Camping in Crete
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The island of Crete, presents a wide range of alternatives to people that prefer camping to the more traditional hotel style of tourism..
There is something extremely appealing about sleeping under an open sky next to the sea, and waking up when the first rays of sun appear.
Through these pages we will be presenting to you first hand experiences about camping in Crete, and suggestions about places worth visiting (or places you should avoid..).
These pages are also open to everyone who would like to share his/hers experiences, about camping in our island. If you feel you have something to say to the rest of the netizens, please mail us and we will get in touch with you.
Rules of Conduct
Technically , free camping is not allowed in Greece at all. In real life however, people will not bother you as long as you don't put your tent in crowded beaches, or next to hotels (this should not be a problem since one of the reasons of going camping is to avoid hotels and crowds anyway...)
Generally the best locations for free camping in the island are on the south coast. In some cases the locations we will be describing can be reached by
bike or car, but more often than not you have to be prepared to walk a bit , or even take a boat. Rest assured however that the walk is worth it. You will be
seeing places unspoiled by human touch, visited only by other campers or
locals on their day to day work (fishermen etc.)
The weather conditions in Crete are in general favourable to camping from early April to late October. One thing to notice however, is that wind patterns on
the island are fairly variable, and winds can reach an 8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale very quickly. So .. make sure your tent is securelly tied down unless you want a bedouin in Africa to find it..
Due to the wind patterns you should also be EXTREMELY careful when lighting an open fire. Every one enjoys sitting around a camp fire , but many times forest fires have broken out in the past due to the carelessness of campers.
Another (obvious we hope..) rule of conduct is disposing properly of all garbage. Living it behind ruins the environment, and gives the wrong impression
of campers.
So please, when you leave from the site you have camped, take the
garbage with you and dispose it to the closest village /town.
Camping outdoors, in isolated conditions, takes quite some planning (contrary to popular opinion). Plan carefully the amount of provisions you will need.
Crete is an island where running water is scarce, especially close to the coast, so make sure you have enough water with you.
Your equipment , should include a basic survival and medical kit (cutting knife, torch, moskito repellant) and various other provisions . If you are not an experienced camper then probably you should check with a camping-provisions store and get them to help you with your
purchases.
As far as clothing goes , tee-shirts, jeans and a wind-breaker are probably all
you will need.
Very often the way to the beach is through ravines and gorges of exceptional
beauty , but also dangerous to the unprepeared. Get a good pair of hiking shoes and be very careful when walking down river beds and gorges.
Try and be as complete as you can with the equipment you buy , but also try and
minimise the weight and mass of the stuff you carry. If you are going to walk for a couple of hours the difference between five and seven kilos is BIG!!
Finally you should be extremely careful when placing your tent. Do not put it in a cave or under overhanging cliffs or close to river beds (especially during spring or autumn). Sudden rainfalls have been known to cause land slides in which case the least damage is lost tent and equipment.
There are also quite a few organized camping locations for those who prefer a mix of camping outdoor with a minimum of amenities.
Organized Camping
Agia Galini
Matala
- Municipality of Pitsidia Camping tel. +30-892-45720
Kommos
- Municipality of Pitsidia Camping tel. +30-892-45596
Sissi
Plakias
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