Greece Adventure Tours

Greece adventure tours cover active outings on land and sea: quad and ATV rides on Crete, Santorini, Naxos, Kos and Rhodes, jeep safaris, canyoning, sea kayaks, diving, snorkelling and horse riding. The page is part of the Greece Tours on Greece Ville.

This page covers what Greece adventure tours are, quad and jeep safaris on Crete and the islands, canyoning, kayaking at Milos and Santorini, sea caves, diving, snorkelling and riding. Common questions come last. Each section links to the Greece Ville posts on single tours.

What are Greece adventure tours?

Greece adventure tours are outings that leave the paved road for dirt tracks, open water and bare rock. Greece adventure tours cover quad bikes, jeeps, kayaks, gorges and walking trails, and each outing is built around one active pursuit.

Off-roading means driving or riding away from paved roads, over mud, snow, rocks, sand, dirt, gravel and riverbeds. Greece adventure tours bring that idea to island tracks, olive-grove paths and quarry roads.

Canyoning combines walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling, swimming and rafting in a single descent. Gorges and river channels give the sport its setting, and the gear list includes semi-static ropes, helmets and wetsuits.

A kayak is a small, narrow craft moved by a long, double-bladed paddle. The word comes from the Inuktitut word qajaq, and the sheltered coves of the Aegean now carry the craft in Greece adventure tours.

Hiking means a long, vigorous walk along trails or footpaths through the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century, long before Greece adventure tours packaged it for island visitors.

Abseiling is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. Canyoners use the technique at drops, so ropes belong in the gorge side of Greece adventure tours.

• Land: Quad bikes and jeeps cover dirt roads and mountain tracks.
• Water: Kayaks and snorkelling masks reach sea caves and quiet coves.
• Rock: Canyoning and abseiling work down gorges and over drops.
• Foot: Hiking follows trails and footpaths through open countryside.

The sections below take the land activities in turn, from the first quad bikes to the jeeps of the Second World War. The second part of the page turns to water, rope and saddle.

How did the quad bike become part of Greece adventure tours?

Greece adventure tours use quad bikes, a class of all-terrain vehicle with low-pressure tyres, a straddle seat and handlebars. The quad reached mass production in the early 1980s, and Greece adventure tours rely on that design for dirt tracks.

The American National Standards Institute defines an all-terrain vehicle as a machine with motorcycle-style handlebars, low-pressure tyres and a seat straddled by the operator. A quad is the four-wheeled version.

Suzuki sold the first mass-production four-wheeled model in 1982. The QuadRunner LT125 was a recreational machine for beginners, and that beginner role remains the starting point for island quad rides in Greece adventure tours.

The 1986 Honda FourTrax TRX350 began the era of four-wheel-drive ATVs. Four-wheel-drive machines have stayed the favoured type of ATV since then, and they handle the loose soil of the Greek islands.

Tandem models carry a driver and one passenger. Machines with side-by-side seating for two or more people are a separate class, called utility terrain vehicles, which sits beside the single-rider quad in Greece adventure tours.

Safety research shows that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death by 42%. Fatal accidents occur when the vehicle rolls over, which is why helmets matter on every quad ride.

• Definition: Low-pressure tyres, a straddle seat and handlebars mark the class.
• First quad: Suzuki put the QuadRunner LT125 on sale in 1982.
• Four-wheel drive: The Honda FourTrax TRX350 arrived in 1986.
• Helmet: Head protection cuts the risk of death by 42%.

The next five sections follow the quad bike across Crete, Santorini, Naxos, Kos and Rhodes, and each section sends readers to the matching island post.

Where do Greece adventure tours run quad safaris on Crete?

Greece adventure tours run quad safaris on Crete, the largest island of Greece, where high mountain ranges meet fertile valleys. Greece adventure tours follow dirt tracks through country that people have lived in and farmed since the Palaeolithic era.

Crete is the largest island of Greece, and a quad safari there meets mountain and valley country on one route. The Mylopotamos area in Rethymno shows the pattern, with mountainous terrain interspersed with fertile valleys.

