The increasing number of tourists spending holidays in Crete means that in the northern part of the island, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a place where you can rest from the hectic everyday life in peace. Overcoming the little over 30 kilometers of the city of Chania from the Sfakia poviat on the southern coast of Crete, it enters a completely different land, where the life of the White Mountains is much slower in the shadow of the White Mountains. The genesis of the name of this poviat will not surprise anybody who will break the road from the Imbros gorge to Hora Sfakion. The word "Sfax" means no more than a chasm, which seems to fit perfectly in the area where there are 14 gorges.
A few years ago, the route connecting Imbros and Hora Sfakion was considered very dangerous. In the film above, you can see the reasons for such a bad opinion and why the prospect of driving along this road made many tourists shiver. Currently, a significant part of the surface is renovated, and three tunnels have been hollowed out to avoid some dangerous tight corners. It is worth stopping at one of the car parks to admire the beautiful panorama that stretches here on the Libyan Sea. Arriving at the right weather, he even manages to spot the island of Gavdos on the horizon.
Passing the village of Hora Sfakion and leaving towards Anopoli, the last hotels and taverns set for tourists leave behind and enter a completely different world. Only a few years ago only a few tourists decided to cover the section of the road connecting Anopoli and Aradena. Since the old road has been rebuilt, the area of Crete is much more accessible and attracts more tourists than it used to be. However, despite the fact that the new route is wide and encourages faster driving, you should still feel respect for tight corners, steep driveways, local drivers ... well, of course, and goats who are guided by their own internal and unpredictable road code. In many places, the widened road cuts deep into the mountain slope and is sometimes covered with rocky debris falling off the steep walls.
On the top of the hill is the village of Anopoli, which is the largest village in this area. It is inhabited by 250 people and thousands of sheep and goats. In the central square there is a monument Daskalogiannis, who in 1770 was the leader of the rebellion against the Turks. In the town or in kafenio you can come across herdsmen dressed in traditional clothes. You can count on their typical Cretan hospitality seasoned with a glass of crayfish, but you have to remember that people with traditional views have a deeply rooted pride, so before taking a picture of such a person, it is worth asking for permission.
Three kilometers further there is a breathtaking abyss, over which the bridge bridging the two banks of the Aradena gorge is slung over. The steel crossing, which in the central part is separated from the ground by nearly 150 m, is at the leading position of the places where the longest bungee jumps are made. In the summer season, every weekend you can try your hand at this extreme sport. No less interesting experience is driving through this bridge. Crashing under the vehicle, uneven, sometimes heavily worn, wooden balls cause that many people begin to doubt the solidity of this construction. From personal experience I assure you that it is possible to cross this bridge. It is also worth to go for it on your own feet, the gap between the beams leaves a unique impression :).
People who value the beauty of nature can go on a hiking trip to the Aradena Gorge. There is a trail from the parking lot next to the small shop that allows you to descend to its bottom. Wild surroundings allow you to enjoy the aromas of herbs growing on them. Currently, Aradena has no permanent residents, and among the abandoned buildings only goats and sheep sneak.
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Herbs growing in the wild surroundings of the Aradena gorge
Hora Sfakion is located on the southern coast of Crete, more or less on the same longitude as the Akrotiri peninsula. The New National Road offers definitely the quickest way of getting there. In Vryses you have to get off of it and head for Hora Sfakion.
↤ click the appropriate part of the island to change the bottom map
W 2002 roku Falasarna zdobyła tytuł najlepszej plaży w Grecji. Wyróżnienie to nie jest bynajmniej przypadkowe, gdyż miejsce to jak na standardy Krety jest naprawdę unikalne.
Elafonisi is a small island located at the end of the southwestern edge of Crete. A characteristic feature of Elafonisi is the shallow lagoon connecting it with Crete.
Elafonisi is a small island located at the end of the southwestern edge of Crete. A characteristic feature of Elafonisi is the shallow lagoon connecting it with Crete.
