-Picsart-BackgroundRemover.png){kind=small}
.jpg)
A Guide to Crete's Western Hikes | A Detailed Guide
When looking for places to hike on Crete, you'll inevitably end up reading about the Samaria Gorge hike, since this is undoubtedly the most famous hike on the island. You can read more about this hike here. But there is so much more to discover on Crete. The hikes that you will do, probably depend on where you are based on the island. We were quite surprised to find out how large Crete actually is. As we were based in Chania, the time needed to collect our rental car in the morning and drive to the starting points meant that our options for day hikes were limited to the western part of Crete. Below we will go through the hikes we did, and a couple we didn't and up doing, but you might!
Hike to Katholiko Bay and Virgin of the Angels Monastery
This hike starts on the peninsula Northeast of Chania. Meaning it was closeby for us. Most people park their car at the Trail head to Katholiko Bay. From here, it's a quick 4.3km out-and-back hike to Katholiko Bay. We however, opted for the longer route, starting in Stavros. Although not very difficult, the hike has a couple of technical parts, and is fairly long, especially on hot days. Quite a large part of the trail is exposed, so I wouldn't recommend doing this in the middle of summer, we were here in November, and it was still quite hot. So don't forget to bring a cap, or some other sun protection. And bring plenty of water!
|
We parked our car in Stavros, just next to 'Gold Coast Beach' and started our hike from there. The first 3.5km, you'll walk on a relatively easy gravel path, slowly climbing towards 245 meters. This part of the trail, you won't have any protection from the sun. After this, the trail starts to descend towards Katholiko Bay. You'll be walking along a gorge here, so it's not difficult to follow the trail. It will get a bit more technical here, having to climb over boulders or trees here and there. After a bit more than 6km, you'll reach the ruins of the Katholiko Monastery. This is where the trail from the short hike (car park at the official trailhead) meet. From here it's a short walk to the bay. Be aware that swimming is not advised, since getting to the water is quite tricky, the water can be wild, and people have been stung by jellyfish.
It is a good stop for lunch though. After eating a couple of homemade burritos here, we started our way back, hiking towards the old Monastery first. Here, you'll need to hike a coule of altitute meters on a very steep part of the trail to the monastary (middle photo). It did take some surefootedness and use of hands to get up here. So take that into account. After that, there will be stairs almost all the way up to the Virgin of the Angels monastery. Since we didn't have the appropriate clothing to enter the Monastery, we didn't go in. So keep in mind to bring some long trousers, and a shoulder-covering top, if you do want to check out the inside.
You can hike back down to the monastery, and reverse the trail. But we ended up taking a different route back, which rejoined the gorge-trail a bit later. To get there, you walk back down a little bit, and then quite quickly take the hiking trail on the left that drops down in the valley. It has to be said, that the trial was very difficult to follow here. It took some guesswork, and literally walking with the GPS trail on Komoot in hand. Without GPS, it would've been too difficult to follow this path back to the original trail. After this, it's simply retracing your steps. After 13km, we were looking forward a bit to giving our feet some rest, and ordering a cold beer. It's a nice hike which combines nature and some history. If you're only interested in the Monastary and bay or you're on a tigh schedule, you can ofcouse also choose to walk from the Trail head to Katholiko Bay.
Hiking through Askidiano Gorge - Return on The Old Royal Road
A lesser known gorge, starting just sound of the small town of Chosti, where we parked our car here. For this hike, GPS again is a must. The hike starts of kind of strange, dropping down steeply into the gorge from next to an old fence, with garbage everywhere. But a couple of hundred meters later, there was a marked trial. Half of the trail you'll be walking through the gorge, on the way back, you'll walk the centuries old Royal Road, which was very pleasant.
|
Once you dropped down in the gorge, there is sort of a trail to follow. But it also takes some searching and checking the route on GPS. Since you'll be walking in a gorge, next to a stream, there is also some boulders, mud, etc. So this part of the hike is definitely not a leisurely stroll. After 1.7km, there is a little part where you'll walk on the road, here we encountered some dogs, although they were on chains, they didn't look (and sound) that friendly. We walked around them in a wide arc. After this, you'll leave the road and enter the forest again. From this point, the climbing starts, there are quite some steep parts here. After 4.5km you'll reach the end of the gorge. and will start the way back. Very quickly you'll reach an old cobbled royal road. Which you won't leave until a couple of kilometers before Chosti, where you need to take a left on a wide gravel path, which brings you back to Chosti.
The hike is not all that long, or has too many elevation meters. But the first half of the trail does take some focus, if you don't want to lose the trail. And we were caught off guard by the dogs, not only the ones on the trail, but also the one that live in the house next to the car park. While you'll encounter hundreds of people during the Samaria Gorge hike, we saw 2 people in the 4 hours we spend here.
Hike Along the Coastline at Ravdoucha - Beautiful views
We did (part of) this hike when returning home from a different place on the island. We had some time left, and wanted to make most of our rental car that day. It was a random hike that we found somewhere online. But if had some beautiful views.