Human history in the broader region goes back to the Palaeolithic era, more than 130,000 years ago. Quad tracks on the island cross land that has been farmed and fought over for a very long time.

The Venetians captured the area in the 12th century, and the Ottoman Empire took control in the 17th century. Village lanes from those periods remain the surface that a quad rider meets on Crete.

Crete sits across two climatic zones, Mediterranean and semi-arid. The dry slopes suit tyres built for loose soil, and Greece adventure tours on quads follow those slopes.

The Crete quad safari post covers dirt tracks and old paths, how the mountains formed, wild herbs, wildlife, olive groves and vines, injury studies and the best months.

• Island: Crete is the largest island of Greece.
• Terrain: Mountains alternate with fertile valleys.
• Climate: Two zones, Mediterranean and semi-arid, meet on the island.
• Past: Settlement reaches back to the Palaeolithic era.

Quad safaris on Crete suit riders who want rough ground and open country. Greece adventure tours on other islands use different terrain, as the next sections show.

How do Greece adventure tours handle Santorini ATV rides?

Greece adventure tours handle Santorini ATV rides on a volcanic island of ash soil and a long trading past. Greece adventure tours on Santorini draw on two ATV classes, the bigger utility machine and the smaller sport model.

In the middle of the 19th century, Santorini had great commercial activity with foreign countries, especially Russia, where it exported all of its wine production. The volcanic island earned its income from the ash soil.

The island has a lack of rivers, and its soil is largely composed of volcanic ash. Loose ash surfaces test a quad’s tyres and brakes, which makes machine choice matter on the island.

Utility models are bigger four-wheel-drive vehicles with a maximum speed of up to 70 mph. They can haul small loads on attached racks, and that sturdy build suits Greece adventure tours.

Sport models are small, light, two-wheel-drive vehicles that accelerate quickly and have a manual transmission. The slower utility class is the natural comparison for Greece adventure tours on Santorini.

The Santorini ATV tour post covers the south-western cape and its lighthouse, the villages of the south, Kamari, the north around Oia, Profitis Ilias, the vineyards, gear and the best months.

• Trade: Russia took the island wine in the 19th century.
• Soil: Volcanic ash forms the ground that tyres cross.
• Utility class: Four-wheel drive and racks for small loads.
• Sport class: Two-wheel drive and a manual transmission.

Santorini rides combine cliff-edge views with loose volcanic surfaces. The Naxos section moves from that dry island to the greener centre of the Cyclades. The Santorini e-bike tour post covers Pyrgos, Megalochori, Red Beach and Akrotiri by electric bike.

What do Greece adventure tours offer on Naxos ATV rides?

Greece adventure tours on Naxos ATV rides cross a very fertile island of the Cyclades, a place with a good supply of water. Greece adventure tours there also pass through a past of trade, prosperity and revolt against Athens.

Naxos is a very fertile island of the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is short, so green valleys sit beside rocky hillsides on a quad route.

Herodotus describes Naxos around 500 BC as a Greek island of unmatched prosperity. The island is famous as a source of emery, and the quarrying of marble began there before 550 BC.

In about 469 BC Naxos became the earliest Greek city-state to try to secede from the Delian League. Athens quickly quashed the attempt, so the island paid a political price for its independence.

In 1987, Yamaha introduced the Banshee 350, a high-performance machine with a twin-cylinder two-stroke engine. It became a popular machine with sand dune riders, and Naxos beaches offer sand to such machines in Greece adventure tours.

The Naxos ATV tour post covers the beaches of the west coast, the kouroi, Apiranthos, Mount Zas, Filoti, kitron near Halki, the Tragaea valley, and Chora with the Portara, along with the formats on sale.

• Fertility: Naxos is a very fertile island of the Cyclades.
• Prosperity: Around 500 BC, Herodotus described the island.
• League: Naxos was the first member to attempt a break from the Delian League, in about 469 BC.
• Banshee: Yamaha launched the Banshee 350 in 1987.

