Journeying westwards along the islands coastal roads, passing rethymnon, we turn to the south, through the mountains with their majestic and fantastic views, through small and forgotten villages, off the tourists trail. Its not quite as stunning as samaria gorge, but it was really beautiful and peaceful and made for a really nice hike. Imbros gorge is located in province sfakia and is the third most visited gorge in crete, following samaria gorge and agia irini by sougia. Escape into the cretan countryside with a walk through imbros gorge, a cool, rocky ravine that makes for an easy walk. It took all together about 4 or 5 hours for the walk. Imbros gorge crete all you need to know before you go. Imbros gorge is an 11 km long canyon located near hora sfakion in southern crete, the. We are hoping to hike the imbros gorge and visit loutro in one day from chania.
The legend tells that two brothers were banished from imbros, turkey and lived in the imbros village, crete. The hike begins at an elevation of 1230m just south of omalos at xyloskalo and ends in the coastal village of agia. The natural tour of imbros gorge gs tours chania ltd. The geology changes with the width of the gorge as you ease your way down to the brilliant taverna 100 or so meters after you exit the gorge. For ancient greeks, the islands of lemnos and imbros were sacred to hephaestus, god of metallurgy, and on ancient coins of imbros an ithyphallic hephaestus appears. It begins in the village of imbros, and ends in the village of komitades. Imbros is built at the foothills of the white mountains at an altitude of 780 meters. Imbros gorge crete 2020 all you need to know before you go. If hiking the samaria gorge sounds like too much for you, then crete comes up with. Imvros, is the largest island of turkey and the seat of gokceada district of canakkale province. Imbros gorge a stunning rocky gorge in sfakia crete. The imbros gorge is named after the village of imbros, which is located on its north side, at its beginning.
According to tradition, the name given to the village of imbros by two brothers greeks who went to live there because they were evicted from imbros, when it was ceded to the turks. Imbros gorge stunning natural landscapes 8 km hike meet crete. The gorge witnessed an evacuation of several thousands of british soldiers during second world war before heading to egypt. Sfakia the area is made up of rugged rocky mountains and. Imbros gorge with toddler greece lonely planet forum. The imbros gorge mule trail was the only connection between chania and hora sfakion, before the road was built. The imbros gorge is the lesser known of the better walking gorges on crete. Imbros or imroz, officially changed to gokceada since 29 july 1970, older name in turkish. Imbros gorge crete 2020 all you need to know before you. Apart from the countless heavenly beaches, you will find hidden in the nature of chania dozens of other beauties. We walked the imbros gorge in late august as it was an easier option than the much longer samaria gorge. To cross it will take you about six hours and the route usually starts at the plateau omalos of the white mountains and exits at agia roumeli, with the crystal.
Chaniacrete tour hike imbros gorge and visit a winery or. It has lovely taverns with traditional cretan cuisine, coffee shops and supermarkets. It runs parallel to samaria gorge, its narrowest part has 1. According to tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience imbros gorge. Imbros gorge is in the south east part of the white mountains, its length is 7km, and has slopes up to 300m high. Honest and unforgettable, karas journey is one of intense passion, endurance, and self. The geology changes with the width of the gorge as you ease your way down to the brilliant taverna 100 or. The tour to imbros gorge is often recommended as an alternative to the longer gorge of samaria, which is the most famous gorge on crete. The scenery is beautiful and the low difficulty make the descent of imbros ideal for families with children. A few decades ago, it was the only road that connected the villages of the sfakia district with the northern areas of the island. Apollonius of rhodes also mentions imbros in the first book of his work argonautica. Discover the history and the unique beauty of imbros gorge.
At the end of the gorge the taxis pickup trucks owned by local farmers offer rides to chora sfakion on the coast, or back to imbros for those who have cars. Imbros gorge walk some people consider imbros the smaller, but untamed brother of samaria gorge, equally impressive, without that much hard work to cross it. Since ancient times, imbros has played a main role for the people of. We recommend booking imbros gorge tours ahead of time to secure your spot. Secondly, the gorge of imbros is easier to access and despite being much smaller in size than samaria, there are some many spectacular sections.
Her inspiring trek speaks to every woman who has struggled with her selfimage or felt that food was controlling her life. Cretan history and learn about one of the most critical battles in wwii book now. That said, the 1,000 feet steady descent is still memorable. The tour will also take you to a winery, an olive oil factory, a castle, and multiple historical sites. The gorge walls are not as high as imbros or samaria, of course, but still its impressive for an easy walk. The rich fauna of the area to keep an eye out for include the threatened bearded vulture, the european kestrel, the partridge, the golden eagle, bonellis eagle, griffin vulture gyps fulvus above and below, doves and martins, also partridges, alpine choughs, thrushes, hawks, ravens, eagles and other species of wild birds. There is a lot of vegetation and on some parts the gorge gets very narrow. The imbros gorge in the south of crete leads from imbros to komitades close to chora sfakion. Take the walk with an experienced guide, relax at tavernas for lunch, then swim in crystal clear waters at frangokastello, visit the haunted castle. My husband and i hiked the samaria gorge the day before hiking the imbros and while this gorge isnt as grand as the. The sceneries, nature, the history, the legends, all these combine to a tour not to be missed. Visit imbros gorge on your trip to crete or greece inspirock. At imbros gorge, a canyon 7 miles 11 km long near hora sfakion in southern crete, experience nature at its best and admire a venetian castle on this relaxing walking tour. It is famous due to the rare flora and the beautiful landscape all over the area.