This hike starts in the small town of Ravdoucha, where we parked our car next to the cemetery. From there, the first couple hundred meters you'll walk on the road. After about 800m, in the hairpin turn, you need to head straight on, past a building that's currently under construction, behind the building, you'll arrive on the off-road trail. From there, you can follow this trail along the coastline.
We actually were here late in the day, so we simply turned this hike into a small out-and-back one. We enjoyed the views, had a stare downs with goats, and turned back after 3.5km. But you can continue the trail until it drops all the way down to the beach. Just before the campsite (''Camping Nopigia''), you need to hike back up on a fairly wide gravel road. From there, you'll walk back parallel from the trail you came, just a bit further inland. You only need to walk straight, to get back to the village. The trail is largely exposed, so bring sun protection! And keep an eye out for goats.
Elafonissi Beach Hike
This is the most Southwestern point of Crete. But also one of Crete's most famous spots. We were there in November, and there were only a handful of other cars in the carpark. But in high season, it can get really busy, so keep that in mind.
|
You can easily get to Elafonissi by car by perfectly fine roads, in contrary to Balos, all roads here are paved. You can of course also take a bus, or shuttle/tour to get there. In high season, there are even boats that can get you there. We took a rental car from Chania, taking 1h40min.
Elafonissi is famous because of it's ''pink sandy beaches''. Because of this, not only people who want to hike, make the trip. You'll probably encounter more people who are out for a beach day. There are beach beds, and cafe's at the entrance. When we visited, all these were closed, and there was no one on the beach, besides some people walking the same loop we did. To manage your expectations a little, the beach is not as pink as you'll see in the oversaturated photos online. Nevertheless, it's still a beautiful place for a relaxing wander, partly with your feet in the sea.
The hike itself is quite straightforward, you'll hike to the little island, and simply circle around it. There is a lighthouse on the other side, which is the turning point. We actually walked back the same way we came, on the southern side, because there was less wind, and it simply looked nicer.
You will have to take into account the tides. Some people report having to wade through the water, knee-deep, while holding their stuff in there hands or above their heads. We came here expecting this, but the water was only ankle-deep, it was even possible to use a small stretch of sand, and reach the island without even taking our shoes off.
Tip When making the trip all the way out here, combine it with a (quick) visit to the Chrysoskalitissa Monastery. Or a quick detour to Voulolimni, a sort of beach/water hole, very pretty, but not suitable for swimming.
Hike from Ammoudari
This hike starts in the village of Ammoudari on the Askifou plateau and takes you through several beautiful plateaus and mountain landscapes. We parked our rental car here. It's probably a difficult one to reach without a car. This hike starts in the village of Ammoudari on the Askifou plateau and takes you through several beautiful plateaus and mountain landscapes. From Ammoudari, the trail gradually climbs through the forest towards the Trikoukia and Niato plateaus, before continuing past the Tavri refuge towards the Tavri plateau. From there, the trail heads downhill through the forest and eventually reaches the village of Petres.
|
On this way back, the trailmarkers started to become very scarce. And it took quite some trial and error to stay on the trial. We were glad we had the GPX route on our phone, otherwise it would've been quite difficult. The last part we walked along the road, back to our car.
The route is mostly peaceful and scenic, with a nice mix of forest trails, open mountain landscapes and views across the Askifou plateau. It’s a fairly long hike, but the gradual climbs and varied scenery make it an enjoyable one. But if you don't have a great sense of direction, it can be quite tricky. So bring a route and/or map with you for this one!
Preveli Beach Hike
This hike is on the south side of Crete. We wanted to go here on our weekend trip to Plakias. The weekend was already extremely stormy, with much of our garden being blown away overnight. The storm also caused widespread disruption across the island. So the day after, we were quite alert on landslides, more bad weather, etc. So as soon as we saw new dark clouds rolling on from the sea, when we're on our way here, we turned the car around. But when the skies are clear, which one Crete they often are, this is a pretty place to go check out!
Preveli beach is famous for its river flowing into the Libyan Sea, forming a small lagoon surrounded by natural palm trees. The unique landscape makes it one of Crete’s most distinctive beaches. People go here for a day trip, or a beach day, but there is a nice little hike to do, around the beach and through the Preveli gorge.
|
You can park your car here on the big parking lot. From Chania, it will take around 1h30 to get here by car, and from Rethymno around 45min. KTEL also has a bus in the summer, leaving from Rethymno's bus station. From Plakias, you can also take a boattrip here, the boat will then drop you off, right on the beach.
We figured, that it'd be best to safe the best for last, so from the carpark, first hike to the north, here you walk some 50 meters above the gorge. There is a clear trail and gravel road to follow. After around 3km, upon reaching the old stone bridge, you make a U-turn. After the bridge, you need to follow the road for around 1km. After that, the trail starts again on the right. You then need to climb for a couple hundred meters, before dropping down to the lagoon. The beach then is perfect for a swim. Or, if you want to walk some more, there is a path of around 500m, next to the river, which is advisable to check out! Finally, there’s a 100 m climb up the stairs back to the car park. If you've gotten hungry, there is a Taverna fairly close to the parking.