Naxos rides link farmland, villages and beaches in one day. The Kos section turns to the Dodecanese and a resort town on its south coast.

Why do Greece adventure tours include Kos ATV rides?

Greece adventure tours include Kos ATV rides because the island joins a resort south coast to inland villages. Greece adventure tours on Kos start near Kardamaina, a town that sits midway along the south coast, close to the island airport.

Kardamaina sits mid-way along the south coast of the island of Kos. The town lies 7 km from Kos Island International Airport at Antimacheia, so quad riders reach the south quickly from the runway.

Between June and September, the population of Kardamaina triples with visitors. The resort changes character with the season, and the tracks away from the beach gain value for Greece adventure tours.

The main villages of Kos include Kardamena, Kefalos, Tigaki, Antimachia, Mastihari, Marmari and Pyli. Each village sits on a different stretch of road, which gives a quad route plenty of variety.

In 2011, LandFighter was founded as the first Dutch and European ATV brand. Production is mainly in Taiwan, and the machines are assembled in the Netherlands, which shows how global the quad trade is.

The Kos ATV tour post covers road rules, the rocks crossed, plants, animals, war sites, farms and crops, the best months for a ride and the questions that visitors ask.

• Resort: Kardamaina lies midway along the south coast.
• Airport: The airport at Antimacheia is 7 km away.
• Season: The town population triples between June and September.
• Brand: LandFighter was founded in 2011.

Kos rides join the resort coast to quiet villages. The Rhodes section looks at a larger neighbour in the same island chain.

How do Greece adventure tours use Rhodes ATV rides?

Greece adventure tours use Rhodes ATV rides to reach a forested interior that rises above the coast. Greece adventure tours on Rhodes climb toward Mount Profitis Ilias, where an Italian hotel of the colonial period still shapes the story of the summit.

The interior of Rhodes is mountainous, sparsely inhabited and covered with forests of pine. Quad routes leave the coastal road network and climb into that wooded country, away from the beaches and the old town.

Mount Profitis Ilias takes its name from the biblical Elijah. Near its summit, the Italian colonists in the Dodecanese built the Elaphos hotel in 1929 as the Albergo del Cervo, or Deer Hotel.

In 1930, a restaurant and a large veranda were added, together with a dancing floor and a tennis court. In 1932, a new wing named Elaphina extended it, and the deer of the nearby woods gave both names.

The 1982 Honda ATC200E Big Red featured both suspension and racks. It was the first three-wheeled model designed specifically for utility and became a best-seller, a forerunner of the utility quads of Greece adventure tours.

The Rhodes ATV tour post covers the pine trees, how a quad stays upright, helmets, fire warnings, the quakes and faults behind the hills, and the questions visitors ask.

• Interior: Mountains and pine forest fill the centre of Rhodes.
• Summit: Mount Profitis Ilias is named for Elijah.
• Hotel: The Albergo del Cervo dates from 1929.
• Utility: The 1982 Honda ATC200E Big Red had racks and suspension.

Rhodes ends the quad chapter of this page. The last two sections swap the quad for the jeep, a four-wheeled machine with a military past.

How did the jeep shape Greece adventure tours on Crete?

The jeep shaped Greece adventure tours on Crete by giving the island a rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle for its rough interior. Greece adventure tours on Crete rely on a design born in a wartime contest between American makers.

The US Army contacted 135 companies to create working prototypes of a four-wheel-drive reconnaissance car. Only two companies responded, the American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland, so the field was small from the start.

Karl Probst, a freelance designer, drafted the full plans for the Bantam prototype in just two days. The army tested the Bantam, Ford and Willys cars, building 1,500 of each model for field trials.

The final Willys version was the Model MB, and Ford built the Model GPW. In that code, the G stands for government vehicle, and the later civilian jeeps grew from those machines.

Crete has three artificial lakes created by dams, at Aposelemis, Potamos and Mpramiana. Mountain tracks meet such reservoirs, which give a jeep safari a pause beside open water on Crete.

