Pack you bag with water, snacks and perhaps a small souvenir from your country (we’ll explain that later) and head to the small village of Imbros, on the main road to Chora Sfakion, where you can easily arrive by car or bus from Chania. The gorge is 11km long and it will take you about 2-3 hours to cross it.
The first thing we recommend you do before starting your walk is to sit in the tavern right next to the entrance and order sfakian pies (filled with white cheese and topped with honey), a local specialty that will fill you with the energy you need to cross the gorge. Remember that there is no water throughout the route, and that means you should buy as much as you may need beforehand.
A downhill path right next to the tavern will lead you to the kiosk where you must pay the entrance fee (€2) and from there you start walking on a rocky path and through a beautiful forest. The gorge is full of oaks, fig trees, almond trees and cypresses that generously offer their shade to rest or enjoy a picnic. The walls become narrower along the way until you reach the narrowest and most spectacular passage in about the middle of the route.
The route crosses a beautufil forest: oaks, fig trees, almond trees and cypresses generously offer their shade to rest or enjoy a picnic.
Near that spot you will meet the guard’s house, surrounded by goats and a donkey that will approach you without fear, asking for a treat! Take a rest there, chat with the friendly bearded guard, and observe the decoration of his ‘kingdom’: country flags, photographs of foreigners, business cards, small souvenirs and whatever else you can imagine, all carefully placed on the walls and shelves of this little handmade ‘museum’! And this is where your own personal souvenir becomes handy. Offer it to the guard, who will appreciate it and place it in his collection, as a proof that ‘you also were here’!
When you reach the exit you will find several (expensive) taverns and a taxi (actually, a private car posing as a taxi!) that will take you back the gorge entrance, if you parked your car there.
If you want to conclude your walk with a swim, you can drive, take a bus or walk (if you dare!) to Fragkokastelo, about 8km east from the gorge exit.