The Imbros Gorge in Sfakia-An accessible and impressive gorge

Imbros Gorge  is located near Hora Sfakion, in southern Crete. It is the second well known gorge in Crete after Samaria Gorge, which runs parallel to, but easier than that.

Its length is about 8 kilometers and one can cross it in 3-4 hours.

The beginning of the gorge is near the village Imbros, from which it took its name. The entrance fee is 2.50 euros and you can get tickets from the ticket office you will find there.

In the past Imbros gorge served as part of the trail that connected Chania city to Hora Sfakion that’s why there are still parts of the old stone path inside it.

During World War II many thousands of British soldiers passed through Imbros Gorge towards South Crete in order to get to Egypt. 

In a cave located inside the Imbros gorge, in 1867, the Ottomans burnt many people from Sfakia and for this reason there is a small monument dedicated to those who died there, on one slope of the gorge.

The first part of the gorge is wide and most of it can be hiked under the shade of the trees.

After an hour , or 1,5 hour hiking  the gorge gets narrower, until you reach the narrowest, and most picturesque part of it, called Stenada. At this point, the gorge is just 1.60 meters wide while its sides are about 300 meters high.

In the middle of the gorge there is a resting place with a venetian butt  and toilet although you can rest everywhere under the cypress and the maple trees you will meet while descending Imbros gorge.

Before the end of the gorge you will find the so-called "Rock Gate", a huge stone arch . After the gate, the path starts getting wider again, until you reach its end at the village Kommitades, where there are a couple of taverns.

part of the old path

Stenada

The rock gate