The Crete jeep safari post covers how four-wheel drive works, stone shepherd huts, painted chapels, wartime stories, the Skinakas observatory, the best months and the questions that visitors ask.

• Request: The US Army contacted 135 companies.
• Replies: Only two companies responded.
• Designer: Karl Probst drafted the plans in two days.
• Models: Willys built the Model MB and Ford the Model GPW.

The jeep story explains why a Crete safari feels rugged. The last section carries the same four-wheel-drive idea to Rhodes.

What do Greece adventure tours owe to the jeep on Rhodes?

Greece adventure tours owe their Rhodes jeep safaris to a vehicle that proved itself in war and then spread worldwide. Greece adventure tours on Rhodes use the word jeep for any open rough-terrain vehicle of that type.

Willys-Overland and Ford produced about 640,000 jeeps for the war effort. That total accounted for 18% of all the wheeled military vehicles built in the United States during the war.

Jeeps served for cable laying, sawmilling, firefighting pumpers, field ambulances and tractors. With suitable wheels, a jeep can run on railway tracks, and an amphibious model, the GPA, was nicknamed the seep.

The idea of four-wheel drive is older than the jeep. In 1893, Diplock patented a four-wheel-drive system for a steam-powered traction engine, and the Dutch Spyker 60 H.P. followed in 1903.

The lowercase word jeep is still used as a generic term for vehicles inspired by the Jeep that suit rough terrain. That use covers the open vehicles of Greece adventure tours on Rhodes.

The Rhodes jeep safari post covers the west coast at Kamiros, Mount Attavyros and Embonas, Mount Profitis Ilias, the Valley of the Butterflies, the south and Prasonisi, and the questions that visitors ask.

• War output: About 640,000 jeeps were built.
• Share: They made up 18% of US wheeled military vehicles.
• Early system: Diplock patented four-wheel drive in 1893.
• Racing car: The Spyker 60 H.P. ran in 1903.

Rhodes closes the land section of this page. Water, rope and saddle activities follow in the second part, from sea caves to horse riding.

How do Greece adventure tours use jeep safaris in Corfu?

Greece adventure tours use jeep safaris in Corfu to reach dirt tracks, hill villages and coastal viewpoints in a four-wheel-drive vehicle whose design comes from a United States Army contest of 1940, which a model from Willys-Overland later won.

The United States Army contacted 135 companies and asked for a four-wheel-drive reconnaissance car. Only two firms answered: the American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. Both built prototypes against a short deadline.

Karl Probst, a freelance designer from Detroit, drafted the full plans for the Bantam prototype in two days, starting on 17 July 1940. The Army later gave the design to Willys and Ford.

The Willys version became the model MB, built in Toledo, Ohio, around the Go Devil engine. Ford built the model GPW, where G stands for government vehicle and W for the Willys engine design.

Jeep-branded vehicles came only after the war, with the Willys CJ-2A of 1945. In lowercase, the word jeep remains a generic term for rough-terrain vehicles inspired by the original, as on Corfu safaris.

The Corfu jeep safari post covers the north-west coast, Mount Pantokrator, Lake Korission, the hill villages and the safety rules for off-road driving, among the Greece adventure tours on the island.

• Contest: The Army approached 135 companies for a reconnaissance car, and only two replied.
• Designer: Karl Probst drafted the Bantam plans in two days from Detroit.
• Output: Willys and Ford together produced about 640,000 jeeps, roughly 18% of all wheeled military vehicles that the United States built in the war.
• Name: The first Jeep-branded model was the Willys CJ-2A of 1945.

Corfu lies in the Ionian Islands in western Greece, and its hill tracks suit a vehicle built for rough ground. Greece adventure tours on the island therefore rest on a design with a documented past.

How do Greece adventure tours turn the gorges of Crete into canyoning?

Greece adventure tours turn the gorges of Crete into canyoning by adding ropes, abseils, jumps and swims to a descent that a walker is unable to finish alone, in narrow rock canyons where the only way out is forward to the end.

