About Activity
Embark on a thrilling off-road odyssey through the White Mountains of Crete. Traverse charming villages, delve into the shepherd’s lifestyle at a remote hut, and relish panoramic views at 1350 meters. Conclude with a delightful lunch in Therisso village, capping off an immersive exploration of Crete’s heritage and natural wonders.
* Visit the White Mountains and enjoy the best panoramic view of Chania
* Embark on a semi-private tour for up to 6 or 8 persons per vehicle
* Savor coffee or tea or juice in a traditional coffee shop
* Pay a visit to an original shepherd’s hut or else “Mitato” at 1350m
* Lunch with traditional Cretan platters
Includes
- Liability insurance and local taxes
- Free port pick-up and drop-off (Souda bay or Chania Old port)
- 4×4 off-road vehicles (7 or 9 seater) driven by multilingual escort-drivers
- A visit to an original shepherd’s hut “Mitato”
- Coffee or tea or juice in a traditional coffee shop
- Lunch with traditional Cretan platters
Excludes
- Wine, beers or refreshments in tavern
- Gratuities
Departure Point
- * Souda Bay Cruise Terminal
* Chania Old Harbor Katehaki Square
This tour serves cruise ship guests. Pick-up takes place outside the cruise terminal, 30 minutes after the ship’s arrival. Your driver will be waiting with a sign showing your name, wearing company-branded attire and their vehicle displaying matching logos.
Stop At: Nteres Begin your thrilling off-road adventure amid orchards of orange, avocado, and vegetable gardens. Traverse through Vatolakkos, Alikianos, Fournes, Meskla, Zourva, and Therisso, glimpsing the rustic charm of Cretan mountain life. Pause at Deres village for a serene morning break, sipping coffee amidst the local ambiance.
Port Pick-ups (Souda or Chania)
Drive to Deres village (30 minutes)
Deres coffee stop (30 minutes)
Stop At: Zourva Duration:
3 hours 5 minutes Embark on an uncharted off-road route leading to the remote shepherd’s hut, “Mitato.” Witness stunning northern Crete panoramas, perhaps spotting wild eagles and goats up close. Ascend to 1350 meters, immersing in the authentic shepherd’s hut experience.
- Drive to Meskla village (45 minutes)
- Meskla village photo stop (20 minutes)
- Drive to mountain viewpoint (off-road) (35 minutes)
- Mountain viewpoint photo stop (10 minutes)
- Drive to the Shepherd’s Hut (off-road) (45 minutes)
- Shepherd’s Hut “Mitato” visit (30 minutes)
Stop At: Theriso Indulge in the unparalleled Chania view from 1350 meters, a highlight of this expedition. Pause at Therisso village for a historic stroll and relish a traditional Cretan tavern lunch. Conclude with a scenic drive through the captivating Therisso gorge, heading back to your cruise ship.
Drive to Therissos village (35 minutes)
Lunch stop at Therissos tavern (1 hr 10 minutes)
Drive back to port (40 minutes)
Public transportation options are available nearby Suitable for all physical fitness levels The prices are for group participation with a minimum of 4 pax to start Travel time is included in the total tour duration. Time schedules may vary depending on cruise ship’s arrival time Please note that this trip is not recommended for individuals with car sickness, mobility or kinetic issues, back problems, pregnant women, or children under 7 years old, as we do not provide baby seats. Additionally, individuals taller than 195 cm or heavier than 130 kg may find the trip challenging. Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited for minors under the age of 18. Operated by "Uncharted Escapes" For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
Drive up to the White MountainsBetty_L
Travel thru villages and scenic views up to the White Mountains in a 4 wheel drive vehicle with 1 driver/guide and 6 passengers. First stop at a restaurant with fresh sqeezed orange juice. Stops along the way for scenic views and a church. Lunch of local food and raki at a restaurant further up. Reached near the top at a shepard's house. Rather cold and very windy that day and raining going up a one lane dirt road to the shepard's house. Olga was a good driver and guide.
Can’t say enough good...Naim_Y
Mar 20, 2026, 11:54:00 AM Can’t say enough good things about this tour. It’s very relaxed the guide Manos was amazing, he recommended alternative activities to accommodate me, and the white mountains themselves are well worth the trip, having a 4x4 means that we can go visit a remote Sheppard hut, it was a fantastic experience
Oct 27, 2025, 12:01:07 PM We really enjoyed our tour with Jacob. The drive up to the mountains included beautiful vistas along the way with a few photo stops. Crete is a beautiful island and the scenery is just gorgeous. The stop at a family restaurant for lunch was very nice and the food was very good. Jacob filled us in with interesting details about the history and also with fun facts about Crete. We were included in a group of 7 from our cruise ship.
