A Balos jeep safari swaps the boat for a 4×4 that climbs a dirt track over the Gramvousa peninsula to the viewpoint above the lagoon. Our tours in Greece section lists more days out on Crete.
This page covers what the tour includes, the off-road route, the walk down to the lagoon, time on the beach, private and self-drive options, the story of Gramvousa, who it suits and what to bring on a Balos jeep safari.
What does a Balos jeep safari from Kissamos include?
A Balos jeep safari from Kissamos includes an air-conditioned 4×4 and an English-speaking local driver. The listing also covers public liability insurance and free time to swim at Balos. Each jeep takes up to 6 people.
The eDay Travel jeep safari lasts 6 hours and leaves from the operator’s office in Kissamos. Its listing adds a bottle of water and a Cretan welcome treat of local biscuits. On the road, the driver gives a short introduction to local products and traditions.
Know what a Balos jeep safari leaves out. The local municipality tax is paid on the spot, and food and drinks are personal expenses. The listing asks for sport shoes for the hiking trail and sandals for the beach.
Two other Balos tours list different inclusions.
- The Strata Tours off-road bus carries up to 18 people for 5 hours. Each person gets a seat in an air-conditioned vehicle, with a non-smoking, English-speaking driver.
- The Traces of Crete Land Cruiser tour carries up to 6 people for 6 hours, with water and beach equipment: sunbeds, umbrellas and towels.
The Land Cruiser listing says this Balos jeep safari covers transport only, with no tour of the lagoon itself. Reviews of the eDay trip note that it is mainly transport to the parking area, not a long safari.
The bus listing says an entrance fee is paid on the way to the lagoon.
How does the off-road bus or 4×4 reach Balos along the Gramvousa peninsula?
A Balos jeep safari drives from the Kissamos office across the Gramvousa peninsula to the Balos parking area. The eDay Travel listing puts the drive at about 1 hour each way.
The Gramvousa peninsula is the western part of Kissamos Bay. It is the more westerly of the two pairs of peninsulae in north-western Crete. Wikivoyage says Balos lagoon can be reached either by boat or by car.
The eDay listing describes rocky hills, Mediterranean scrub and sea views on a Balos jeep safari. Short stops at panoramic viewpoints give photos of Balos lagoon, Gramvousa island and the Cretan coastline.
Then the 4×4 stops at the start of the footpath down to the lagoon. The listing also names wild goats, eagles and bees among the wildlife of the area.
The Traces of Crete Land Cruiser follows the scenic Balos mountain road. Its listing puts about 9 km of that journey on unpaved road. The driver shares information about the area on the way, and the trip depends on weather and road conditions.
The Strata Tours off-road bus is a separate product from a Balos jeep safari. The listing gives 40 minutes of dirt road in a 4×4 bus. A walk from the end of the road follows. The bus brings you to the top of the path.
The operator adds views of Kissamos Gulf and says the bus reaches the lagoon before the big boats.
A Balos jeep safari or bus takes the dirt-road driving off your hands. The bus operator says that road can easily damage a normal vehicle. The eDay listing names the risk to a rental car.
How does a Balos jeep safari run, from pickup to the walk down to the lagoon?
A Balos jeep safari starts in Kissamos and crosses the Gramvousa Peninsula by 4×4. It stops at a parking area above the lagoon. From there you walk a trail down to the water. On the eDay Travel tour, that walk takes 20 to 25 minutes.
Your day begins at the operator’s base. The eDay Travel Balos jeep safari leaves from its office in Kissamos, and the meeting point is Ir. Politechniou 94. The listing shows start times of 7:00 for the early bird trip, then 9:00, 11:00 and 13:00.
The off-road bus is a separate product. It meets opposite the Archaeological Museum in Kissamos and offers three start times: 8:00, 9:30 and 11:30.
A small welcome comes before the drive. The eDay Travel listing names bottled water and a Cretan treat of local biscuits. Traces of Crete runs a different 4×4 tour from its own office in Kissamos. It hands out one bottle of water before departure.
Then the jeep sets off across the Gramvousa Peninsula. The driver makes short stops at panoramic viewpoints, so you can photograph the lagoon, Gramvousa island and the Cretan coast. The Balos jeep safari ends its drive at the start of the footpath.
Now the walking starts. A Balos jeep safari leaves the last stretch to your feet. On the eDay Travel tour, the trail takes 20 to 25 minutes down and 30 to 35 minutes back up. The operator calls it a trail of moderate difficulty.
