81 Thripti – Orino

Thripti is a small and relatively unknown village in Eastern Crete, very close to both Ierapetra (20 km) and Agios Nikolaos (40 km) on the northern side. The route follows a relatively straight direction east to the village of Orino, meaning “mountainous” with gorgeous views of the plateau below. On the western side of Thripti, you will find the Gorge of Ha, one of the most spectacular and difficult to access on the island, recommended only for experienced and well-equipped hikers.

The wild mountainous landscape is completed by the peak of Afentis, the tallest summit that you can climb to at 1475 m. A small mountain shelter is located at the peak next to the church of the Holy Cross but it is often locked due to vandalism. Interested parties can ask in the village of Thripti for the key. People in Thripti traditionally work in agriculture and wine making. As a matter of fact, the village is one of the highest elevation points that grows grapes in Crete.

The route from Thripti to Orino

From the central flat area (1) of Thripti, we set off eastwards on a road which presently turns north-eastwards and after 500 m we come to a crossroads.

We continue straight for another 450 m, passing along the slope, among scattered farmhouses; then, the uphill road begins to turn eastwards. We ignore a right-hand side road and immediately after a left one and continue for 550 m, still on the main unsurfaced road which winds on the slope.

After 350 m we reach another intersection and take its northern branch, until a saddle (2); once there, we take a rather downhill dirt road in an easterly direction. A kilometre after the saddle, we come to the right-hand turn-off (3) which leads to the summit of Afendis Stavromenos (1.476 m). A small chapel and a shelter can be seen nearby. We continue eastwards on the main dirt road, ignoring the many little side roads.

After 4 km we arrive at the village of Orino (4), built on the slope of a beautiful, verdant ravine, and descend to its picturesque square.