Excursion Imbros gorge hike tour at Chania
Cruise line: SilverseaDifficulty:
Start your day with a panoramic drive up to the village of Imbros where the Gorge of Imbros begins. The initial part of the gorge, which is quite wide, is called Porofarago or Porolagos. It is amazingly impressive with its luxuriant vegetation and rocky sides which wind their way like a snake through the mountain massif. Initially the course is descending and the sidewalls are relatively low. But while descending, the canyon narrows continuously, the sidewalls rise higher and the scenery is impressive. Soon the sides of the canyon start approaching and getting higher. We see various caves, while the vegetation consists of old cypresses, oaks and maples popping up through the rocks. The gorge is 7km long and it is one of the narrowest gorges of the White Mountains. The walking trail follows the old path which the shepherds of the area have been using for centuries to move their herds of sheep and goats in the spring and the autumn depending on the weather conditions. We stay on the river bed which goes slowly downhill. Wild nature all around with cypress, plane, fig, oak trees and some indigenous plants of Crete. In the middle of the gorge we can have a talk with Manousos, one of the shepherds of the village who still has his goats in the area. At the end of the hike, we can have a nice relaxing break tasting some specialities in the local taverna before we get back to the ship. From here it takes about 1,5 hours to return back to the port of Souda.