The operator also lists wild goats, eagles and bees among the wildlife of the area. Other tours give their own times. Traces of Crete lists a downhill walk of 20 to 30 minutes. The off-road bus lists 20 minutes from the end of the road to the lagoon.
What is Balos lagoon like when you arrive?
Balos is a shallow, warm lagoon between Gramvousa island and the coast of Crete. The water is turquoise and the sand is white and pink. A Balos jeep safari gives you views over the lagoon from the trail before you reach the sand.
The listing for the eDay Travel Balos jeep safari describes crystal-clear water and soft sand. The sand is white and pink and made from crushed shells. It calls the lagoon shallow and warm, and it gives swimming and relaxing as the plan for your free time.
Look across the water and you see Gramvousa island. The trip listings place a Venetian castle on its peak. Wikipedia names Cape Tigani, an islet that forms part of a cape through the lagoon. Tigani means frying pan in Greek.
The eDay Travel Balos jeep safari is sold as a way to avoid the crowds of the daily boat tours. The off-road bus listing says boats bring hundreds of people to the lagoon every morning. It says the bus reaches the lagoon long before the big boats arrive.
Wikivoyage says Balos lagoon lies far away from anything and can be reached by boat or by car. A Balos jeep safari is the car route with an experienced driver at the wheel. The eDay Travel page promises views over the lagoon and the Cretan Sea.
How long do you get at the beach, and what is there to do?
It depends on the tour. The eDay Travel Balos jeep safari gives four hours of free time at Balos. About three of those hours are real beach time, because the trail takes an hour.
A Balos jeep safari on that listing lasts six hours in all. The first hour is the drive out from Kissamos. The next four hours cover the photo stop, the visit, free time and swimming. The last hour is the drive back. Be at the parking area at least 10 minutes before departure time.
The off-road bus runs on a fixed clock. The listing offers three options. You leave Kissamos at 08:00, 09:30 or 11:30, and the bus leaves Balos at 13:00, 14:30 or 16:30. The listing gives a duration of five hours.
The private Balos jeep safari has the longest listing, at 7.5 hours. It promises plenty of free time at the lagoon. You can swim, relax on the white sandy beach or hike to the viewpoint over the lagoon.
The jeep safari listing shows four start times: 07:00, 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00. The beach day itself is simple on any Balos jeep safari. You swim in the shallow lagoon, sunbathe, explore the lagoon and take photos.
The Traces of Crete 4×4 trip lasts six hours for up to six people. Its listing includes beach equipment: sunbeds, umbrellas and towels. It adds that the trip covers transport only, with no tour of the lagoon led by a host.
What does a private 4×4 tour or a self-drive option change?
A private Balos jeep safari is a 4×4 tour for your group alone, with up to four people. It adds hotel pickup and drop-off in Kissamos and an optional self-drive part for drivers with a valid licence.
Group size is the clearest change. The off-road bus takes up to 18 people. On the shared Balos jeep safari, each jeep carries up to six people. The listing limits the whole group to 12. The private tour takes only your group, up to four.
The shared trips start from fixed points in Kissamos. The eDay Travel jeeps leave from its office, and the bus meets opposite the archaeological museum. The private tour collects you at your hotel in Kissamos instead. You send your hotel name and contact details after booking.
The self-drive option is the biggest change to a Balos jeep safari. The listing lets you drive the 4×4 yourself for part of the route. You need a valid driving licence and must meet the required conditions. The option depends on availability, so check when you book. The route to Balos includes an off-road section.
The return also differs on a private Balos jeep safari. The bus leaves Balos at fixed times. The eDay Travel jeeps ask you to be at the parking area before departure time. The private listing promises flexibility. One verified review says the driver agreed to an extra hour for the sunset when asked.
A private Balos jeep safari ends with cold refreshments at the parking area: water, soft drinks and beer. The shared eDay Travel trip lists bottled water and a Cretan treat of local biscuits.
What is the story of Gramvousa, its Venetian fort and the protected nature area?
Gramvousa is a pair of small uninhabited islands. Venice built a fort on Imeri Gramvousa in the late 16th century. A Balos jeep safari shows that fort across the lagoon, on a drive through a protected area.
Imeri Gramvousa means Tame Gramvousa, and a Balos jeep safari looks across to it from the Crete side. Agria Gramvousa, or Wild Gramvousa, lies due north and is much less welcoming. In ancient times the larger island was called Korykos, which means leather bag. Both islands belong to the municipality of Kissamos.
Seen from the lagoon on a Balos jeep safari, the fort once helped guard Venetian trade routes. Venice built it to defend Crete from the Ottoman Turks. The treaty that handed Crete to the Ottomans left Gramvousa with Venice, along with Souda and Spinalonga. Later, in the Morean War, the Venetian commander betrayed Gramvousa to the Ottomans.
