Crete · JEEP SAFARIS IN CHANIA
Good jeep safaris in Chania fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 12 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend 7.5 hours crossing Crete by 4WD Land Rover with guides such as Dionysus, Stavros, or Vasilis. Visit Spili, Karines, Prasses Gorge, Potamon Dam, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, and Preveli Beach, then enjoy a Cretan lunch with unlimited wine.
“Dionysius was great and really informative! We got to see lots of villages, learned a lot about Crete, it’s animals, plants, fruit and people.”
Travel from Chania in a comfortable air-conditioned 4WD with up to six people, taking the rough road toward Balos for a superb hilltop view rather than the beach itself. Then spend about three hours at Falassarna with reserved first-row loungers, drinks, wine or beer, and a Cretan lunch. Guides include Yiannis, Nikos, Nickolas, Dion, and Nasos.
“If you’d like a memorable time without a horde of tourists, this is it! Nicholas is dynamite tour guide. You’ll feel like you’re spending the day with good friends while seeing spectacular sea and landscapes. Then you’ll have an incredibly delicious lunch. Not an exaggeration. Worth every penny! Just do it!”
Travel from Chania in a comfortable seven-seat 4WD with a local host such as Nikolas, Dimitris, Yiannis, or Nick. Reach Elafonisi early for reserved loungers and an umbrella, then head through mountain roads to Milia Mountain Retreat for a Cretan lunch, dessert, and a drink.
“A great way to see a little bit of Crete. Our driver was very knowledgeable during our drive to the beach. Elafonisi beach was beautiful and enough time was spent there to be able to relax and explore the sea (loungers were reserved for us). The meal we then had at Milia Mountain Retreat was lovely, we had a variety of dishes to try between us, all of which were tasty, the local beer was great too! We were back at our hotel by about 4.30pm so not too long of a day either, money well spent!”
Ride from Chania into the White Mountains in a Land Rover Defender, stopping at orange groves, villages, a remote shepherd’s mitato, and a 1,350-meter viewpoint. You’ll share a three-course Cretan lunch and wine in Therisso, with guides such as Chris and Louise leading small groups in English, French, or German.
“Guide was excellent as was the whole day. Highly recommended.”
Join a small group of 6 to 8 for a 4.5-hour sunset safari from Chania. Your English-speaking driver takes you through orange groves, vineyards, mountain villages, and Skonizo hilltop before a Cretan meze plate and wine at a family-run taverna.
“The guide was really good. The food and wine was awful and we found it mainly inedible”
Leave Chania with a private guide such as Nasos, Dimitris, Vasileios, or Nickolas for an eight-hour Jeep tour through olive country, wineries, mountain villages, and Samaria Gorge views. Tastings, lunch, drinks, pickup, and a 3,000-year-old olive tree are included.
“We had a wonderful day touring Chania area with Dimitri- he picked us up in Chania at the Chania Flair hotel (great place to stay near the waterfront) and we had a fun visit into the country side for an olive oil tasting and wine tasting. On the way we stopped at a 3000 year old olive tree and Dimitri shared stories of early Olympic tradition of the olive bough and garland of leaves for the winner—He treated us to a cup of mountain tea (healing and immune boosting herbs) with local honey- loved it! Olive oil tasting was very fun, followed by interesting ride up the mountains on rustic…”
Join a small 4x4 group with an English-speaking guide such as Michael, Manos, Louise, or Yiannis. Follow mountain tracks through orange and olive groves, pause at Valsamioti Dam and Skonizo for sunset, then eat meze and drink local wine at a family tavern in Deres.
“Our tour guide Michael was absolutely amazing from the second he picked us up. His knowledge of the local area and history was brilliant. The trip itself was exciting and informative. The sunset at the top of the mountain was beautiful, and then our meze in the little village was lovely. Highly recommend!”
Andreas picks you up in a five-seat Jeep Cherokee for a private trip from Chania to Balos Lagoon. Expect an off-road ride, a steep 20 to 30-minute hike, two hours at the beach, beach chairs and snacks, then lunch with views over Falassarna.
“Absolute wonderful and kind tour guide. he went above and beyond for us and welcomed us as family! Would recommend this company to anyone visiting chania!”
From Souda or Chania, you’ll ride a 4x4 into Vatolakos Hills, stop at Valsamiotis Cofferdam, visit Manousakis vineyards, and taste five wines with cheese. Guides such as John, Giannis, and Roy are praised for their care, humor, and local insight.
“We spent our day with experienced and lovely tour guide Roy. Quite simply the best tour guide we've ever had. He provided a ton of knowledge on local fauna, inner workings of the vineyards and witty humor. Book him and you simply not only get the best, but also funniest vineyard experience known to a man.”
Join guide Nikolas in a private seven-seat 4WD for a full day through Chania’s hills. Taste two olive oils and 10 wines at Anoskeli and Manousakis wineries, stop at the ancient Vouves olive tree, and enjoy a Cretan lunch above Samaria Gorge.
“We had a perfect day with Nikolas taking us around the Cretan countryside. He was able to give us a lot of information about the history of the area and local life. All of the planned stops were well thought out. Lunch overlooking the SamariaRead more”
Join a multilingual escort-driver for a four-hour 4x4 trip from the Rethymnon area to Arkadi Monastery, Potamon Dam, and Maroulas. Expect mountain viewpoints, a fast-moving sunset, off-road tracks, local food, wine, and guides such as Harry, Antonis, or Nikos.
“A great sunset tour. We were picked up exactly on the meet time. Our guide Harry was incredibly knowledgeable stopping to show us fruit, herbs and wildlife. After a short break at a monastery we went off-road stopping twice for views to the south and the sunset to the west. After that we drove to a traditional greek taverna for a lovely meal with wine and raki before being dropped back at our hotel”
Join Uncharted Escapes for a 4 to 5 hour sunset ride from Chania into orange groves, mountain villages, and quiet off-road country. Small groups of 6 to 8 share a premium 4x4, ending with Cretan meze and local wine at a family tavern.
“A great wine tasting with lovely meze and then an off road trip to see the sunset over Chania. A lovely memory of Crete.”
Pick a coast, a gorge or a kitchen.
