Vulture hide Crete - August 2026
Updated: Sep 2
In August we spent the night in a dedicated vulture photography hide complete with a fresh water source to the south of Rethymno, near Kourtaliotiko gorge, a prime breeding area for Griffon vultures for many years. The Rugged inhospitable limestone cliffs of the gorge offers sanctuary, and provides the necessary thermal currents to enable the vultures to soar, while the ground above has been a natural gathering hub for decades.
Arriving at dusk to prevent any disturbance, the ethical birding approach of this well equipped facility allows photographers to capture these magnificent birds, behaving naturally in extreme close proximity to the hide.
Crete has the largest insular population of Griffon vultures in the world with an estimated 2000 birds on the island often seen in large communal groups. The vultures which have a wingspan of 2.8 metres can weigh around 10 kg relying almost entirely on a diet of carrion, a large group of Griffon vultures can easily strip a sheep carcass down to the bones in less than half and hour, the perfect synergy, helping to keep the islands ecosystem clean and safe.
The island also has a very rare native population of Bearded vultures and is the last remaining strong hold in Greece and the Balkans with only 4-7 active breeding pairs, around 30 birds in total. Solitary or in monogamous pairs, they have a similar wingspan to Griffon vultures but with less body mass at 7 kg. Their diet consists of bones and marrow, feeding when other scavengers have left, we have never seen this bird on Crete despite many visits (stock image).
When we heard about the vulture hide in Crete on social media we were keen to visit, closed during the breeding season from June to July, the earliest time we could book was August, we contacted the owner Georgia Antonaki via DM @vulture_hide_crete on Instagram and booked our place. To minimise disturbance access to the hide is at dawn or dusk (the night before), we were two hours away and opted to stay overnight.
After spending the day around the area of Rethymno watching Griffon vultures, we met up with Georgia in the mountain village of Frati where we parked our small rental car and transferred to her 4x4 pickup for the journey to the vulture photography hide. There were no other bookings the following day, so we had the hide to ourselves. After some basic instructions on how things worked Georgia left, not long after the hide was in darkness. We set up our camera gear and turned in for the night anticipating an early morning start.
Morning arrived at 5.40 am and the orange glow of a warm Mediterranean sunrise was a welcome sight while the view was spectacular and would beat any Airbnb hands down, several Ravens flashed across the front of the hide at speed while overhead a pair of Bonelli's eagles passed the hide at some distance. Griffon vultures began to circle on thermals above the hide and by mid-morning we had observed over 62 individual birds soaring on the warm air above.
A female Northern wheatear dropped in briefly and was disturbed by Ravens, several young Griffon vultures landed on the banking to the right of the hide and immediately began interacting with each other while a few of the older birds landed at the waters edge and began to jostle and squabble for a place by the water. The vultures were standing so close to the hide windows we could see every little detail of their spectacular plumage. More birds joined the group and amongst them was a number of ringed and tagged individuals.
At this point I switched my heavy 200-800 Canon lens for the the much lighter and more manageable 100-500 lens paired with my Canon R5 resulting in an immediate improvement in both quality and speed. I used this set-up for the rest of the day and set up a second camera, the Canon R7 paired with a 24-105 RF lens for taking close-up portraits and some landscape images. During the day I took over 3000 images and several video's with the 2 cameras.
To the left hand side of the hide a single Bearded vulture slowly came into view, distant at first but gradually coming close and circling just above the hide before landing to the right hand side behind the nearby scrub. This was our first ever sighting of a Cretan Bearded vulture and it literally made the whole trip worthwhile. A short time passed before the bird lifted from behind the scrub and began circling over the hide once more, eventually disappearing from view, this was the first of five sightings we had of Bearded vultures, on the day.
By now over 40 Griffon vultures, some displaying hierarchic dominance over the smaller and younger vultures were in front of the hide, while a juvenile begged a parent for food, one of the adults obliging as the noisy melee continued around them. More Griffon vultures dropped in while others spread their wings lifting off vertical like Harrier jump jets their massive frames effortlessly floating at eye level in front of the hide, an amazing sight to see.
