South coast jeep safari in Crete.

A south-coast jeep safari is a guided drive on dirt tracks above the Libyan Sea, toward coves and hamlets that a standard hire car is often barred from by the rental agreement. You ride with a driver who knows which ruts are passable that week. You do not need to bring a jeep, and you should not take your own hire car onto these tracks to save the fare. The trip is usually four to five hours from a south-coast base such as Matala, Sivas or the Messara. Stops are short: a viewpoint, a beach with no road sign, a coffee in a village that the coastal highway never reaches. The driving is the activity.

The landscape is dry hills, riverbeds and a sudden drop to the sea. In summer it is hot and dusty. The point of a jeep, rather than a coach, is the last few kilometres. Ask the operator which beaches are included and whether swimming is a real stop or a glance from the cliff. A swim stop needs time to change and a way back up. A photo stop does not. Also ask whether the vehicle is open-sided. Dust, sun and a bumpy seat are part of the day. People with back problems should hear that before they book, not at the first rutted descent.

The safari suits travellers who are already on the south coast and who like the idea of a track a normal car should not take. It is not a wildlife tour and it is not a hike. It is a poor use of a day if you are based in Chania, because you will spend the morning reaching the start. Families with older children often enjoy it. Very small children and anyone who gets sick on rough roads will not. Go in the morning, drink water, and leave the hire car parked on asphalt where the contract says it belongs.