We will start our tour by visiting a beautiful well-hidden village, Margarites. The tradition of pottery goes back many generations in this village and you will be able to have a small demonstration of pottery.After a 20' drive, we will continue to the religious part of our tour. Our goal is to make you familiar with our culture and religious customs. Arkadi Monastery is perhaps the best known monastery on Crete due to the Holocaust of 1866.Let’s explore together the nature of Crete. The gorge of Patsos is a small yet magnificent gorge, which begins at Ano Assites. The whole area around the gorge is of particular natural beauty. If the weather does not permit our entrance to the gorge, we may visit a very interesting museum and archeological site in the nearby ancient village of Eleftherna. Enjoy a traditional lunch in the local taverna.
Posted By : SheilaM1097
Lots of pottery shops - each one seems to have it's own style, so visit them all. Some are tacky, some are whacky, some are upmarket
Three had working potters to watch
Prices vary from shop to shop
Also good to find restaurant - we ate at Taverna Vernada
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Posted On : 2024-04-15 05:02:53 
Posted By : Charles H
If you are in any doubt about going then watch a film on YouTube: the visit was instructive and the people warm and welcoming; they also helped me by telling me how to mend my Cretan pot in our garden; recommended.
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Posted On : 2023-05-24 15:28:08
Posted By : LouisMartin_D
Excellent and varied tour to the countryside (village, monastery and Amari valley) At Patsos gorge, nice hike along the river: depending on your ability, you can have an easy walk to the st anthony cave only or walk further out.
Had an excellent lunch at a countryside taverna, excellent meatballs in a fragrant tomato sauce, goat and local cheese pastry with mint and honey desert!
I recommend for a day out of the city!
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Posted On : 2022-09-02 14:55:32 
Posted By : Bill K
Really well organized tour, our guide was excellent, friendly and well prepared. The places were beautiful, Arkadi Monastery with its long history, the village very unique and the hike was the right length, not exhausting, but long enough to create a good appetite for the tavern afterwards. The Food in the tavern was very nice, with classic Cretan Cuisine (also vegetarian dishes available, which is not always standard in Greece).
Again, totally recommended for someone who wants to do something different and learn a little bit more about the Cretan history and Cretan way of life.
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Posted On : 2022-04-05 05:17:24
Posted By : JulieHelius
Our tour with Vincent was simply amazing!!!
Margarites is such a beautiful village full of pottery art!
The history of Arkadi is shocking and it is a place everyone should visit white in Crete
We did the winery tour and the tasting was just what we needed.
The walk through the gorge was a perfect closing for the tour.
We really really suggest you give it a try!
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Posted On : 2022-03-11 04:31:43
Posted By : Stay752352
I took this trip with my mother on our visit to Crete and it really was a highlight. Our lovely guide Vincent was an excellent careful driver, and even though air con was an option we drove with the windows down so that we could smell the beautiful thyme/pine/herb-y mountain air of Crete. Margarites was wonderful, and Vincent was careful to make sure we arrived in between busloads of other tourists so we had the whole village to ourselves, and the demonstration was done in the best, most traditional pottery in town. We weren't keen on doing the whole gorge hike as we're not very athletic and wanted a chill day, so we stopped off at the Eleftherna museum in addition to everything else. The Arkadi Monastery was incredibly moving, and Vincent told us the history of the place before we went in, which made it all even more meaningful. He's a natural storyteller and makes everything so interesting and emotionally resonate - a really fantastic guide. Last, we did the gorge, including lunch in the most wonderful traditional taverna. You can also visit the little church in the gorge and, if you're spiritually minded, I recommend taking a little something as an offering - or, as we did, some change for the candles. The gorge was shady and full of streams, and we did a short hike that wasn't too taxing but did go fairly high up. I would thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend taking this tour, and if we had had time to take more tours with this company we would do again. Being just us and the guide was a real luxury as well, as we could follow al our little whims and curiosities about the places we were in without having to rush. Eleven out of ten, what a great day!
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Posted On : 2019-07-31 06:55:50
Posted By : Jeff_in_Brooklyn
Excellent guide. Provided lots of detail about not only the places we visited, but Cretan culture as well. Had good connections in Margarites, so we were able to watch a local potter create new products and he then answered our questions. Arkadi was fascinating historically. The Patsos hike was just the right length - beautiful and a good workout but not too strenuous. Also enjoyed the delicious lunch at a local tavern - food and hospitality both phenomenal.
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Posted On : 2019-07-18 20:49:59
Posted By : DaveSuzanne
This was a tour beyond all expectations. Part of our afternoon was to hike a gorge, but late rains the gorge under a foot of water. Kostas contacted us early with his proposed changes: We visited a goat herder, and his wife, a bee keeper who made Thyme Cretan honey in the mountains. She invited us to her home for lunch. We also went to a local monastery as well as the historic one advertised. We attended a pottery demonstration of art made in the old ways, mountain villages, and were entertained by Kostas explanation of life in the Cretan mountains. I recommend this tour greatly, and suggest one ask for Kostas and request his personal tour. It was wonderful meeting his people and seeing a glimpse of life.
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Posted On : 2019-05-20 13:01:08
Posted By : Gary W
Kostas reached out to connect a few days prior to the private tour so he could get to know us and personalize the experience. He was extremely knowledgeable and offered great suggestions based on our input, which made it an extraordinary experience. We started with a local family owned olive oil business then walked around the Monastery, hiked in the gorge, ate an authentic and delicious Cretan tavern lunch, and finished with a very cool walking tour of Rethymno. This experience is one-of-a-kind and highly recommended to anyone who appreciates outstanding customer service, hospitality, and knowledge :)
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Posted On : 2019-01-28 22:48:20
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