All activities / Horse Riding / Equestrian / Crete
Horse Riding / Equestrian in CreteGR
Greece's big island, where one of the Mediterranean's few true multi-day trail rides crosses the Dikti mountains to the Libyan Sea, and beach gallops run the north coast.
Why here
Crete holds one of the Mediterranean's only true multi-day trail rides: the Lassithi Trek from Odysseia Stables, roughly a hundred miles in a circle over the Dikti mountains to the Libyan Sea and back, on a string of dressage-schooled warmbloods and Arabians, with the horses swimming on the south-coast days. The operation runs its own equestrian hotel for full-board riding weeks, which almost nothing else in Greece can offer. On the other end of the island, Zoraida's runs beach gallops on four kilometers of sand near Georgioupolis and multi-day White Mountains treks, so the island covers the honeymoon ride and the expedition rider from opposite coasts.
Best months
April to June and September to October are the riding seasons; summer rides go early and late around the heat. The multi-day treks want genuine riding fitness; the beach rides take novices.
Getting there & around
Odysseia sits in Avdou, 40 minutes from Heraklion (HER); Zoraida's is between Chania (CHQ) and Rethymno. Book multi-day treks two to four months ahead.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Odysseia Stables
OutfitterAn Avdou operation with about twenty schooled horses, its own equestrian hotel, and the hundred-mile Lassithi Trek over the Dikti mountains to the Libyan Sea.
Zoraida's Horse Riding
OutfitterBeach gallops on four kilometers of sand at Kavros plus three-to-six-day White Mountains treks, with horse-swimming days.