This fascinating spectacle continued for the next few hours with an occasional sighting of Eleonora's falcon and Common buzzard. Several local Goats patiently waited until the Griffon vultures eventually began to disperse and take to the skies, allowing them to quench their thirst at the water hole. The afternoon arrived and most of the Griffon vultures soared above the hide, a Bearded vulture came close circling above the hide several times before heading away and a Bonelli's eagle passed though once more (stock image).
By late afternoon all the Griffon vultures had gone, a Peregrine falcon arrived and was chased by a pair of Ravens. The peregrine was diving and swooping to avoid the Ravens who soon gave up allowing the Peregrine to drink and bathe before perching to dry completely unaware of our presence. This was the closest we had been to a wild Peregrine falcon and we watched this spectacular raptor for quite some time before it took off as fast as it had arrived.
The hide was now quiet, and we took this opportunity to contact Georgia, who arrived shortly after to take us back to our rental car in the nearby village of Frati. From here we had a two and a half hour drive back to base which passed quickly as we talked about the birds we had encountered at this great facility, particularly the Bearded vultures soaring above in their natural environment, this had been a real bucket list experience which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in birds or wildlife , when visiting the island of Crete.
The hide can accommodate up to 6 photographers and has Comfortable swivel chairs at each window. Electricity is via a solar panel to the rear of the hide, and there's a separate fully functioning washroom.
A kitchenette provides beverages and snacks, lunch was also included and there's a pod coffee machine. 6 bunks are available at the facility which operates using One-way photographic glass and drop down hatches. If your staying overnight take a torch.
Etiquette in the hide is common sense, when wildlife is present complete silence is necessary to minimise any disturbance and visitors need to remain inside the hide for the duration of their visit. The door at the rear of the hide may be opened if required but watch out for Griffon vultures wandering in. Over-shoe protectors need be worn in the hide, but we just took our boots off at the entrance. And under no circumstances are photographers allowed at the front of the hide where the vultures congregate, this is monitored by a camara.
Message from the owner
"My idea was to simply create a watering station for the vultures, as the increased use of natural springs for agricultural and livestock farming purposes, combined with over-tourism, had greatly affected their access to water resulting in many cases of severe dehydration during the summer, sometimes with fatal consequences. The idea of building a hide came
sometime later providing an opportunity for people to experience vultures and other bird species up close raising awareness, to help us better understand what it truly means to coexist harmoniously with wildlife. Today, photographers from all over the world can visit the vulture hide and observe and photograph these magnificent creatures at close range, while part of the proceeds goes towards care and rehabilitation of wild animals in Rethymno". Georgia Antonaki
Full trip list - 73 birds
Yellow-legged gull, Hooded crow, House sparrow, Barn swallow, Red-rumped swallow, Blackbird, Jay, Feral pigeon, Sardinian warbler, Wren, Greenshank, Collared dove, Great tit, Italian sparrow, Northern wheatear, Eleonora's falcon, Common buzzard, Crested lark, Kestrel, Griffon vulture, Raven, Chaffinch, House martin, Serin, Black-eared wheatear, Shag, Blue tit, Stonechat, Coot, Mallard, White stork, Common sandpiper, Green sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, White-winged tern, Turtle, dove, Golden eagle, Wood pigeon, Common swift, Alpine swift, Little grebe, Black-necked grebe, Cormorant, Grey heron, Kingfisher, Yellow wagtail, Linnet, Greenfinch, Cirl bunting, Corn bunting, Goldfinch, Teal, Shoveler, Chukar, Little egret, Black kite, Osprey, Bonelli's eagle, Bearded vulture, Peregrine falcon, Moorhen, Hoopoe, Woodchat shrike, Red-backed shrike, Spotted flycatcher, Coal tit, Sand martin, Crag martin, Cetti's warbler, Willow warbler, Olivaceous warbler and Black redstart.
Other sightings
Gecko, Skink, Balkan green lizard, Balkan whip snake, Cicada, Lobed orb weaver, Rock marten, Hare, Scarlet dropwing, Swallowtail, Scarce swallowtail and Cretan Grayling.
August 2026.
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