Kouroutes
Walks and treks from trailheads on the Nida Plain
Walk P12 Nida to the summit of Mount Ida (E4 Trail)
Walk P13 Summit of Mount Ida: descent to Kamares
Walk P14 Nida to Anoyeia on the E4 Trail
Walk P14A Nida to Anoyeia on Old Droving Trail
Walk P15 Nida to Ay. Ioannis chapel (E4 Trail)
Walk P16 Nida to Kamares via Kamares Cave
Walk P17 Nida to the Arcadi monastery
Part 3 The Lassithi (Dikti) Mountains
Walk L1 Kastamonitsa to Ay. Georgios (E4 Trail)
Walk L2 Ay. Georgios to Tzermiado
Walk L2A Tzermiado to Ay. Georgios
Walk L3 Tzermiado to Karphi and back
Walk L4 Ay. Georgios to the Katharo Plain and back
Walk L5 Ay. Georgios (for Mt Dikti summit) to Selakano (E4 Trail)
Walk L5A Selakano to Ay. Georgios (E4 Trail)
Walk L6 Selakano to the Katharo Plain (for Lassithi or Kritsa)
Walk L6A Katharo Plain via south rim road to Selakano
Walk L7 Katharo Plain to Kritsa (for Ay. Nikolaos)
Walk L7A Kritsa to the Katharo Plain
Walk L8 Magoulas to Xeniakos and Ano Viannos
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Glossary
Appendix C Further reading
Appendix D Useful contacts
Appendix E Index of maps
Sunshine and shade as the Samaria Gorge narrows (Walk 2)
INTRODUCTION
Aravanes ‘Old Mitato’ in May (Walk P7)
The Greek island of Crete, measuring about 250km (155 miles) west to east, is well-known for its sunny climate and beautiful scenery so typical of the lands of the Mediterranean. Relics of a long and richly varied history dot town and countryside, and botanists find much of interest almost everywhere they look.
In addition to this, and visible everywhere as a striking backdrop to the beaches and coastal plains, an almost continuous spine of rugged limestone mountains runs along the length of the island. Frequented only by a few shepherds, the wilder regions of this interior offer challenging trekking routes of two or three days’ duration. Alternatively, at lower, more hospitable levels, walkers can follow old mule tracks and paths between foothill villages where a range of facilities can be found.
Although readily accessible, the mountains of Crete are very rugged and potentially hazardous. Route-finding is not easy due to the many spectacular limestone features that are typical of Greek mountains. There are Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-compatible large-scale contour maps covering selected areas but for full coverage of the island only 1:100,000 contour maps are available.
Crete is the largest and most prosperous of the Greek islands – thanks, in part, to the many beaches that attract summer tourism. Fertile coastal plains and valleys allow a thriving agricultural industry, and Athens, for example, provides a ready market for produce (by overnight ferryboat). Cretans and visitors alike enjoy an abundance of good home-produced food and wine.
The island is busy: there are three main towns – Chania, Heraklion and Rethymnon – with both fashionable and traditional-style shops, together with harbours, markets, universities and museums. It is easy to get to Crete by air or by sea from Athens or by direct charter flight to Chania or Heraklion airports. Happily for walkers, ‘getting to the trailhead’ is also easy using KTEL (the public bus service) or local taxis.
Describing walks and treks in the main mountain ranges of west, central and eastern Crete, including the south coast of Sfakia in the west, this guidebook aims to provide you with the information you need to follow the routes of your choice.
Hillwalking and trekking regions
The walks and mountain treks suggested in this guide are grouped under three main headings. In the west, the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) (Part 1) cover 960km2, and include over 20 peaks rising above 2000m (6560ft); Pachnes (2453m/8047ft) is the highest. There are five good walking areas – the Omalos Plain, the Northern Foothills, the Askifou Plain, Anopolis and the south coast of Sfakia – all with trailheads served by bus from Chania. Since many of the best walking routes are linear, a hired car can be limiting especially as much of the rugged south coast, having no roads, is only served by boat. Fortunately, villages on many of the walking routes offer plentiful accommodation, not all of which is pre-booked, enabling a flexible itinerary. Town bus stations have Left Luggage facilities, useful for those who wish to travel without a particular base.
Making graviera cheese in Askifou
In the region of Sfakia, the southern flank of the Lefka Ori rises very abruptly above the coast to over 1000m (3280ft). Thirteen gorges split this steep escarpment, the largest of which – 16km long and over 1000m deep – is the Gorge of Samaria. The huge and inaccessible forested crags of this gorge and its neighbour, the Tripiti Gorge, form a refuge for a treasure that is unique to Crete: a little wild goat, the ‘kri-kri’, which can climb the crags and leap like an ibex (and yet isn’t one), which has survived here since ancient times.
All the mountain ranges of Crete feature high plains, gorges and ravines, but in the heart of the Lefka Ori there is something else. High above the treeline snow thaws by July to reveal a great circle of massive barren peaks, interspersed with ‘moonscape’ outcrops, or depressions, of sinkholes in black, grey or red rock. This high desert wilderness is seldom visited, even by Cretans. Old trails across this interior never fail to impress those who venture to walk them.
In central Crete, where the island is at its widest, the huge mass of Psiloritis (Mount Ida) (Part 2) dominates the whole region. Covering about 560km2, this massif is different in that a single huge, partly scree-surfaced summit ridge rises above massive cliffs on one side and a large area of lower peaks and forested foothills on the other. The summit of Mount Ida has always attracted peak-baggers because, at 2454m (8051ft), it is, by just one metre, the highest point in Crete. At lower levels the forests, freshwater springs, and accessible foothills sustain a strong shepherding tradition and large flocks of sheep, together with goats, are still a regular sight.
Psiloritis offers several challenging linear walking routes with the high-level Nida Plain as a fulcrum. In the foothills, trailhead villages, all of which have tourist facilities, are served by bus from either Rethymnon or Heraklion. However, for walks starting from the Nida Plain, such as the day-walk to the summit, there is no public bus service and alternative plans must be made (see individual route descriptions).
The Dikti or Lassithi Mountains (Part 3) cover about 780km2 and virtually divide central Crete from the eastern end of the island. The dominant feature here is the Lassithi Plain (formerly famous for its hundreds of windmill water pumps), which is surrounded by a series of peaks including Mount Dikti, at 2148m (7047ft) the highest summit of eastern Crete.
Although the European long-distance walking route the