This is the second largest airport (IATA code: CHQ) in Crete. In 2010, the airport in Chania served a total of over 1.65 million passengers.
Chania (Χανιά) is the second largest (after Heraklion) city of Crete. The biggest advantage of Chania is the area of the Old Town and the beautiful Venetian Harbor.
Aptera is a city whose history dates back to at least a thousand years before our era. In the peak period, about 20,000 lived in it. people, of which only 1/5 were free people.
Chania (Χανιά) is the second largest (after Heraklion) city of Crete. The biggest advantage of Chania is the area of the Old Town and the beautiful Venetian Harbor.
The genesis of the name of this poviat will not surprise anybody who will break the road from the Imbros gorge to Hora Sfakion.
Frangokastello is a small fortress that was built by the Venetians over four years from 1371. Initially, the castle was named after Saint Nikitas.
(Χρυσοσκαλίτισσα) The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Golden Step from the 17th century is the westernmost church building of this type.
(Χρυσοσκαλίτισσα) The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Golden Step from the 17th century is the westernmost church building of this type.
Omalos is a perfect starting point for exploring the Samaria Gorge. Located over 1,100 m above sea level extends over an area of 25 km2. Its size corresponds more or less to the size of the Lasithi Plateau.
Located 47 km from the city of Chania, it is the only freshwater lake in Crete. Its area is about 580 thousand. sqm. and the maximum depth is about 45 meters
Omalos is a perfect starting point for exploring the Samaria Gorge. Located over 1,100 m above sea level extends over an area of 25 km2. Its size corresponds more or less to the size of the Lasithi Plateau.
The steel crossing, which in the central part is separated from the ground by nearly 150 m, is at the leading position of the places where the longest bungee jumps are made.
Chania (Χανιά) is the second largest (after Heraklion) city of Crete. The biggest advantage of Chania is the area of the Old Town and the beautiful Venetian Harbor.
The genesis of the name of this poviat will not surprise anybody who will break the road from the Imbros gorge to Hora Sfakion. Word
This is the second largest airport (IATA code: CHQ) in Crete. In 2010, the airport in Chania served a total of over 1.65 million passengers.
Chora Sfakion is an extremely picturesque mountain village of the mountainous and wild Sfakia region
Loutro is famous for the fact that you can get to it only from the sea or walk on the mountain trail, because there is no other road here.
Stavros used to be a small fishing village. Today, it is primarily a tourist destination, but in a positive sense.
The cave is less than 1 km from Moni Gouvernetou Monastery. You will reach it using the pedestrian trail that has been marked out along the slope of the Avlaki Gorge.
Balos is one of Crete's flagship beaches if not all of Greece. We can assure you that the landscapes you see during your trip to Balos will remain with you for a very long time.
Moni Katholiko is probably the oldest and most spectacular monastery in Crete. It is located 20 km north-east of Chania.
The Orthodox monastery of Agia Triada, located on the northern part of the Akrotiri peninsula, is one of the most beautiful and richest monasteries in Crete.
The Orthodox monastery of Agia Triada, located on the northern part of the Akrotiri peninsula, is one of the most beautiful and richest monasteries in Crete.
Gouverneto Monastery is probably the oldest active Greek Catholic monastery located on the Akrotiri peninsula near Chania.
The length of the trail leading through this place is about 8 kilometers and the difference in altitude is about 600m.
Agia Roumeli znajduje się na południowym wybrzeżu Prefektury Chania, pomiędzy miejscowościami Chora Sfakion i Paleochora.
Until the early nineties, this place was known only to few tourists and local residents.
Paleochora is a quite well-organized tourist town, with a beautiful large sandy beach
Ruiny starożytnego miasta Lissos znajdują się około 3,5 km od miejscowości Sougia na południowym wybrzeżu Krety.
Samaria is one of the most important tourist attractions located in the western part of Crete.
