Wildflower Season in Crete 2025

Crete is an island full of beautiful flowers. There are more than 2,000 species of plants, and a huge percent of them are endemic to Crete. Lots of flowers grow in the Chania area, especially in the Lefka Ori mountain range (White Mountains), Heraklion, and the Rethymnon area.

Wild tulips are among the first wildflowers to appear in the spring. They can be spotted on the hills near Spili, which is about a 30 minutes' drive from Rethymnon. The Omalos Plateau in Spili area is also home to about 20 kinds of wild orchids that bloom starting from late February. The orchid species that appear in spring include the magnificent Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum robertianum) and a few of the much less conspicuous Ophrys fusca species and subspecies. They are quickly followed by an explosion of wildflowers, which peaks in March and April. The Giant orchid, famous for its unique scent blooms through late March. It can be spotted on the Lasithi Plateau located on the foot of Mount Diktiin in the eastern part of the island.

During April and May Crete gets even more covered with colorful blooms. In addition to wild orchids, there are colored chamomile, poppies, anemones, iris, field gladiolus, etc. You can go hiking or organize a jeep safari to see all the beauty of wildflowers in Crete. Some flowers bloom through summer, like Chaste Tree that has beautiful purple flowers or erica manipuliflora that blooms with small pink flowers until November.