During the Greek War of Independence, Cretan insurgents took the fort. Three to four hundred Cretans, led by Dimitrios Kallergis and Emmanouil Antoniadis, captured it disguised as Turks. The Ottomans besieged them for more than two years, so they lived as pirates. The name Gramvousa honours Vousa, a pirate chief’s wife who escaped capture.
The jeep route crosses the Gramvousa peninsula, where eDay Travel describes rocky hills and Mediterranean scrub. Its listing names wild goats, eagles and bees. Balos Travel says the local charge, collected at the start of the dirt road, is for Natura protection. So the local charge on a Balos jeep safari is tied to protecting the area.
Who enjoys a Balos jeep safari, and what do you bring?
A Balos jeep safari suits nature lovers who want to reach the lagoon without driving the dirt road. You need at least moderate fitness for the walk, and you bring sport shoes and sandals.
Travellers who want a quieter lagoon enjoy a Balos jeep safari. The off-road bus listing says boats bring hundreds of people each morning, but its bus arrives long before them. Guests with a rental car enjoy it too. eDay Travel says you skip the dirt roads and the risk to your car.
Not every guest fits a Balos jeep safari. The eDay Travel listing excludes people with mobility impairments or recent surgeries, and people over 95 kg. The Marriott page for the same tour does not recommend it for spinal injuries, pregnancy or poor heart health. It warns that the off-road route and walking trail can be physically demanding.
Other products set their own limits. The off-road bus excludes people with mobility impairments and people over 130 kg. The Traces of Crete mountain-road 4×4 is not suited to people with back problems, mobility impairments or visual impairment. That operator also bans pets, except assistance dogs, and alcohol inside its vehicle.
Packing for a Balos jeep safari is simple. eDay Travel lists sport shoes for the hiking trail and sandals for the beach. Food and drinks are personal expenses on that tour, so bring money for them. The local charge is paid on the spot.
The walk back is the hard part on a Balos jeep safari. A guest on the 9:00 eDay Travel trip found the climb back in the 13:30 heat hard but doable. The same review puts the height difference at about 150 metres. Children up to 3 sit on a parent’s lap, and eDay Travel asks for notice.
What else do travellers ask about a Balos jeep safari?
Can you cancel a booking or book at short notice?
Yes, within limits. One booking page for the Balos jeep safari from Kissamos sets a cancellation cut-off at 07:00 the day before. After that, the cancellation fee is the full booking. The same page asks for bookings by 12:00 on the day of the visit.
The off-road bus, the private 4×4 and the Land Cruiser tour each promise a full refund. You must cancel at least 24 hours before departure. All three, plus the shared jeep listing, let you reserve now and pay later.
Do the drivers speak English on a Balos jeep safari?
The eDay Travel jeep safari lists an English-speaking local driver. Its booking page names English and Greek as tour languages. The off-road bus lists a professional, non-smoking, English-speaking driver. The private 4×4 adds live commentary from an English-speaking local host.
The Land Cruiser tour is different. Its listing says the trip covers transport only and does not include a hosted tour of Balos lagoon. The driver still shares information about the area on the way.
What rules cover pets, drinks and weather on a Balos jeep safari?
The Traces of Crete Balos jeep safari does not allow pets in the Land Cruiser, though assistance dogs are allowed. Alcoholic drinks are also not allowed in the vehicle. The same listing says the tour runs subject to weather and road conditions. It also asks you to reach the agreed meeting point on time for the return.
How do you reach the Kissamos pickup point?
A Balos jeep safari starts in Kissamos, which is less than an hour’s drive from Chania on the national road. Wikivoyage lists buses from Chania about every hour, from 06:30 to 20:30.
The eDay Travel listing says a public bus serves Kissamos and points to the KTEL website for timetables. The eDay Travel meeting point is Ir. Politechniou 94. The off-road bus uses a meeting point opposite the Archaeological Museum.
The town is also called Kastelli, and a regular ferry links its port with the Peloponnese via Kythira. If you drive, one operator’s minibus listing states parking two minutes from its start point. It sends directions after the booking is confirmed.
Can babies and small children join a Balos jeep safari?
The eDay Travel Balos jeep safari takes children up to 3 years old on a parent’s lap. They do not get a separate seat. The listing asks you to say in advance when a child under 3 is travelling.
A partner page for the same tour adds that specialized infant seats are available. Another operator, balos-travel, sets its lap rule at 2 years old, so check the age limit on your own booking.