Crete Jeep Safari with Lunch from Rethymno

Lake Kournas: Crete's natural freshwater lake

Lake Kournas lies in a green bowl of hills between Rethymno and Chania, a short drive inland from Georgioupoli. It is the only natural freshwater lake on Crete, fed by underground springs, and its colour shifts from turquoise near the shore to deep blue in the middle. Freshwater turtles, ducks and small fish live along its reedy edges, and in the background rise the first slopes of the White Mountains.

On this jeep safari the lake is the first stop of the morning, when the water is calm and the light is soft, which is the best time to visit Lake Kournas for photos. Your guide explains how the lake fills and drops with the seasons and what lives in it, before the convoy heads to a small Byzantine church nearby and a village café where you taste local herbs, honey and oregano.

The White Mountains off-road route

The White Mountains, Lefka Ori in Greek, are the great limestone range of western Crete, with more than fifty summits above 2,000 metres and pale slopes that stay snowy well into spring. Shepherds still use the high plateaus in summer, and the gorges cut through the range are home to griffon vultures and other birds of prey.

This is where the safari really becomes an adventure. The 4x4 leaves the asphalt and climbs on gravel tracks to about 1,200 metres, far from villages and traffic. Your guide stops at the best viewpoints over the valleys and the coast, so you have time for photos, fresh mountain air and the silence of the range. If you are looking for a Crete jeep safari from Rethymno that shows the wild interior of the island, this stretch is the reason to book.

Frangokastello castle on the south coast

Frangokastello is a square Venetian fortress built in the 1370s on a flat coastal plain below the mountains of Sfakia. It was meant to control the rebellious region and protect the coast from pirates, and its four corner towers and crenellated walls still stand almost complete beside a shallow sandy bay. Local folklore says that on early summer mornings ghostly figures appear in the mist near the walls, a story told in villages all along the south coast.

On the safari you stop near the castle to admire its walls against the sea while your guide tells its history. Frangokastello sits on the shores of the Libyan Sea, and the drive down from the mountains gives one of the most dramatic views of the south coast. Is Frangokastello worth visiting? Its setting between sea and mountains makes it one of the most photogenic castles on Crete.

Quiet beach and family-run tavern lunch

After the castle, the convoy heads to a quiet beach nearby on the south coast. The Libyan Sea here is usually clearer and warmer than the north coast, with shallow water close to shore and views of the mountains behind. You have time to swim, relax on the sand and cool down after the morning in the mountains.

Lunch is served at a family-run tavern right above the beach, where the cooks prepare home-style Cretan dishes such as fresh salads, vegetables cooked in olive oil, local cheese and grilled or oven-baked meat, with a soft drink included. Vegetarian dishes are easy to arrange; Halal meals are limited on Crete, so tell us your needs when booking and we will advise. Bring swimwear and a towel, as the swim stop is one of the highlights of the day.

Cretan herbs, honey and the olive oil mill

Olive oil is at the heart of Cretan life, and the island's groves produce some of the most prized extra virgin oil in Greece. Wild herbs such as thyme, sage, oregano and dittany grow on every hillside, and thyme honey from the mountains is famous for its strong flavour.

Twice during the day you get to taste these products. In the morning a village café offers herbs, honey and oregano, and in the afternoon the safari ends with a visit to a modern olive oil mill, where you see how olives are washed, crushed and pressed, then taste fresh oil on bread. It is a relaxed end to the day before the drive back to your hotel, and a good chance to buy oil, honey or herbs to take home.