April 10th - 17th, 2007

CRETE (week 1): The eastern end

Price: £ 995 excluding flights

Leader: Bob Gibbons

The flora and fauna of Crete is legendary. For this week’s tour, we go to an unspoilt part of the eastern end of the island, where spring arrives early, to explore the hills, gorges, coast and ancient sites, rich in orchids and other rare or endemic flowers. At this time of year, the hills are green and flowery, and few tourists have arrived.

We leave Heathrow by scheduled flight to Heraklion, from where we transfer to our first hotel on the coast near Elounda, away from the bustle of Agios Nikolaos.

Orchis sitiaca

We have 2 nights here, allowing us time to explore the nearby mountains and visit the famous plain of Lassithi, as well as the attractive nearby coast. On the third day, we head on eastwards to the remote hill village of Zakros, in an unspoilt part of the far eastern end of Crete, where tourism has barely reached. From here, we can explore the flower-rich habitats of the area for the rest of the week, using our own bus whenever we need it.

There are fine gorges, limestone slopes, and a few of those curious limestone plateaux with no external drainage that are such a feature of Crete. At this time of year, the orchids should be at their best, and we can reasonably expect to see 30 or more species, including some of the special endemic bee orchids and many others. There should also be early bulbs, such as tulips, fritillaries, Bellevalias and others. The extraordinary endemic Aristolochia cretica is much more frequent here than in the west of the island, and we should find it in several locations. The rare and attractive little perennial violet Viola scorpiuroides occurs near a monastery here, and it should still be in flower at the time of our visit. In addition, many of the commoner flowers that give Crete so much colour and life in the spring should be flowering at their peak, as well as some of the more widespread endemics such as the gorgeous Cretan Ebony, Cretan arum, Ranunculus cupreus and the fascinating Cretan blue lettuce (really a bellflower).

Cretan arum

Not far from our base is the famous grove of palms at Vai - the rare Phoenix theophrastii, Europe’s only native tree-sized palm, which we shall visit.

We shall, of course, also see birds, including migrants such as several races of yellow wagtail, collared flycatcher and honey buzzards. and breeding species such as Cretzschmar’s bunting, rock thrush and blue rockthrush, and various warblers. There are lizards, tree frogs, freshwater crabs, and a good range of insects including the first eastern festoons and other butterflies. The scenery is superb, and there are old monasteries, ancient sites, and castles scattered throughout the area.

By going early, we avoid the first influx of charter flight tourists, and see some of the specialities of Crete that are over by the time most people visit. On day 8, we return to Heraklion for those returning after one week, and on to Chania for those staying on for a second week.

This week can easily be combined with the following week (West Crete) for a very different experience of the island, at a combined price of £1595.

The tour price includes return flights, accommodation with private facilities on a half board basis in Elounda (2 nights) and bed and breakfast basis in Zakros, transport throughout, and services of leaders, including pre-tour information, and post-tour lists. We will buy material for picnics and eat out at local restaurants (exc. in Elounda)– the cost should work out at about £12 per day.

Tour code: NHT/07/02

Price: £995

Single room supplement: £80

Deposit: £150 plus insurance

Combined tour: NHT/07/04 £1595, single supp: £155

Bookings to Sunvil