Imbros gorge crete updated may 2020 top tips before you. The 8kmlong hike through imbros gorge is not only an excellent alternative to the more famous samaria gorge trek but actually a fabulous and crowdfree excursion in its own right. Journeying westwards along the islands coastal roads, passing rethymnon, we turn to the south, through the mountains with their majestic and fantastic views, through small and forgotten. The book contains many beautiful pictures and information about the history of the village. Take a tour of the imbros gorge, greece to visit historic site in crete. Imbros gorge 34 km from vamos, direction choria sfakion. Escape to the cool and mesmerizing village of imbros as you pass by mountain villages and the impressive white mountains. Imbros gorge is the smallest and most beautiful in terms of size compared to samaria gorge which is a 56 hour hike. The length of the gorge is 11 km and the course lasts 23 hours. Imbros is breathtaking, ideal for nature lovers and wildlife watchers. Imbros gorge crete 2020 what to know before you go.
Imbros gorge and frangokastello beach this is a delightful day of contrasts exploring sfakia in nature. Join imbros gorge tour and explore the amazing crete landscape. Imbros gorge tour, imbros gorge excursion, imbros gorge. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Both locations need around two hours each and i would recommend to visit both at a small extra cost. Imbros gorge excursions in crete altino travel services. Chaniacrete tour hike imbros gorge and visit a winery. It is located in the northnortheastern aegean sea, at the entrance of saros bay and is also the westernmost point of turkey cape incirburnu. Stroll for about 5 miles 8 km through the captivating gorge with an expert local guide, passing mountain villages and the impressive white mountains. Imbros is mentioned in the homeric hymn which was dedicated to apollo. After a convenient hotel pick up, head toward imbros to start your walking journey.
The gorge of imbros is the second most popular gorge for walkers in crete after the gorge of samaria. Imbros or imroz, officially gokceada since 29 july 1970, greek. Imbros gorge hiking day trip including traditional cretan. Some people consider imbros the smaller, but untamed brother of samaria gorge, equally impressive, without that much hard work to cross it. However, after you visit it, you will realize that it is a gorge of its own unique beauty. The hike begins at an elevation of 1230m just south of omalos at xyloskalo and ends in the coastal village of agia roumeli. Dec 31, 2014 the imbros gorge is in the south west of crete.
Visit one of the villages and then drive to frangokastello, an old venetian castle, where your guide will tell you about its. In the early years of the struggle against the turks some of the most important events in cretan history took place in the vicinity of the samaria gorge. Imbros gorge starts right from the village and its length is about 8 kilometers. Hiking the 16kmlong samaria gorge, one of europes longest canyons, is high on the list of mustdos for many visitors to crete. It is located in the aegean sea, at the entrance of saros bay and is also the westernmost point of turkey cape incirburnu. However im not sure its a good trade off as imbros gorge is mostly the same all the way, walking a dry in summer river bed of pebbles and rocks between rocky walls. The walk starts from the traditional cretan village imbros 800m high and ends in the village komitades 300m high. Tripadvisor imbros gorge from rethymno provided by mtm.
Use our askifou travel itinerary planner to visit imbros gorge on your trip to askifou, and learn what else travelers and our writers recommend seeing nearby. The gorge of imbros was the main route through which allied forces evacuated crete in late may 1941 after losing the battle of crete. Imbros gorge crete updated may 2020 top tips before. The imbros gorge is full of surprises, wonderful and varied vegetation like wild fig trees, plane trees, cypresses, broom or cyclamen. Imbros gorge crete walk this stunning rocky path in chania. The main reasons for this is that it is much easier to walk than samaria.
A gorge you could visit with a toddler, even with a stroller, would be deliana gorge also called mesavlia, which is the village at the other end. Imbros is located 50 kilometers from chania and 18 km from sfakia. Fortunately, we also understand english, but when you book a tour with a german guide and get. It is 7 kilometers long and very impressive and beautiful. Imbros gorge chora sfakion, khania, greece geographical. In 1770, during the uprising led by daskalogiannis of anopolis, 4000 women and children being pursued by the bloodthirsty turks took refuge in the mountains, most of them in the samaria gorge. Not especially strenuous especially if you start in the north at imbros, it threads past warped rock formations and through needlelike canyons, taking you. My journey up kilimanjaro at 300 pounds is the raw story of karas ascent from the depths of selfdoubt to the top of the world. Its about a 3 hours walk and in some places the cliffs are less than 2 meters apart and 300 meters high. Imbros gorge crete 2020 all you need to know before.
Tour to imbros gorge and unruly south moysidis travel. Imvros is the largest island of turkey and the seat of gokceada district of canakkale province. First place from all the natural attractions goes naturally to the samaria gorge, one of the most impressive in europe. The imbros gorge mule trail was the only connection between chania and chora sfakion, before the road was built. It is a fairly easy walk down, mainly on a stoney path, with plenty of shade. The imbros village aka nimbros is located at an altitude of 780 meters and is at the south end of. Imbros gorge is the second most popular gorge on crete after samaria.
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