Jeep safari
Amari valley villages.
Photo: Piotr Baranowski / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Rethymno
- Start town
- Rethymno
- Typical duration
- 5–7 hours
- Type
- Jeep safari
The Amari valley runs south of Rethymno between Psiloritis and the Kedros range. A day here is villages, a church with frescoes, and a long lunch. It is not a beach and not a single famous monastery. A driver or a jeep helps because the point is the lanes. A fast transit on the main road sees olive trees and nothing else.
Drive south from Rethymno and turn into the valley, or join a driver who will stop. Agree a return time. Village coffee runs longer than the schedule.
It suits travellers who have already had their beach and want the interior. It is wasted on a group counting hours until the next swim.
Amari valley villages needs 5–7 hours from Rethymno. The months that usually work are year round, spring is green. You are a passenger. Dust, switchbacks and a track that closes after rain are the shape of the day. Do not add a gorge hike after it and still expect to be back in Rethymno for an early dinner. Amari valley villages drives the tracks reached from Rethymno. The west-coast loops and the south-coast loops are not the same day.
Is it worth it
Amari valley villages is worth the hours from Rethymno when it suits travellers who have already had their beach and want the interior. A day here is villages, a church with frescoes, and a long lunch. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because The Amari valley runs south of Rethymno between Psiloritis and
- Shoes that match the ground on Amari valley villages. Drive south from Rethymno and turn into the
- A layer for the start in Rethymno. Year round, spring is green still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Amari valley villages takes 5–7 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- Year round, spring is green is the window to trust for Amari valley villages. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Rethymno with 5–7 hours clear. Drive south from Rethymno and turn into the valley, or join a
- Search “Amari valley villages tour Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Rethymno.
Related tours
Day tripPsiloritis day from the north
Rethymno7–9 hours
Psiloritis is the high mountain between Rethymno and Heraklion. A guided day is not the same as wandering up from a café. Routes vary from a high shepherd path to a long summit attempt. Weather changes quickly and the top can be in cloud while the beach is hot. This is a mountain day. Boots, water and an early start are the product, not a viewpoint pull-off. The usual length is 7–9 hours, and the months that usually work are May to October. It suits fit walkers who want a mountain rather than a gorge. Skip it in thunderstorm forecasts, in midsummer heat without experience, and with anyone who thought it was a monastery visit. Guides collect from Anogia, Zaros or the north-coast towns depending on the route. Ask which route, how many metres of climbing, and what happens if the cloud is down.
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HistoryArkadi monastery from Rethymno
Rethymno3–5 hours
Arkadi is the monastery in the hills southeast of Rethymno, remembered for the 1866 siege. The building is the visit: courtyard, church, and a small museum. It is not a hike, though the road is inland and cooler than the beach. Combining it with a south-coast gorge makes a rushed day. The monastery deserves an unhurried hour and the drive back. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round, mornings are quieter. It suits anyone interested in the island’s modern history. Shoulders should be covered. Skip it as a photo stop on the way to Preveli if you will not get out of the car for long. Drive inland from Rethymno, about half an hour, or join a tour that is honest about the return time. The site is signed from the town.
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Food and wineWine tasting inland of Rethymno
Rethymno3–5 hours
The hills south of Rethymno grow wine, and a tasting afternoon is one cellar, some bread and oil, and a view, not a crawl of six wineries. Spili or the villages toward the Amari valley are the direction. You need a driver who is not drinking. Combining the tasting with Arkadi can work. Combining it with a gorge hike does not. The usual length is 3–5 hours, and the months that usually work are April to November. It suits adults who want a short inland contrast. Skip it for non-drinkers unless the visit is honestly about the village and the oil as well. Leave Rethymno south toward Spili. The drive is part of the pleasure if you are not late for something else. Tours should name the village, not only “wine country”.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 5–7 hours from Rethymno. It suits travellers who have already had their beach and want the interior.
- Year round, spring is green. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Rethymno.
- Drive south from Rethymno and turn into the valley, or join a driver who will stop. Agree a return time. Village coffee runs longer than the schedule.
- It suits travellers who have already had their beach and want the interior. It is wasted on a group counting hours until the next swim.
- Amari valley villages is worth the hours from Rethymno when it suits travellers who have already had their beach and want the interior. A day here is villages, a church with frescoes, and a long lunch. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.