring, the island is covered in a profusion of flowers which continue through the Summer. Meadows and hillsides are carpeted with wild flowers and this continues into the villages where houses groan under bougainvillea and every available pot overflows with geraniums and Summer flowers.

At the heart of this end of the island is the ancient Venetian port of Chania, truly one of the jewels of the Mediterranean. To sit around the old harbour on a warm Summer evening as the sun sets on the limpid sea casting a glow over the mountains is truly magical and an experience which words cannot do justice to.

Crete is justly renowned as a very safe country for tourists to visit where one can walk freely at any time of day or night and the local people are genuinely welcoming and eager to share the beauty of their island.