Wished there would be more time at the beach. The stop in the village is not necessary. We would of rather stayed longer on the beach.

Great trip. It was very well organised. All schedule was clearly communicated so everybody knew what to expect. We had sufficient time in Balos and Gramvousa. It was a lot of people on the boat, but everybody could find space to seat and enjoy the views. Food and drinks are accesible on the boat and prices are not that expensive. Departure times of the boat were displayed everytime we were leaving the boat so everybody knew exactly what time it departures. There was a bridge from boat to the beaches so there was no need to swim... Overall it was great experience and as I have mentioned all schedule was displayed and communicated in the bus so there was no suprises. Driver and tour quide took great care of us so the whole journey was comfortable and with no stress at all.

The tour guide Sylvia was fantastic and made sure everyone was ok, walking down the gorge was beutiful and can be done in your own pace but you still need to have some small fitness about you. Would do this again if I come back to Crete.

We booked through io tours, but were dissapointed with the trip. The boat we were on took 1000 people and several other smaller ones arrived while we were at Balos. If the beach is ideal when quiet, it certainly isn't with 1000+ people arriving at a time. The bus trip back from the ferry was chaotic taking over 2 hours from landing with the ferry and the tour guide leaving the bus part way back with no briefing on what was to happen. One trip and one company to avoid.

Great adventure , beautiful views all along the way and well organised.Good transfer to and from the Samaria Gorge.I would recommend it to all that like hiking.

Nice Trip with very kind & experienced driver (dangerous way to the beach) and also very good and friendly guide, she knew very good a history of the island and told us the most important things… it was very hot and no shade please on the beach because of lot visitors but the weather it was a great & beautiful place and a very nice full day trip with finally a great meal at the family Taverne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nice bus tour to Elafinisi. Elia provided interesting information about Crete along the way. You can also rent umbrellas from them for 7 EUR which we recommend. The beach is crowded but less crowded if you walk to the right side. Didn’t see any pink sand but that was expected. Bring water shoes as walking through the water is quite rocky. Do the tour vs. driving yourself as the road can be narrow in some places.

It was a good experience. We went to sightsee and for the kids to snorkel. I was hesitant about the reviews about receiving pick up info, but ours was very straight forward. Told the day before as promised. Our guide was very informative and helpful. The ferry was busy and the only downside of the whole thing, which is not the fault of the organisers. It was more that the other people aboard don’t want to create space for others to sit down, which we found difficult with a family of four. Disembarking at Balos was slow but we didn’t need to wade through the sea as other reviews suggested. Maybe this is a new addition. Gramvoussa was easier to disembark due to more space once we’d docked. We took our own food but the ferry was well stocked. There’s no facilities or provisions other than on the ferry. Long day but glad we went.

I recently went on a day excursion from Rethymno to Balos, and unfortunately, it was a major disappointment. Unlike my previous experience in 2021, this time I was not informed that the boat no longer docks at Balos. Instead, it stops 10 meters away from the shore, forcing passengers to disembark into deep water. Disembarking was chaotic and frustrating, taking over 1 hour and 45 minutes to get everyone off the boat. Many people struggled because they couldn't swim, adding to the chaos. It's baffling that the government prohibits boats from docking in Balos Bay but allows them to stop 10 meters away. This rule seems nonsensical and severely impacts the experience. When I raised these concerns with our guide upon arriving in Kissamos, his response was dismissive: "You don’t have to leave the boat, or you can get a private boat for £200." This lack of empathy and solutions was disheartening. What was once a fun excursion in 2021 has become a waste of time. I wouldn't recommend this trip to anyone in its current state. The organizers need to address these issues, but it seems they are more interested in taking tourists' money. Save yourself the frustration and look for alternative experiences.

Amazing wiews and the best trip we’ve been to in Crete. Everything was great planed and the guide was good. But the only thing is that we had to ”swim” to Balos from the boat, and they said to leave our stuff behind. Me and my friends did not want to leave without all our belongings in a locker or something so we just stayed on the boat. So the fact that we did not know everything before hand is the only ”bad” thing, otherwise we loved it.

Terrible seemed a waste of a day and money. No real explanation of why we couldn't go to balos sad I was really looking forward to it but felt totally let down

Perfect place to vist .if you have mobility issues then this place is not for you as you have a very long walk on very uneven road donevto the beach

The day started off with a bus trip to the Gorge, with some explanation by the guide which was greatly appreciated. The Gorge itself is a beautiful hike, and loved the swim in the bay of Sfakia. Thank you to the operator for adding us last minute!

Great tour of Knossos and Heraklion from Chania. It took a while to pick up everyone from all the hotels, but the trip itself was excellent. The tour guide (can't remember her name) was excellent and very friendly and knowledgable. Timings were just right. The Heraklion archaeological museum was fantastic, definitely worth going. The bus was a 30 seater rather than a full size 50 seater, it was okay rather than luxurious.

The tour guide gave a lot of information during the bus ride, which was greatly appreciated. The hike through the gorge was very beautiful, and took about 2 hours. Also enjoyed the swim in the small bay afterwards. Great day, would certainly do it again!