| Walking Through Greece | |
|
||
See Greece from the ground up - literally - on a guided hiking tour through the Greek countryside.
Many tour companies offer walking tours, at varying prices. A basic guided trip starts at about $100 a day, including some meals, lodging, and guide support but excluding your airfare to Greece.
Afraid of bare ground and a sleeping bag? Almost all of these tours offer accommodations at local inns. Occasionally, a tour company will offer upgraded luxury rooms, but this is relatively rare.
Many tour companies will provide a van which carries food, drink, and extra gear - which sometimes can include a non-walking spouse or companion - to pre-arranged meeting locations.
Generally, since most commercial tour companies are looking to include as many participants as possible, the physical requirements will be relatively low.
If you never go hiking for pleasure, these trips are probably not for you. But if you even occasionally venture into the backcountry, these (mostly) softly-paced trips should work for almost anyone.
These trips fill up fast - some dates are already booked solid for summer of 2003, and with the Olympic rush in 2004, expect those slots to go quickly as well.
U.S.- based The Northwest Passage presents Inn-to-Inn hiking trips on Crete, Lesbos, and Corfu. I traveled with them on a similar trip, Inn-to-Inn Sea Kayaking on Crete, in 2003. That trip, which was an amazing experience, also offered several hiking opportunities, including the Samaria Gorge, short sunset hikes, and a longer coastal hike of a portion of Southwestern Crete, but the main emphasis was on kayaking. Their trips are van-supported and can accommodate a non-hiking or non-kayaking friend or spouse. I intended to be one of the van riders but they succeeded in coaxing out an inner athlete I didn't know I possessed, and next thing I knew, I'd kayaked a hundred miles of Cretan coastline.
A trip that combines both optional walks and coach transport is offered by Adventure Tours. Their 14 day Peloponnese and Ionian Island adventure explores the untouched Mani region of the peninsula, along with well-known attractions such as Mycenae and ancient Olympia. The cost starts at about US $1130 per person, depending on departure date, and including a "local fee" of 115 Euro which is in the fine print. They also require proof of personal insurance coverage or offer their own for about US $5 a day. I've seen similar trips advertised for over $200 a day; this looks worth checking out.
Another trip is the Cretan Rambler, eight days on foot in Crete for a base price of only US $550, including the Samaria Gorge.
Other trips are also listed on their Europe page - just scroll down for the Greek offers.
One negative? Their website pushes snail mail brochures or phone calls and omits any direct email contact opportunity. But hey, we all need to use those cell phone minutes now and then.
On any active trip, I recommend medical evacuation insurance; if a substantial injury does occur, you will want to be back home for the non-emergency portion of treatment, and this is often the only way to do it - how many people with broken legs have you seen fitting in a seat on a commercial aircraft lately?
Also, a word to the wise: some of these trips really are in the backcountry. Your shoes, always crucial to the success of any major sightseeing, are even more important. Find ones that work for you on similar ground at home, and pack a pair and a spare.
