Sea to Summit
From the south coast of Crete to the highest peak of White Mountains - Pachnes (2453). Weekend adventure.
September 26-28, 2025
Oct 31-Nov 2, 2025
25 km of hiking
21 km, 2600 m. up. About 4 km down. Walking in the night in the beginning.
3-6 PARTICIPANTS
Small group, personal contact.
Face Your Limits
Amazing Adventure.
A route that connects the seaside village of Loutro on the southern coast of Crete with the highest peak of the White Mountains - Pachnes (2453). For many hours the route leads through Madara - a unique, on a European scale, dry area of desert landscape, straight from the Moon.
What's in offer
All transfers: from Chania airport to Chora Sfakion (car) and Loutro (boat) on the first day and from Chora Sfakin to Chania on the last day
Special transfer by 4WD vehicle after the summit of Pachnes
Accommodation. Two nights in a hotel (Loutro, Anopoli)
Guidance and support in the mountains
All meals
Chilling on the beach
Extras (t-shirt, buff, medal)
What's not included
Travel/health/accident insurance
Plane tickets to/from Chania
Drinks and snacks
Obligatory equipment
We move in the speed hiking style. This means that we take with us only as much equipment and clothes as is necessary. We fight for every kilogram of the carried weight. By walking lightly we move faster, we get tired less and have more time to admire the world around us.
Light hiking shoes or mountain running shoes but with good ground protection - sharp stones on the route (La Sportiva Ultra Raptor or similar).
Light raincoat - rain is not expected but the jacket also protects from the wind.
Headlamp - we start at night
Water - it's extremely dry
Recommended equipment
Poles - if you like them, a hat or other head protection from the sun, sunscreen, smartphone with a good camera, sunglasses.
Daily schedule
DAY ONE
Arrival at Chania airport. We will be waiting for you at the airport at 13:00. If you arrive earlier, pick-up from the city center is possible. We drive to Chora Sfakion (70 km) where we transfer to a boat that will take us to Loutro (no road goes there). Check-in at the hotel, dinner in a traditional Greek tavern, short briefing on the challenge of the next day.
Breakfast. Start at 4:30. On the way we have one village – Anopoli, the rest are wild mountains. The way to the summit will take us about 8 hours, the way down about an hour. Transfer by mountain road in a four-wheel drive car about 1.5 hours. Dinner in a tavern and overnight stay at a hotel in Anopoli.
Transfer to Chora Sfakion, rest on the beach, arrival at the airport in Chania around 15:00.
FAQs
What kind of adventures does Foxtrot Tours offer?
We are mountain and wildlife fanatics. We love to walk and run in the mountains. We also believe that preserving clean, unspoiled nature is one of the most important values of mankind. We try to minimize the trace we leave in nature. Our trips can be difficult, and we like to draw continuous lines on the map (longer routes), so we avoid any sections covered by mechanical vehicles unless necessary. Our main goal is to experience the beauty of the world around us and try to challenge our own limitations. If you are tired after our trip – we have achieved the goal.
How difficult are hiking trails in Crete?
Hiking trail in Crete are very difficult, both because of the huge number of sharp stones, large differences in height, often high temperature, almost complete lack of trees, and therefore shaded places, and complete lack of water. In addition, Cretan paths are not very popular, so they easily become overgrown with prickly weeds (fregana) and are therefore difficult to see. However, this is what makes them so unique. Of course, there are easy paths in Crete, but you can go there on your own, you do not need our assistance.
What weather can I expect in Crete?
Crete is one of the warmest places in Europe. During summer trips, the temperature at sea level can exceed 30 degrees Celsius, on the mountain tops it rarely exceeds 20 degrees Celsius. However, due to direct sunlight, the perceived temperature can be higher. In the winter months, the temperature almost never drops below 15 degrees Celsius at sea level, high in the mountains there is snow for 4-5 months.
Crete has over 300 sunny days a year, prevailing westerly winds are not very strong (Crete is not the Cyclades), autumn months are much warmer than spring months. Two or three times a year there are invasions of Saharan sand that limit visibility.
Who can take part in the trips organized by Foxtrot Tours?
Our adventures are not for everyone. Due to the long and difficult routes, expeditions organized by Foxtrot Tours are intended for people with very good physical preparation and experience in high mountains. If you are a mountain runner, your ITRA index should be at least 500 points. If you are an experienced hiker, regular visits to a fitness club (2-3 times a week) will certainly prove helpful. A love of high temperatures is also advisable – Crete is the southernmost region of Europe – it can be hot. If you are a walrus and you like to swim under the ice, we recommend Iceland.
