Crete is a great place to come and walk to. The friendliness of
the inhabitants, the absence of criminality as well as the easy availability
of accommodation just about anywhere make it a good choice if you want
to set off walking independently with friends or even all alone.
It
is also fine if you are a woman on your own.
In the end deciding whether you want to come to Crete and organize your own walks,
by yourself, with friends or family or if you should book a walking tour with
a specialist is entirely up to you. To help you make your decision, There is
a list of the the pros and cons that I can think of in the Walking
with a group page.
Common problems you might encounter when walking independently
in Crete:
Underestimating the difficulty of the terrain is
possibly the most common difficulty encountered by walkers who
are new to Crete. It is rough and wild and the paths are often
much smaller than what they are used to elsewhere. What looks easy
and possibly really straightforward on a map can be surprisingly
challenging at times.
Getting lost because a lot of paths are not
well marked.
Problems with the heat are common in the summer.
It just isn't the right time to walk, at least not at sea level.
Difficulties in finding accommodation can occur
in mid-summer but at other times the worse thing that could happen
to you is having to look for a while before finding a suitable
place. Still, if you are tired after a long walk it can be annoying.
Not being able to find out what would have been a good
walking trip until you have almost reached the end of your holiday because
by then, you have had a good look at parts of the island and
are having a good idea of what the really great parts are. This
is of course when the Crete bug bites and you will feel compelled
to come back for more and more and more...
This last difficulty is not too hard to avoid if you spend some time researching
where the places and walks that attract you might be.