Jeep safari
Inland from Hersonissos to the hills.
Photo: Maria-Theodora Andrikopoulou / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Heraklion
- Start town
- Hersonissos
- Typical duration
- 4–5 hours
- Type
- Jeep safari
A jeep or driver from Hersonissos into the hills is a half-day of villages and a view back to the coast, not a crossing to the south. The point is to leave the resort strip. Tracks that a hire car should not use are the reason to take the operator’s vehicle. Ask which villages. A loop that only drives the coast road is a waste of a jeep.
Pickup is from Hersonissos hotels. Confirm you return to the resort and not to a distant beach you must solve yourself.
It suits resort guests who want a contrast. Skip it if you would rather swim. The hills in August are cooler, not cool.
Inland from Hersonissos to the hills needs 4–5 hours from Hersonissos. The months that usually work are year round. 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 Hersonissos for an early dinner. Inland from Hersonissos to the hills drives the tracks reached from Hersonissos. The west-coast loops and the south-coast loops are not the same day.
Is it worth it
Inland from Hersonissos to the hills is worth the hours from Hersonissos when it suits resort guests who want a contrast. The point is to leave the resort strip. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because A jeep or driver from Hersonissos into the hills is
- Shoes that match the ground on Inland from Hersonissos to the hills. Pickup is from Hersonissos hotels. Confirm you return
- A layer for the start in Hersonissos. Year round still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Inland from Hersonissos to the hills takes 4–5 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- Year round is the window to trust for Inland from Hersonissos to the hills. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Hersonissos with 4–5 hours clear. Pickup is from Hersonissos hotels. Confirm you return to the resort and
- Search “Jeep safari from Hersonissos Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Hersonissos.
Related tours
Town walkOld Hersonissos village walk
Hersonissos2–3 hours
Above the resort, the older village of Hersonissos has lanes, a view, and the Roman remains that the beach strip does not bother to explain. The walk is short and uphill. It is the hour that makes the town make sense if you have only seen the harbour at night. Go before it is hot, or in the evening when the coast road is a queue. The usual length is 2–3 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round. It suits a slow morning. It will not thrill teenagers who wanted a boat. Pair it with a swim, not with Knossos and a winery. Walk up from the harbour or take a taxi to the village and walk down. The Roman fountain and theatre site are signed. Shade is limited.
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Food and wineWine tasting in the Heraklion hills
Heraklion4–6 hours
South of Heraklion, around Peza, Archanes and the foothills, are the vineyards most visitors can reach in an afternoon. A good tasting is one or two cellars, bread and oil, and a village, not a race. The drive is short. The mistake is adding Knossos, a beach and three wineries. You need a sober driver. The wine country is real agricultural land, not a theme park. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are April to November. It suits adults who want the inland half of Heraklion. Skip it for a group that does not drink and was not offered another reason to be there. Archanes and Peza are a short drive south of the city. Tours should name the area. “Crete wine” alone can mean a shop in a resort.
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Jeep safariSouth coast jeep from the Messara
Matala4–6 hours
A south-coast jeep day from Matala or the Messara uses tracks a normal hire car should not take: coves, a viewpoint, a village. The operator’s vehicle is the point, because rental contracts often exclude the gravel. Ask where you finish. A loop back to the coast is different from a one-way drop in a hamlet. The swim, if there is one, is a stop, not the product. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are March to November. It suits people who want the rough coast without risking a hire car. Skip it if the itinerary is only the tarmac you could drive yourself. Departures are from Matala, Agia Galini or Heraklion depending on the operator. Confirm the start town. A Heraklion pickup makes the day longer before you leave the asphalt.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 4–5 hours from Hersonissos. It suits resort guests who want a contrast.
- Year round. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Hersonissos.
- Pickup is from Hersonissos hotels. Confirm you return to the resort and not to a distant beach you must solve yourself.
- It suits resort guests who want a contrast. Skip it if you would rather swim. The hills in August are cooler, not cool.
- Inland from Hersonissos to the hills is worth the hours from Hersonissos when it suits resort guests who want a contrast. The point is to leave the resort strip. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.