Canyoning differs from a gorge walk because the descent cannot be abandoned half way. In a narrow canyon, escape up the sides can be impossible, and finishing the descent is the only option.

Canyons range from very easy to extremely difficult, yet the sport stresses aesthetics and enjoyment rather than pure difficulty. Greece adventure tours in Crete use that range to match each route to its group.

Canyoning is not confined to Crete. Portugal has canyoning in the Azores and Madeira, and the lowest training levels cover rappelling, rope work and navigation, while higher levels teach anchor building and swift-water canyons.

Samaria Gorge, the best-known Cretan gorge, works the other way. Inside the national park, camping, overnight stays, fires and swimming in the streams are strictly prohibited, and visitors walk the trail.

The Crete canyoning post covers the Kourtaliotiko gorge, the Ha gorge, the other canyons of the island, gear and safety points, the seasons and the formats on sale for Greece adventure tours.

• Escape: The sides of a narrow canyon can block any way out, so the descent is completed.
• Range: Canyons run from very easy to extremely difficult within the same sport.
• Training: Basic levels teach rappelling, rope work and navigation.
• Samaria: The national park bans camping, fires and swimming in its streams.

Greece adventure tours in Crete therefore sort canyons by difficulty and keep each route inside the skills of the party that takes it.

How do Greece adventure tours use sea kayaks around Milos?

Greece adventure tours use sea kayaks around Milos to follow a volcanic coast from a seat close to the water, in boats built for open water, with a covered deck, room for cargo and a hull that tracks in a straight line.

A sea kayak, also called a touring kayak, is designed for open water on lakes, bays and oceans. Solo boats measure from 3.0 to 5.5 metres, while tandem craft can reach 8 metres.

Beam widths run from 53 cm to 91 cm. Fiberglass boats arrived in the 1950s, and rotomolded plastic kayaks first appeared in 1984, so the fleets of Greece adventure tours rest on recent materials.

Milos lies at the south-west end of the Cyclades. The natural harbour fills the hollow of the principal crater, and its depth falls from 130 metres to 55 metres towards the northwest.

That harbour nearly divides the island into two equal portions, separated by an isthmus no more than 2.2 km broad. A kayak therefore rounds a coast that the volcano itself shaped.

The Milos kayak tour post covers Kleftiko, the north coast to Sarakiniko, the south coast, the volcanic rocks, the sea caves and the formats on sale among Greece adventure tours on Milos.

• Craft: Sea kayaks have a covered deck and suit lakes, bays and oceans.
• Length: Solo boats run from 3.0 to 5.5 metres and tandem craft up to 8 metres.
• Materials: Fiberglass came in the 1950s and rotomolded plastic in 1984.
• Island: Milos lies at the south-west end of the Cyclades.

Greece adventure tours around Milos pair a purpose-built boat with a volcanic shore, so the coast, not the craft, sets the route. The Lefkada kayak tour post covers the lagoon, Nydri bay and the west coast beaches. The Crete kayak tour post covers paddling along the Libyan Sea coast of Crete.

How do Greece adventure tours run kayaks in the Santorini caldera?

Greece adventure tours run kayaks in the Santorini caldera along the base of the flooded volcanic rim, using a craft that began as a hunting boat in the Arctic and became a sport boat in Europe during the twentieth century.

The kayak began with hunters. Greenlandic Inuit developed the craft and also the skill of righting a capsized boat. A survey in Greenland in 1911 found that 867 of 2,228 hunters were able to roll.

A Danish expedition brought Inuit men and their kayaks to Europe in 1605. They gave a demonstration for King Christian IV in Copenhagen harbour, rolling and racing against rowing boats.

Modern whitewater paddling is believed to date from 1931, when Adolf Anderle was the first person to kayak down the Salzachöfen Gorge. The Austrian kayaker Edi Hans Pawlata later popularised the roll.

