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Tour Program: Inn to Inn Sea Kayaking on Crete with The Northwest Passage

Type of Tour: Adventure Travel - this program is self-described as Level One, or "Easy". (If your own fitness level is a "Zero", as mine was, your results may vary, but perhaps not in the way you might expect. See "My Sea Kayaking Journal" below.)

Price: List price for 2006 excluding airfare is US $2,595; last minute internet specials on their website can offer 10-15% off if space is available. A teacher's week is $2,295. Most meals, archaeological site and museum visits, and entrance fees are all included.

Tour Dates for 2006:
May 12-19 ; May 20-27; May 28th-June 4th; June 5th-12th, June 16th-23rd, September 8-15 and 16-23, September 24-October 1.
Singles-only week: July 10-17.
Teacher's week: July 2-9.
A yoga-intensive version runs May 12-19th and October 2-9; it costs $2695.00. You may want to Email them for added dates.
Hint: airfares are often substantially lower for departures in April and May or after September 15th.

Company: The Northwest Passage. They've been going to Crete for 25 years; owner Rick Sweitzer was also the first to offer commercial tours to the North and South Poles;after that, managing adventures in warm, polar bear-free Crete is a snap. They also offer kayaking, cycling, and hiking tours on Corfu, Turkey, and Italy as well as Crete.

Destinations and Sightseeing: Small coastal villages along Southwestern Crete; archaeological sites including the Minoan palaces of Knossos and Phaistos, Venetian fortresses at Frangocastello and Loutro; the historic monastery of Mons Preveli; the Samaria Gorge; Iraklion (Heraklion) Museum, various beaches both nude and less so. But the main focus is on kayaking and, to a lesser extent, hiking.

Shopping: Probably not a trip for the more serious shopper, though the village of Matala offers some fun folkart shopping.

Accommodations: Small hotels - "inns" - in lovely villages. All of these were charming, clean, good-sized rooms, with views of either the sea or the dramatic cliffs of Crete.

Food: All breakfasts are included, and all but one dinner; lunches and your beverages at all meals - save the welcome drinks the first night - are on your own. The food is abundant and tasty. Options are limited if someone doesn't like healthy, nutritious, delicious Greek food. Who are you? What are you doing traveling in Greece?

Nightlife: Most participants, after a long day at sea or hiking, skipped the discos and bars, but these were available at most spots along the way for the more intrepid.

Pacing: Excellent. Though the kayaking is challenging, beach stops for cappuccino or a snack break up the time and keep the energy up. The longer days on the water, such as the 18- and 25-mile stretches, offer several opt-out van points for those who only want to paddle part of the way, or who wish to combine paddling with scenic hiking.

Participant Mix: The group I was with stretched in age from the mid-twenties to the mid-sixties, with an about even mix of married couples and singles. Past participants have included kids (minimum age seven) and active octogenarians. Repeat participants are common.

Previous Experience: Helpful but not required; all the kayaking instruction you need is provided. While the trip is primarily designed for the more than usually active traveler, that certainly wasn't the case with me.

Quality of Instruction/Leadership: Outstanding. Clear, thorough, and effective. I was never pressured to participate, only reassured and helped if I showed any impulse, no matter how small, to stretch or challenge myself. How well did this work? Instead of being a van rider as I intended, I put aside my fears, learned to kayak, and covered over a hundred miles of Cretan coast.

Staff to Participant Ratio: Never less than one to five; on our trip, there were the three expert staffers above plus former ship captain and military officer Georgiou, kindly serving as our marvelous driver and guide, for just eleven participants.

What to pack: The list of recommended equipment includes a dry bag for stowing your personal items in the kayak, a headlamp for exploring the sea caves, waterproof windbreaker, etc. What I needed desperately? Three pairs of shorts instead of two so I could count on a dry pair for kayaking in the morning. Whatever your plans, this should be a one-bag trip for all but the most paranoid. See my how-to articles on packing light for Greece.

Indulgence Opportunities: Great food and drink, all guilt-free since you're burning it off kayaking and hiking; regular cappuccino breaks at scenic beachside tavernas; eveningtime rooftop massages under the starry Greek sky; swimming in the warm, buoyant, high-salt sea of Crete; sunbathing, bare if you dare; sunset champagne hikes to panoramic locations.

My Sea Kayaking Trip Journal - Or How Your Guide Found Out Why They Call It "Adventure Travel"