Are there any age restrictions?
Due to the difficulty of the routes and legal requirements, our trips are intended for people who are 18 years old or older.
What is the mandatory equipment for the expedition?
Since our expeditions are not intended for beginners, we assume that everyone knows best from their own experience what they need and what they feel comfortable in. This applies primarily to footwear – the most important element of clothing. We advise against large and heavy hiking boots with high uppers. In Crete, speed hiking shoes will work much better, as long as they have a sole that protects against sharp stones, e.g. La Sportiva Ultra Raptor or Salewa PEDROC PRO MID POWERTEX. It is also mandatory to have a light raincoat (also protects against the wind) and large container of water. Other elements of necessary equipment are listed separately for specific expeditions (e.g. a headlamp if moving at night).
What type of insurance should I have?
You need general travel insurance that covers participation in outdoor sports. Make sure your insurance includes what is called an evacuation insurance policy. There are many insurance companies in different countries, you can choose the one that suits you best. For our part, we can recommend membership in the Alpenverine Austria association combined with insurance that covers rescue operations up to 6,000 m above sea level.
How can I book my adventure and pay for participation?
You reserve your place on our trip by clicking on the link placed on our website. When booking a place, you pay only 30% of the price of the adventure. You pay the remaining amount at any time, but no later than 5 days before the date of the event.
I am canceling my journey, can I get my money back?
Think before making a payment, if you cancel the participation, the amounts paid are not refunded. However, you can use the funds paid for other trips organized by Foxtrot Tours, within the next 12 months.
Trip Overview
Since most things in this world can be divided into three, our route can also be divided in this way.
Loutro – our starting point – is a village that has no connection with the world by any asphalt road (or any road at all). You can only get there by a narrow path along the shore of the Libyan Sea or by ferry or boat. We are starting from the seaside boulevard. The route turns sharply to the left and begins to climb narrow streets, which are actually a sequence of stairs, only occasionally interspersed with flat sections. However, all this only lasts a moment, Loutro is a microscopic village, we pass the last house and a gate protecting the inhabitants from the invasion of sheep and goats. In front of us stretches a steep rocky slope, devoid of trees, yellow-brown in color, separating the coast of the island from the interior. From a distance, there is no path visible there, it is hard to believe that we will somehow manage to get to the other side. However, the path does exist, it winds through many bends, and by Cretan standards – it is even quite wide and comfortable. In many sections it is a well-preserved ancient kalderimi, what means a stone road. Anyway, this is the steepest section of our challege.
After a 5 km hike we reach the village of Anopoli, located in a flat valley. It is quite easy for a few kilometers. Soon after we reach a narrow gorge called Porolango and the real mountains begin.At the beginning we have a narrow, V-shaped valley that cuts into the steep slopes. There are still a lot of trees there, so sometimes you can find some shade. Generally, however, the path becomes hellishly difficult technically. Endless serpentines and stones, huge amounts of stones, both moving, escaping from under your feet with each subsequent step, and more dangerous ones, rooted in the ground like columns of ancient temples, so every snag threatens to fall. Over a distance of 5 km we cover almost 1000 m vertically
12 km from the start we enter Madara – the highest, most inaccessible and driest area of the White Mountains (Lefka Ori). The landscape changes. There are no more trees, and soon you can see no vegetation at all. The gray colors of the bare rocks dominate, sometimes in shades slightly darker, up to almost deep black. This is a completely unique place, unlike any other mountains in Greece and probably no other mountains in Europe. A lunar landscape. It is difficult to say that these are classically rocky mountains like the Alps, Pyrenees or Tatras. There are practically no vertical walls or sharp ridges here. There is also no “logical” arrangement of the peaks along any clear lines or valleys. No wonder that many observers talk about a sea of peaks stretching to the horizon. The path is not steep anymore, there are even small downhill sections. Surrounded with such landscape we are reaching Pachnes summit, which is not visible for most of our trip at all.
In this way, we reach the goal of our Sea to Summit challenge. We still have to go down 4 km and experience an incredible adventure of moving in an off-road vehicle on a mountain road. And then just a well-deserved rest and dinner in a tavern.
A much more extensive description of our route can be found on a friendly website:
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About Us
We are mountain lovers, explorers of new, unknown paths. We love walking and running in the most remote corners of Crete. Although we are an international group, we are based in Chania for many years. We have experience in organizing tourist expeditions, multi-day trips into wilderness and trail running competitions.
Angela
Greg
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running competitons
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