Day 1
Depart London (regional flight connections and flight upgrades are available on request) on the lunchtime Olympic Airways flight to Athens and then on to Chania, due to arrive late evening. On arrival we will be met by our coach and transferred to our hotel.
Day 2
Today we will visit the Akrotiri peninsula where there are olive groves and a profusion of interesting flowers. There will also be time to explore the historic town of Chania itself.
Target plants - Ballota, orchids, bulbs and Anemone
Day 3
To the south of Chania is the Omalos Plain with attractive upland villages, which leads to the start of the Samaria Gorge - Europe's longest gorge - a spectacularly beautiful natural feature with stunning views and magnificent wild flowers. We will not go into the gorge but will have an easy walk to the start looking at the abundant flora.
Target plants - Anemone, Muscari, Zelkova, orchids and tulips
Day 4
Today we will visit the Souda Bay British War Graves and we will have time to explore the historic town of Rethymnon. Fortunately the tourist developments have spared the centre of the city and at its heart Rethymnon remains one of the most beautiful of Crete's major cities. We will have free time to explore Rethymnon including a visit to the splendid Venetian fortress before continuing to our accommodation.
Day 5
Stopping for a short break at the coastal town of Plakias we will travel on to Preveli where we can walk along the banks of the Geropotamos river and though country lanes where the verges are covered with wildflowers such as Ranunculus, Gladiolus and several species of orchid. The rocky outcrops overlooking Preveli are inhabited by the Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier.
This is a wonderful site for painting and sketching as there are tiny picturesque chapels along the way and an ancient bridge over the Geropotomus.
Target plants:- Ranuculus asiaticus,Gladiolus italicus.
Day 6
Today we will travel to Iraklion and the magnificent Minoan palace of Knossos. Barely a hundred years ago the palace existed only in mythology. Knossos was the court of the legendary King Minos, whose wife Pasiphae bore the Minotaur, half-bull, half-man. The discovery of the palace and the interplay of these legends with fact, is among the most amazing tales of modern archaeology. It was left for Sir Arthur Evans, whose name is indelibly associated with Knossos, to excavate the site from 1900 onwards.
Day 7
On our final full day we travel to the slopes of Mount Ida and explore the beautiful surrounding area.
Target plants – crocus, tulip, Corydalis.
Day 8
Sadly today we must return home on our morning Olympic Airways flight from Heraklion to Athens and then on to London where we expect to arrive mid-afternoon – once again regional flight connections are available on request.