23 Askifou – Impros – Komitades
The village of Askifou in the southern regional unit of Chania is on the middle of the road that connects Hora Sfakion to the south and the village of Vryses to the north. The village includes 5 settlements that are nestled next to each other, which can be confusing. These are Ammoudares, Petres, Goni, Kares and Stravorachi. Here you will also find a War Museum, focused on the part Cretan fighters during World War II. From here an E4 trail travels south towards the village of Komitades just after Imbros gorge and only 5 km from the coastal town of Sfakia. An alternative route diverges eastwards towards Kallikratis. From here, some of the most beautiful beaches of southern Crete can be explored at your leisure.
The E4 route from Askifou to Komitades
From Ammoudari (1), we follow the asphalt road southwards and pass through the settlement of Petres (2). After approximately 4 km we come to a left turn-off (3) which leads towards Asfendou and Kallikratis. This is another route of the E4 trail.
We continue in a southerly direction for another 1,5 km and then pass through the village of Imbros (4). In approximately 200 m from the last house, we see a mark showing the direction to the entrance hut (5) as well as the beginning of the path that leads us to the gorge of Imbros. We cross a dry watercourse and initially follow its eastern bank. We then follow the stream bed and after about 20 minutes we are in the main section of the gorge.
The narrow passages, the steep, verdant gorge walls and the rich flora make this gorge one of the most beautiful and frequently visited of Crete.
This gorge has no branches, so crossing it is fairly safe and easy.
Once we have left the steep-walled section of the gorge, the dry landscape of Sfakia opens up ahead of us. The route from the entrance hut until the outlet (6) of the gorge is about 3,5 km long, in total.
We continue in the stream bed for another 950 m, until we reach the asphalt road (7), on the eastern exit of the village of Komitades.
Path Length | 10.5 km |
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Hiking Duration | 3.5 hour |
When to hike | Spring, Autumn, Summer |
Path Region |