Excellent excursion! ...Susan_G
Excellent excursion! Adam was knowledgable, informative and great with the guests. We had five cars in our group and all the guides were great! Lunch was traditional Crete food which was interesting and fun
White Mountain 4x4 ExcursionHal G
Jun 16, 2025, 11:27:21 AM A wonderful trip to the mountains, visited a shepherd's hut, and ate an authentic local restaurant. Jason, our driver, was humorous, well-informed, and made the trip extremely pleasurable. Incredibly beautiful mountain vistas.
We had a wonderful tour with Olga. She took us on a fantastic tour to the White Mountains, which included a stop for coffee or fresh squeezed orange juice, as well as a delicious lunch, featuring a local cheese we learned about. The was great from start to finish and I highly recommend it.
Best views in CreteP8011QWdaves
Awesome tour. Our guide Chris was amazing and spoke perfect English. Amazing views and super fun tour. Pick up directly at the cruise port was perfect
Would give more than 5/5 if I couldMobile38297407192
We had an absolute fantastic time on our first trip to the white mountains with Louise on Sunday. We were picked up from our hotel and Louise made us feel instantly welcome and excited for the day we were about to have. She was so knowledgeable about the island of Crete telling us lots about the island and always saying if we have any questions she is happy to answer them. The whole experience was absolutely fantastic but the trip up to the top of the while mountains is something I would definitely recommend. The views are absolutely spectacular, the food was lovely and the drive was comfortable we felt safe with Louise driving. Thank you again for a fantastic day. Such an amazing was to see the island and how the locals live.
Great tour, good value. Ed_F
Our guide/driver, Chris, was great. Very informative and accommodating. Vehicles were cool and comfortable. I would recommend this tour to friends and family.
Fantastic tour with driver Arist in Discovery Land Rover 6-person tour of White Mtns, shepherd’s farm, and lunch.RhondaTripp
Our driver Aris was very skilled/safe driver native of Chania, great knowledge of all things Crete. We had a 6-guest jeep with 3 jeeps traveling together tour of White Mtns, villages, Shepherds farm, and lunch. The views were amazing. All was excellent and very glad to be in 6-passenger group in Discovery Land Rover, much more comfortable than the safari model we saw in larger group tour. Lunch was excellent, smaller group (not booked thru cruise ship) was better. We booked thru Shoreexcursions.com, very pleased with price and service.
Had a really nice day we had woman driver who was a safe driver and very knowledgeable.I don't think it was good value for money..The restaurant at the end the food is really basic...I wouldn't return on another..
Loved our White Mountains tour!QueenMab85
Jason was our guide and he did a fantastic job. He was an excellent driver and took great care of us, offering to stop and let us take photos and answering any questions we had. He was funny and engaging and we enjoyed the tour much more than we expected to. The views from the mountains were incredible and the shepard’s hut was fascinating. The drive was rough so if you have mobility issues it wouldn’t be for you, but Jason kept us safe and secure. Highly recommended!
Beautiful safariluckduckske
Very nice trip to the mountains and to a secluded shepherd's hut. Very good guide, only in English. Beautiful villages visited with rich architecture. Also the lunch in a small local restaurant was definitely worth it.
Absolutely amazing trip.dortebir
Absolutely fantastic excursion and fantastically knowledgeable guide/driver, Giannis.
His driving was sublime, we didn't feel stressed at any point.
Super experience driving off-road and also the visit to the farmer.
Really recommendable
Horrible.R6768SKnathalien
Horrible experience not to do! Scam!
You spend 7 hours sitting in the back of an uncomfortable jeep without stopping! 2 breaks of 5 minutes to pee a break for coffee and a break for lunch! Unpleasant guide , he only talks to us about money , war weapons and hatred against the Turkish! A lot of prejudice. We can't just talk listening for seven hours. Unpleasant as a guide and very misogynistic. No shepherd, no inhabitants or villagers in sight or discovering a cheese factory! We were shown a sheepfold like a museum with nothing around!
Looks like we are taking a school exam and we are the sheep!
Very serious! A day in strict mood
Keep your money
