The impetus for this whole trip to Greece (in June!) was my cousin Andrew’s invitation to the house that he rented for a month in Emprosneros. I did a little research and learned that Crete has some nice walking opportunities. People particularly recommend the Samaria and Imbros gorges which are conveniently on the western part of the island not so far from where we were staying. After Ferda and my rather enjoyable spring Likya and Zengibar walking tours, I put together a four-day walking tour from Imbros to Xyloskala via both the aforementioned gorges, staying the nights in Hora Sfakion, Loutro, and Agia Roumeli. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Somehow the only ones Ferda and I were able to convince to join us were my cousin’s kids, Philip and Antonia. Anyone’s who older might be a little more sensible than to think it’s a good idea to walk around Crete in the summer?
The only photo I have of the four of us is at the end of the walk.
So now you know — we survived and are even still smiling after four days together.
Andrew greatly facilitated the transportation by dropping us off at the top of Imbros Gorge on the first morning and picking us up at the top of Samaria Gorge at the end. That meant we didn’t get an early start the first day, but Imbros Gorge is a short, casual walk — about 3.5 hours all the way to Hora Sfakion.
The gorge, though, is the real deal.
And check out the balcony of our hotel in Hora Sfakion.
Dinner was slow-cooked goat (tasty and soft), fantastic okra, and fish in the oven.
Not a bad start.
The next day we waited for the kids’ parents and my other cousin, Ellen, to show up as they could all join us for a late lunch in Loutro. There are frequent ferries between Hora Sfakion and Loutro, a village that is not on Crete’s road network. Galya, Philip and Antonia’s mother, joined the four of us for the walk. Again we did not get an early start.
We began walking on a road passed Ilingas Beach
and then were surprised how slow the trail was to Sweetwater Beach. There are sections above cliffs and at times even a bolted cable to hold onto.
The east end of Sweetwater Beach is a nudist beach, a bit of a surprise coming in from the east as we did. Galya by this time was overheated. I think she didn’t drink enough water, but maybe it was the naked sunbathers. We filled our water bottles at the spring (hence, the beach’s name) and had Galya drink some. She even went in the water so after a little rest she was ready to go again. The walking was easier and faster from there to Loutro.
After lunch Ellen, Andrew, and Galya got the ferry back to their car at Hora Sfakion. Ferda, Antonia, and Philip played around on a SUP. I think I fell asleep on a lounge chair.
Another cute town though I’ve read complaints that it exists solely for tourists.
For the final two days we were walking by 6:30am, a good plan at this time of year. The morning west from Loutro started a little barren.
We then rounded a corner and came to this:
Seriously? Wow!
At Agios Pavlos is a small café where we were able to rest and drink orange juice and coffee. That was a good call as the rest of the trail to Agia Roumeli was tiring and slow-going because of the sand. Also it got way too hot (by 11am).
The only shade was next to a large boulder by the sea. The goats shared their space with us.
In Agia Roumeli we were welcomed by Maria, a Georgian who speaks Georgian, Russian, Greek, English, and Turkish. Antonia and Philip speak Russian so between the four of us we were able to confirm three of those languages.
Finally, Samaria Gorge! If you’ve been reading too much on the internet, you might think this hike is rather difficult, especially going uphill as we were. If you’re used to walking, don’t worry. It’s no big deal. We saw two other groups walking up like we were, and one of those couples walked up to the top and then back down again to Agia Roumeli. It must have been hot for them by the end.
The most spectacular bit is near the start when we had the canyon almost too ourselves.
You get the idea.
There’s plenty of water along the way so it’s easy to stay hydrated and cool (by dunking your shirt and hat in the water which we did a couple times). Also as you gain elevation, it cools off of course so by the time we were at the restaurant at the top (at 1200m) Philip wanted to sit in the sun. We vetoed him, but I put on a long sleeve shirt.
Thanks for the fun walk and great company.
Here’s our whole crew in Chania.
I can’t finish this last blog about Crete without saying a few words about the snails. They’re widely available and tasty. We tried them at a restaurant (Ταβέρνα Κούργιαλης in Emprosneros), and I also bought a small bag at the market in Vrises. Back at our house I sauteed them in tomatoes, onions, and white wine — more than satisfactory for my first time cooking snails.
I read somewhere that they actually eat more snails per capita in Crete than in France. I fully realize the speciousness of this statistic (if it’s true at all). Compare Crete to Bourgogne, I’m sure you’re saying.
