School Trips Abroad: Crete

School Trips Abroad In Crete: Coasteering

School trips abroad to Crete, is without doubt, our favourite European destination. We offer 5 to 7 day trips, and these can be all adventure activities or a mix of adventure activities and cultural experiences. The cost of an activity trip in Crete is comparable to the same length of trip in the UK, only the flights make it a little more expensive than a coach trip. However with the advent of cheap airlines this also can be very competitive. Crete has a longer summer season so you can visit as early as the beginning of April and as late as the end of October, and still enjoy fabulous weather. If you are able to travel during these shoulder months rather than high season May – July, you will also enjoy cheap flights and cheap accommodation prices, thus making your overseas trip even more achievable. Crete is well known as a package holiday destination, however we will give you a opportunity to sample its traditional hospitality among real locals. We are based in Kalyves in Western Crete close to Hania. Kalyves is a traditional fishing village with select low level tourism, it is not a night club and party destination. The people you will meet are our personal friends: people we trek with, climb with, ride with and cave with. All our activities are based within a maximum of 40 minutes from your accommodation. However, specialist events can be organised that might be a little further afield. Accommodation options include: Fully catered hotels, half board or self catering.

For your school trip abroad in Crete, we operate Multi Activity Residentials, Team Building and Sixth Form Induction Weeks. Trips include all our usual range of adventurous activities, which are all provided by our UK, national governing body qualified instructor and a local guide. Our good friends, Vassilis, Eftekis and Anastasia, are our local instructors; they are total professionals in their sport and obviously have unquestionable local knowledge to take you to off-beat locations and places of Wild Crete! This is definitely not the usual bucket and spade package holiday, so be prepared for something a little different and exciting, with a real “WAW” factor! All transfers once you are in Crete are provided by us. If you choose the full catering option then you will eat in our friends Taverna the “Akrogiali” We have known the owner for over 30 years and eat there regularly when we are living in Crete over the winter months.

Day 1

School Trips Abroad In Crete: Mountain Biking

Generally you will arrive in Kalyves about mid-afternoon. Once you have settled in, we will take you for a walk around the village to show you the best shops and useful village resources. We then meet at Akrogiali for a team brief and outline of your stay, then it’s time to get down to the beach for a swim before your evening meal.

Day 2

Today we travel to Kalathas to go climbing and abseiling. After lunch on the beach we travel to Stavros beach for snorkelling. This beach was the setting for the famous dance scene in Zorba The Greek.

Day 3

The morning is spent mountain biking in the orange groves near Stylos. After lunch, we head out to one of the best coasteering location in Crete for an adventure filled afternoon.

Day 4

Today we go sit on top kayaking, we paddle out to “Rabbit Island” and then, after a chance to swim, we continue to a small beach where you will hear the legend of when a pirate ship was turned to stone by the local priest. The small stone island really does look like an old Mediterranean pirate ship! For those who dare you will have a chance to jump from this high rock. On return we go the the harbour in Kalyves for a raft building challenge. If you are on a 5 day visit then tonight is party night with a local Cretan band and dancers to entertain you.

School Trips Abroad In Crete: Beach Bivvie

Day 5

This morning, we simply pack and prepare to head back to the airport.

Day 5 (7 Day Visits)

Today is spent travelling to Imbros, visiting a very interesting small private museum dedicated to the battle of Crete on the way. Taking our picnic lunch, the remainder of the day is taken up by our trek through the beautiful Imbros gorge. If we have time we will travel a little further to enjoy a swim in the Libyan Sea before returning home to Kalyves.

School Trips Abroad In Crete: Climbing

Day 6

Today we visit the ancient Venetian capital of Crete, Hania. Here you will be given a sight seeing trip followed by a chance to do some shopping. In the afternoon we have a relaxing afternoon on the beach playing games and just topping up on the sun tan. Then in the evening it is party night with a local Cretan band and dancers to entertain you.

Day 7

We pack in preparation to return home.

Activity programmes for Crete are not set in stone and can be changed to suit the specific needs of your group. Other activity options include: camping trips to remote beaches, 4X4 treks, cliff jumping and snorkelling into secret caves once used by the Cretan resistance fighters. Also available are archaeological, cultural and museum visits. The island of Crete has many beautiful villages and places of interest to see. Please call our office to discuss your choice.

In Country Travel

All transfers in Crete are provided by us in comfortable licensed mini bus’s or coaches.

Accommodation

This will obviously depend on the standard of accommodation you require for your multi-activity break. However our standard package will be in one of the following apartments: Porto Kalyves, Kalyves Bay or Asterina Apartments. All apartments sleep three, has a shower and toilet, and has a small kitchen to prepare any snacks that you want or to make a cup of tea. Almost all have a sea view balcony. We use these apartments primarily because we have personally stayed there and have found them to be first class. So if there is any problems then please let us know as we know the owners personally and they will ensure that any problems are resolved immediately. The apartments are just across the small road from a small beach so they are ideal for an early morning dip before breakfast. Most floors are marble so be very careful when they are wet, particularly in the shower area as they become very slippy. If you are on a fully catered package then meals provided at a near by family run Taverna, who we have worked with for years.

The sanitary plumbing system has a much smaller diameter pipe than in the UK so don’t throw tissue paper down the toilet; put it in the bin provided at the side of the toilet. This will be emptied regularly by the apartment staff. Light fittings and power supply is different to the UK so you will need a plug adaptor for electrical appliances, these can be bought cheaply in resort, and although less powerful the power supply is enough to power UK electrical goods. It can be quite windy in Crete, (A wind known as the Mistral, a warm slow wind coming from the north) so do not leave all your doors and windows open as they will slam shut.

The best way to keep the room cool during the day when you are out is to open the window, close the shutters and close the curtains. At night if you are sitting outside with the lights on you may attract mosquitos, so wear insect repellent and you keep the windows and doors to your room closed. Do not take any of the apartment’s towels or kitchen equipment to the beach. Please report any damage so that we can resolve the issue, usually owners are okay so long as it is reported, they are more likely to make a charge if they find out for themselves. There is no maid service so you will have to clean your room and wash up any dishes for yourself.

Activities

School Trips Abroad In Crete: Coasteering

Most of our activities on our multi activity break take part in the Hania district of Crete. Here we offer: Canoeing, Climbing and abseiling, Raft building, Mountain biking, Team initiative games, snorkeling, coasteering and short treks. Further afield we offer Gorge walking, Mountain treks, Technical mountain biking and visits to locations of special interest. All specialist equipment and activity insurance is provided by us. All our instructors are UK qualified with at least three years post qualification experience. Local guides are also used but only those appropriately qualified. All of them we have previously worked with, and we know them personally. We design personal activity programmes with yourself to suit the needs of your group, or please ask for our sample activity programmes.

The Weather

The best time to visit Crete is between April and early June. The weather is hot without being uncomfortable and the island is in full bloom, a real sight for the eyes. July until the end of August is unbearably hot and too difficult to undertake activities, therefor we do not operate during this period. We start again in September and work right through until the end of October. Usually about the second week in September there is a day or two of heavy rain which marks the end of the incredible heat of summer and the more comfortable temperatures of around 25 degrees for the autumn. The weather once the mid-September rain has finished settles down and is similar to an average British summer. Winter does not really start until January when you get cold days of around 10 – 15 degrees.