Knossos Herakleion
The gorge of Imbros is the second most popular gorge for walkers in Crete after the gorge of Samaria. The main reasons for this are that:
It is much easier to walk than Samaria: walking distance is 8 km, total descent is around 600m and the average walking time is about 2.5 hours. The path is generally easier underfoot.
This is the sort of walk that you could easily walk with children. It also would not need to take a whole long day.
The gorge of Imbros is easier to access: there is a good road (to Hora Sfakion and South Crete running along the upper part of the gorge) and no ferryboat trip is needed to get you back.
Despite being much smaller in size than Samaria there are some very spectacular sections, especially the several very narrow passages.
The gorge is open all year around. This makes it especially popular in spring time (April) when the gorge of Samaria is generally still closed.
For a number of people (especially Australians and New Zealanders and to a lesser extent Brits) walking through the gorge of Imbros is almost a pilgrimage. Many people have had parents or grand-parents who fought with the Allied troops in Crete and walked through the gorge in May 1941 in order to escape the island to Egypt.
Related posts