On the north-western coast of Crete, at the foot of the Gramovous peninsula, there are ruins of the ancient port of Korikos, later known as Falassarna.
Krios Beach is located about 9 km west of Paleochora and it is also the last beach on this stretch of the southern coast
Between the villages of Topolia and Koutsamatados there is an interesting cave known as Agia Sofia
Milia is an authentic mountain settlement, which most probably dates from about the seventeenth century.
On the edge of the village of Potamida grows a complex of clay mounds called Komolithi (Komolithoi)
Grammeno (Γραμμένο) is a beach that can be counted among one of the best and most beautiful beaches in this part of Crete.
Platanias is a popular tourist destination. It is here that there are very interesting tunnels from World War II.
Polyrinia was one of the most important city-states of western Crete during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It was built amphitheater on a steep hill, rising to a height of 481 meters above sea level
The Agia Irini gorge, just a short distance from the village of Sougia, is one of the most popular hiking destinations.
The island of Gramvousa, or in fact Imeri Gramvousa (Ήμερη Γραμβούσα), is an inseparable point of a trip that combines a stay in the Balos Lagoon with visiting the remains of a fortress located on the top of the island of Imeri Gramovousa.
Agia Roumeli is located on the south coast of Chania Prefecture, between Chora Sfakion and Paleochora.
The Byzantine church of Agios Pavlos was erected on the remote Selouda Beach in the south of Crete.
There is a beach in Crete that literally makes some people shiver. This place is Seitan Limania which can be translated as Satan's Ports or Cursed Ports.
Aspri Limni means White Lake, although the lake is just a conventional name. Under this term there is a small bay.
The increasing number of tourists spending holidays in Crete means that in the northern part of the island, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a place where you can rest from the hectic everyday life in peace. Overcoming the little over 30 kilometers of the city of Chania from the Sfakia poviat on the southern coast of Crete, it enters a completely different land, where the life of the White Mountains is much slower in the shadow of the White Mountains. The genesis of the name of this poviat will not surprise anybody who will break the road from the Imbros gorge to Hora Sfakion.
Akrotiri is a peninsula on the north-western coast of Crete, located about 10 kilometers north-east of the city of Chania. It is a good place for nature lovers and hikers on the mountain ravines that you can walk to beautiful small coves. It is also a region with sandy beaches that attract both tourists and the surrounding Greeks in holiday months.
Komentarze
małe sprostowanie
Na wstępie- jak zawsze świetny artykuł:) Jednakże muszę się wymądrzyć i sprostować informację o pierwszym filmie: to nie jest trasa Imbros Sfakia a zjazd z miejscowości Kalikratis do Frangokastello. Tą trasę pokonałem w 2009r. ale w odwrotnym kierunku- faktycznie niesamowita. Nawet lepsze wrażenia niż do Anopolis przed położeniem asfaltu (tak było w 2007r)
Pozdrawiam serdecznie i czekam na kolejne artykuły. Krzysztof (barbelek)
Sprostowanie 2
W akapicie "jak dojechać" wkradła sięczeska pomyłka: Sfakia jest na południowym wybrzeżu Krety:)
Pozdrawiam:)
Dzięki za uwagi
Wielkie dzięki za spostrzegawczość :). Jakoś umknął mi ten czeski błąd. Oczywiście poprawiłem go już.
Jeśli chodzi o filmik to zamieściłem go raczej w ramach poglądowych, aby pokazać jak trudne do jazdy były (a czasem wciąż są) drogi na Krecie i jak bardzo zmienia się (lub zmieniło) to na przestrzeni ostatnich kilku lat. Z jednej strony to trochę przykre, bo tak jak napisał Dave Wood, ginie przez to prawdziwy charakter Krety, ale z drugiej strony ja rozumiem te przebudowy. To na pewno bardzo ułatwia życie lokalnym społecznościom.
Ciekawe jak obecnie wygląda ta droga?
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