If you hope to discover off the beaten path Crete, it won’t take you very long to work out Rule Number One for yourself. There aren’t many bus routes other than the main one, so if you want to explore further you’ll either need your own car or you’ll need to join a tour.
The coast between Hersonissos and Malia is the busiest tourist area in Crete, but beyond the formidable wall of mountains immediately south, you’re in a different world. So when the chance came up to join Unique Crete Tours on a trip over the mountains to the Lassithi Plateau, and the nearby island of Spinalonga, we jumped at it.
So here’s our Unique Crete Tours review of our tour around some of the remarkable sights in eastern Crete.
Unique Crete Tours Review – Our Itinerary
Our tour departed Malia before heading half an hour or so east to the regional capital and seaside city of Agios Nikolaos. After a short walk around the picturesque lake there we drove north along the shore of Mirabello Bay to the tiny village of Plaka, our departure point for the short boat ride to the island of Spinalonga.
We then spent around an hour and a half on Spinalonga, the Venetian fortress island later used as a leper colony.
On returning to ’mainland’ Crete we enjoyed a scenic drive through the mountains, the mountain goat route to Malia, from which we turned south towards more mountains and, eventually the Lassithi Plateau. This small agricultural area is one of the loveliest landscapes in Europe, the patchwork of fields surrounded by dramatic mountain peaks.
We had the option of an uphill climb to Zeus’ Cave, but I opted to cool off in one of the cafes with Faye and Our Little Man instead.
After lunch at a local Lassithi restaurant we then descended towards the coast via the village of Krasi, home to a famous ancient monumental plane tree.
The Tour Experience
Our tour happened to coincide with the last furious flush of Cretan summer heat, so we were delighted to be in a cool, comfortable car. And refreshed with a much-needed cold bottle of water.
Marinos is the tour guide, and we were accompanied by his wife Maria, who handles tour reservations and planning behind the scenes. We were also joined by a lovely Dutch couple on the second day of their week’s holiday in Crete. They take groups of between 2 and 7 people on a variety of tours around the island.
The journey was very comfortable from start to finish, and the day was broken up well, with the longest drive less than an hour.
And as well as keeping us well supplied with water and fruit salad, we thoroughly enjoyed Maria’s homemade biscuits. Our son loved this part of the Cretan diet, and managed to swap his carob root for a couple of my biscuits. We were both more than happy with this!
Our Tour Guide Marinos
Marinos is a brilliant tour guide. He knows the island like the back of his hand, and eats, sleeps and breathes the place. You get to see the sights with him, but end up learning so much more about Crete while doing so.
Insights
For me, one of the best things about our tour was the insight I got into life on Crete. Marinos and Maria told us all about their families – one of their fathers is in his 90s and lives a simple life in a small house in one of the mountain villages. Family is a huge part of life on Crete, and by the end of the day we almost felt like distant relatives. We even got to see some of their wedding videos, and the traditional dances that are such an important part of the occasion.
We also got to learn a great deal about Crete’s environmental situation. We’ve spent over 8 months in Crete, with hardly a rainy day. So how does it cope with all those thirsty tourists every summer? In September 2023 the main reservoir was down to 20% capacity, so they were hoping for a snowy winter.
In Crete they pray for snow, not rain. Rain just washes through the ground. Snow on the high ground melts and soaks into the ground slowly, often over months. This is a better bet for filling the reservoirs for the dry summer season. It also keeps the fields of the Lassithi Plateau fertile. This is where some of the best produce in Crete is grown.
And to top it all off, we learned that the Greeks pronounce the name of the king of the gods ‘Zee-us’, and not ‘Zoose’ as many English speakers do.
Final Words
We’ve spent a long time in Crete, and this was the best and most informative tour we’ve been on there.
It’s a brilliant introduction to the island, or a great way of seeing several sights in a day that would have otherwise taken much longer.
The three of us loved this tour, and even though we’ve spent more than 8 months on the island, it whetted our appetite for even more.
We travelled on this tour as guests of Unique Crete Tours, and all opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own.
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.