Santorini adds its own setting. The caldera is a mostly submerged volcanic caldera in the southern Aegean, and the Kameni islands stand at the centre of the flooded basin.

The Santorini kayak tour post covers the boat, the paddle, the safety gear, the spray deck, the coast and the history of the sport for Greece adventure tours in the caldera.

• Origin: Inuit hunters developed the kayak and the roll in the Arctic.
• Survey: In 1911, 867 of 2,228 Greenland hunters with their own boat were able to roll.
• Whitewater: Adolf Anderle paddled the Salzachöfen Gorge in 1931.
• Roll: Edi Hans Pawlata popularised a roll with one hand on the paddle end.

Greece adventure tours in the caldera therefore combine an old hunting craft with a young volcanic setting, and the boat keeps the shape that the Inuit refined.

Which sea caves do Greece adventure tours reach by water?

Greece adventure tours reach sea caves by water in kayaks and small boats, since a sea cave forms where waves attack a weak zone in a sea cliff and widen it, so the entrance opens at the water line.

Waves drive into a fissure and widen it, and the compression of air inside adds to the force. Where a cliff holds no weak zone, the rock is removed at a slower rate.

Size depends on the rock. Painted Cave is almost 40 m high at its entrance, and the Californian island of Anacapa is thought to have been split into three islets by a collapsed tunnel.

The great majority of sea caves consist of a single passage or chamber. In Seal Canyon Cave on Santa Cruz Island, entrance light is still visible from the back of the cave 189 m inside.

Catacombs Cave on Anacapa has at least six faults that intersect. Caves with multiple entrances take more wave action and grow faster, and one cave in New Zealand has 12 separate entrances.

The sea caves in Greece post covers Melissani, the Blue Caves of Zakynthos, Diros, the caves of Milos and the monk seals that shelter in them, all within Greece adventure tours.

• Cause: Waves widen a zone of weakness until a cave forms.
• Painted Cave: Its entrance stands almost 40 m high.
• Seal Canyon Cave: Light from the entrance reaches 189 m inside.
• Catacombs Cave: At least six faults intersect in this cave on Anacapa.

Greece adventure tours that visit caves by water therefore enter a landform still being cut, where the fault lines and the number of entrances shape each cave.

How do Greece adventure tours handle scuba diving off Crete?

Greece adventure tours handle scuba diving off Crete through certified training, depth limits tied to each certificate and a buddy system, in the sea around an island of 8,336 km2 that bounds the southern edge of the Aegean.

Depth limits come from the certification agencies. Entry-level divers can be restricted to 18 or 20 metres, while advanced divers are cleared for 30, 40, 50 or 60 metres, depending on the certificate.

The agencies grew in steps. NAUI formed in 1959 and PADI in 1966, while SSI followed in 1970. In 2009 PADI alone issued about 950,000 certifications, of which about 550,000 were entry-level.

Nitrox is air with extra oxygen, commonly 32% or 36% oxygen. In 1992 NAUI became the first major recreational agency to sanction it, and PADI announced full educational support in 1996.

Before a dive, the diver and the buddy check their equipment, and recreational divers plan their own dives unless they are in training. Greece adventure tours off Crete follow that pattern.

The Crete scuba diving post covers water pressure, the first aqualung, nitrogen, ancient divers, octopus, the sunken Minoan towns, hand signals, flying after diving and the formats on sale for Greece adventure tours.

• Entry level: Certificates for beginners cap depth at 18 or 20 metres.
• Agencies: NAUI formed in 1959 and PADI in 1966.
• Nitrox: The mixture holds 32% or 36% oxygen.
• Buddy: Each diver checks equipment with a partner before the dive.

Greece adventure tours off Crete therefore rest on training and fixed limits, and the certificate a diver holds decides how deep a dive can go.

Where do Greece adventure tours go snorkelling on Santorini and Paros?

Greece adventure tours go snorkelling on Santorini and Paros over coastal shallows, using a mask, a snorkel tube and fins to watch the seabed and its fish from the surface, without the cylinders or the training that scuba diving requires.

