Full-Day Jeep Safari & Cooking Class in Crete

Milk the goats, cook with locals, shape clay on the Lasithi Plateau.

A full-day jeep safari and cooking class in Crete combines off-road driving through mountain villages with hands-on instruction in traditional Cretan cooking and pottery. You start from your hotel, visit a working shepherd's mitato to milk goats and taste cheese, drive through gorges and past the Lasithi Plateau's historic windmills, then spend time in a pottery workshop and cooking class with local professionals before lunch at a traditional restaurant. Pickup and drop-off are included. The guide speaks English, French, German, Greek and one additional language.

Step-by-step itinerary

Authentic Cretan village and cooking experience

• Depart from hotel to Potamies village
• Visit traditional mitato and meet shepherd family
• Watch goat milking and cheese making
• Taste local cheese, raki, and oil
• Walk through village gardens and aromas
• See Aposelemis dam and submerged village
• Pass through Avdou village
• Drive up dirt roads through Ebassas gorge
• Collect local herbs with guide
• View stone windmills on Lasithi Plateau
• Participate in local cooking class
• Visit pottery workshop and create ceramics
• Tour Lasithi Plateau and visit local cafeteria
• Enjoy wood oven baked traditional lunch
• See monumental plane tree and aqueduct
• Tour olive oil mill and taste olive oil

The experience

The day begins with a pickup from your hotel and a drive to Potamies, a working Cretan village where you meet a local shepherd and his family at a traditional mitato. You'll milk goats by hand, watch how cheese is made from the fresh milk, and see flour ground in a traditional stone mill. Those who want to can taste the shepherd's own cheese, raki and oil. From there the jeep winds through village gardens toward the Aposelemis dam, where the submerged village of Sfendili sits fading beneath the water's surface, then on to Avdou, where every building is preserved with plaques explaining how the settlement took shape.

The route climbs through dirt roads and the Ebassas gorge, where the guide stops to collect wild herbs (oregano, thyme, sage) the way Cretans have done for generations. You'll see the Lasithi Plateau, which once held over 10,000 white-sailed windmills drawing water from the ground to irrigate crops. This is where the hands-on classes happen: a cooking session with local professionals using pure ingredients and local products, where you prepare dishes and taste the herbs and flavors as you work, followed by a pottery workshop where you learn ceramic techniques and make your own piece to take home. A stop at a local café gives you time to walk the old village or rest before lunch.

Lunch comes at a traditional restaurant with food baked in a wood oven, local wine and water included. Afterward, you'll see the monumental plane tree of the village (over 2,000 years old) that dominates the square alongside an 18th-century aqueduct. The day ends at an olive oil mill, where you learn how olive oil is produced and exported, with a small tasting to finish. The whole experience runs 8 to 9 hours in a Land Rover Defender or 4x4 Mercedes Vito van, depending on which you request after booking.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• experienced driver in a Land Rover Defender or 4x4 Mercedes Vito van.
• goat milking and cheese tasting at a working shepherd's mitato.
• cooking class with local professionals using traditional ingredients.
• pottery workshop where you make your own ceramic piece.
• lunch with local wine and water at a traditional restaurant.
• olive oil mill tour with tasting.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00Last departure this season: 31 Oct

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (2 to 11 years) · Infant (under 2)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish, French, German, Dutch and Greek

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Safari Experts Crete

Is this one for you?Book this if you're arriving with a free day and want to move beyond typical sightseeing. The jeep handles the driving through rough mountain roads while you spend time actually doing things (milking, cooking, shaping clay) with people who live there, not watching from a distance. Small groups mean you're not lost in a crowd at the cooking class or the pottery wheel.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French, German, Greek and Dutch.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 11 years); Infant (under 2).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What does the goat milking and cheese tasting involve in Potamies?

At the shepherd's mitato in Potamies, you milk goats by hand and watch how the fresh milk is turned into cheese using traditional methods. You'll also see flour ground in a traditional stone mill, and you can taste the shepherd's own cheese, raki and oil if you choose to.

Do I get to make something in the cooking and pottery classes?

Yes. The cooking class has you participate in preparing dishes from local ingredients and pure products alongside local professionals, tasting the herbs and flavors as you work. In the pottery workshop, you learn ceramic techniques and create your own piece to take home.

What's included in the lunch?

Lunch is served at a traditional restaurant with food baked in a wood oven, and includes local wine and water.

How much driving and off-roading is there?

The jeep travels through mountain villages, dirt roads and the Ebassas gorge, with stops to see the Aposelemis dam, the Lasithi Plateau windmills, and the historic village of Avdou. The route is designed for all fitness levels and the vehicle is a Land Rover Defender or 4x4 Mercedes Vito van.

Is there time to rest during the day?

Yes. After the pottery and cooking classes, there's a stop at a local café where you can have optional coffee or walk through the old village before lunch.