Imbros- the beauty framed by mountains.

The island of Crete is known for its beautiful and rugged mountains, which rise steeply into the sky and then drop just as abruptly to the blue sea.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, mountain streams, descending from the high mountains to the sea, carved deep crevices in the soft limestone rocks.
Strong winds and rain created and carved out grottoes, which later became caves.
The first people to appear on the island felt safe inhabiting these caves, located in deep gorges.

Later, pirates used these same gorges to stealthily attack the island’s rich monasteries or to seize slaves from the island’s settlements. Bandits would move through the gorges unseen in the pre-dawn hours and then suddenly attack peasants and monks. The pirates then retreated to the sea, where ships awaited them, following the same route. Slaves, still free today, carried their loot, and if they weakened along the way, the pirates would finish them off on the spot.
Locals can tell you many interesting stories about each gorge, about treasures hidden there, the groans of restless souls, or the shadows of pirates.

During the island’s turbulent history, partisans, smugglers, rebels, and ordinary people fleeing from the bashi-bazouks hid in the gorges.
I love exploring such gorges, and it’s hard to say how many there are on Crete—hundreds, maybe even a thousand?
Today I present to you the Imbros Gorge, located on the Axifou Plateau and descending to the Libyan Sea.

The gorge is 6 km long, and entrance costs 5 euros.

The hiking trail follows the bed of a river that dried up long ago. Here and there, you can still see sections of an old paved road used by farmers a hundred years ago. The gorge is beautiful for its natural beauty, the color of the rocks, the narrow passages, and the rich flora.
It’s less crowded than Samaria, and the route is much more pleasant.
Imbros isn’t as green as Samaria and there’s no water, but it’s still worth a visit to experience the full beauty of wild Crete, which we risk losing if we don’t protect its wildlife.

You can arrive by car and leave it on the plateau. After descending the gorge, at the exit, you can catch a minibus that will take you back to the parking lot and your car.

I highly recommend this place during your vacation in Crete!