A swimmer’s snorkel is a tube bent into the shape of an L or a J, with a mouthpiece at the lower end. Masks cover the eyes and nose, and fins give efficient propulsion.

New-generation masks are full-face masks covering the eyes, nose and mouth. They use an integral dry-top snorkel with separate channels for intake and exhaled gas, so a snorkeller breathes through nose or mouth.

On Santorini, Perissa lies 13 km to the southeast of Fira, near the Messa Vouno rock. The village has beaches on the Aegean, where Greece adventure tours enter the water.

Paros stands across a channel from Antiparos, which is less than 2 km wide at its narrowest. Antiparos was identified with ancient Prepesintho in the writings of Strabo and Pliny.

The Santorini snorkeling post covers beaches, seabed, fish, water clarity, gear and months, and the Paros snorkeling post covers rocks, seagrass, sunken sites, invasive fish and protected shellfish for Greece adventure tours.

• Gear: A snorkel, mask and fins form the core equipment.
• Full-face mask: The newer design covers eyes, nose and mouth.
• Perissa: The village on Santorini lies 13 km southeast of Fira.
• Antiparos: The channel to Paros is under 2 km wide.

Greece adventure tours on these islands need little equipment, and the sheltered channel between Paros and Antiparos offers a simple setting for first sessions.

How do Greece adventure tours arrange horse riding on Crete and Santorini?

Greece adventure tours arrange horse riding on Crete and Santorini on island trails with an animal of the family Equidae, a horse that evolved over millions of years from a small multi-toed creature called Eohippus into the single-toed animal of today.

The horse evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature called Eohippus. The modern horse is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal of the family Equidae.

Horses are adapted to run, with good balance. They can sleep both standing up and lying down. Domesticated horses begin training under a saddle or in a harness between the ages of two and four.

Equestrian events entered the modern Olympic Games in 1900 with jumping. By 1912 the Olympic Games included all three disciplines, under the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

The three disciplines are dressage, show jumping and eventing. Dressage is the progressive training of the horse to a high level of impulsion, collection and obedience, a patient pace for Greece adventure tours.

The Crete horse riding post covers breeds, coat colours, teeth, terrain, plants and the way horses signal with ears and tails, while the Santorini horse riding post covers gaits, hooves, saddles, aids and helmets.

• Family: The horse belongs to the family Equidae.
• Ancestor: Eohippus was a small multi-toed creature.
• Olympics: Equestrian events entered the Games in 1900.
• Disciplines: Dressage, show jumping and eventing were all included by 1912.

Greece adventure tours on horseback therefore draw on a long record, and the island ground, not the sport rules, sets the pace of each ride.

What do travellers ask about Greece adventure tours?

Greece adventure tours cover off-road vehicles, canyons, sea kayaks, caves, scuba diving, snorkelling and horse riding on Crete, Santorini, Milos, Corfu and Paros, and each activity has its own gear, its own limits and its own setting.

Which Greece adventure tours run on the water?

Greece adventure tours on the water include sea kayaking around Milos, kayaking in the Santorini caldera, visits to sea caves, snorkelling on Santorini and Paros, and scuba diving off Crete, each one using different gear and its own certification or training.

Which Greece adventure tours run on land?

Greece adventure tours on land include jeep safaris in Corfu, canyoning in the gorges of Crete, and horse riding on Crete and Santorini, with the vehicle, the rope or the animal setting the pace of each separate route and its limits.

How do Greece adventure tours differ from sightseeing tours?

Greece adventure tours differ from sightseeing tours because the activity itself is the point. A jeep, a kayak, a rope or a horse carries the group, and skills, limits and equipment set the route, not a list of monuments or museums.

What kit do Greece adventure tours rely on?

Greece adventure tours rely on kit that suits each activity: helmets, ropes and wetsuits for canyons, sea kayaks with a covered deck, masks, tubes and fins for snorkelling, certified tanks for scuba diving and saddles with stirrups for riding, each matched to one activity.