Exploring Crete before checking out!

Elafonissi

We got a few tip from Aud and other Norwegians on Crete where we should go or what we should do. We were a little bit worried about the weather so the next day we drove to the south western tip of Crete, Elafonissi. This is one of two amazing beaches on Crete, the other one is Balos. (yes they have a lot of beaches but theese two is in another leage). It is one and a half hour drive from Chania so it is a long distanse just to see a beach. (and it is still too cold to have a swim)

We had a plan to do a hike over the island outside the bay, but it was not possible without getting wet on your feet. So we just enjoyed the beauty of this beach! We were not alone, but a lot less crowdy than in the summer.

I didn`t wanna check the water…

When we had our lunch we got the company of a cat, very cosy!

He was crawling around and didn`t know where to lay down.

We gave him some water.

It was a beautiful place, but if I stayed one week or two on Crete I wouldn`t have used time to go here.

We took the same way back and we drove through a gorge. It was a tiny tunel with trafficlights there.

Cave of Agia Sofia

On the way to Elafonissi we saw a cave up in the hill so when we came back there we wanted to check it out. And what a place! It is about 250 steps to go up there, I tried to count on the way down… So in the summertime when it is a warm day I will recommend you to bring water, or go in the morning or in the evening.

It is a huge cave and a small church inside. And a beautiful view from the gate to Topolia Gorge. It is free to go inside but they appreciate that you give them some money to their work.

When you are inside, walk to the left (follow the arrows) you will find a small church.

It was really worth the stop, and we were alone. A group of Germans came when we left the cave.

The Cave of Agia Sofia is used for worshipping purposes and is connected with various legends. One of the most popular is the one regarding St. George (the dragon slayer). It is believed that the hoof of St. George’s horse left an imprint on one of the rocks inside the cave. Indeed, there does exist a large stone with an indentation in the shape of a horseshoe.

It is said that the cave is still not entirely explored, and it is believed it still extends to other halls and small cavern-like apertures. The usual stories are heard about putting an animal through some narrow opening and having it reappear several kilometers away.

Here is a video from the cave:

Imbros Gorge

The next day we were ready for a hike. We drove to the southern part of Crete, and we could see the snow in the mountain.

We drove to the village of Komitades to walk Imbros Gorge.

There is a lot of curves going down to the village.

Most people walk from the top and down to Komitades and then pay for a taxi to go back. We decided to walk from Komitades, as far up we wanted, and then back again. (after Auds advise)

A little bit of wind in the gorge, but it was a lovely day to do this hike.

Komitades is a distance from the beach so when you came at this sign (if you are hiking down) it is not 7 km to the village. But it is good to know if you need a swim!

It is about 500 high meters, but it is not possible to feel it, so almost everyone can do this! Our hike was around 9 km return, Astor`s tracking app didn`t worked the first part so we are not sure about the correct distance.

Not very far from the start there is a huge arch. Watch the video in the bottom to see Astor flying the drone.

From the other side of the arch.

There is a nice picnic area midway with a lot of places to sit.

Some places was pritty narrow!

Some sculptures on the way!

Some places you don`t believe it is possible to get through…

We met a couple from Estland and they took a photo of us at the picnic site.

I will really recommend this hike, it is easy to find where to go and it is not a hard hike.

***

The couple from Estland had their car in Imbros so they asked if they could hitchhike on the way up there. There was a viewpoint so we took a photo stop. The view is towards north to Imbros.

And this is the view to the south. A couple of hours earlier we walked down there in the gorge.

We had a stop in Vrysos, It was so nice around this river and a restaurant.

A lot of birds were around. Many of them were walking around in the restaurant.

At the end we drove up to Malaxa to see the view towards Souda where we have our boat. In the distance you can see Chania, and the bay to the right is Souda.

Here you can see better where we anchored. A nice and quiet place to stay but not space for many boats. It is a long bay to enter and here are military activities so you need to tell the coastgard before entering.

Chania

Check out the video from Imbros Gorge!

The next day we decided to sail over to Chania. It has been less wind for a couple of days so it should be okay to go inside the marina. And it was.

The harbour in Chania and you can almost see the white mountains in behind.

It was nice to stay in a marina again, even if the quay was much higher than the boat so it was not easy for me to go ashore.

Not many boats here now. It was a German couple in the boat next to us, but the other boats has been there for a while and we didn`t see anyone onboard.

The harbour is a nice place, special in the evening and a lot of people were walking to the lighthouse.

And it was a beautiful day. I walked to the lighthouse to take some photos while Astor did a job in the boat. It is so beautiful to see the snowy mountains in the distance.

On the way to the lighthouse.

Only 4 boats in the guest harbour, our boat to the left.

If you want some attention you can do like this:

And then, after 6 weeks on Crete it was time to leave. We started before sunrise and it was so beautiful this morning.

We used 36 hours from Crete to Ithaki where we anchored in a bay for the night. It was nice to have a good night of sleep before heading further north. The next day we sailed to Lefkas to check out.

It was quite windy when we arrived in the evening, but we found a place alongside.

We started this journey in Preveza, not far from Lefkada, in the end of June 2022. After 2 months in Albania, Montenegro and Croatia we were back in Greece in September. We have been to Türkiye and Cypros but most of this journey we have spend in Greece. But now it has come to an end and we have checked out of Greece for the last time.

In Lefkada we have to go through a bridge which they open every hour. After that it is hours of sailing until we reach Italy.

I love Greece, and it has been amazing sailing around in small islands and big islands. Some islands we knew from before and some new ones we have never heard about. And we have met so many nice people from all over the world! I really hope we will meet again somewhere out there!