Greece - Korina Miller [397]
Manolis Mesarchakis, an alpine ski instructor and avid hiker from Hania, can help arrange hiking tours and cross-country ski tours (ski tours with three weeks’ advance notice; €100) and advise serious outdoors adventurers. Hikers should also consult the EOS in Hania, which provides info, does weekend excursions and arranges stays in mountain refuges.
One of Manolis’ favourite hikes is the 10-hour trek from Omalos to Sougia, via the Trypiti Gorge. This stunning canyon near Mt Gingilos, west of Samaria, sees few visitors – perfect for those seeking unspoilt nature. If you want to break the hike up into two days, there’s a mountain hut along the way.
The sheer rock face of the Klados Gorge, running between and parallel to Trypiti and Samaria, ‘offers exceptional rock climbing and rappelling’, says Manolis. The outdoorsman also notes that ‘Crete is a paradise for caving, with over 10,000 caves, including the deepest in Europe, at 1207m deep’.
Although few would expect sweltering Crete to be a ski destination, there’s heavy snow in the high mountains, even until May. However, there are no resorts and no lifts, meaning you’ll be doing old-school skiing on wild, unroped terrain. If you’re capable of doing this stuff, you’ll probably already know to bring your own equipment.
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Indeed, after the rest of the island had fallen to the Ottomans, only Sfakia held out (possibly because there was nothing worth conquering in the rocky mountain region). National hero and insurrectionist Ioannis Daskalogiannis was born in the Sfakian village of Anopoli. To this day, the Sfakians cling fiercely to their local customs, culture and dialect; while most Cretans are content to simply assert that they are the best of the Greeks, Sfakia people consider themselves the best of the Cretans – and that’s saying something.
Despite its small size, Hora Sfakion makes a relaxing and convenient base for western adventures, with some tasty seafood tavernas and rooms. It’s also useful for catching boats further west, or south to Gavdos.
Orientation & Information
The ferry quay is at Hora Sfakion’s eastern side, while water taxis leave from the western side; beyond the latter is the decent town beach.
On the eastern bluff, near the ferry ticket booth, a monument commemorates where the last British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers were evacuated after the WWII Battle of Crete. There are lovely views of the village wrapped up by its sheltering bay from here.
Buses leave from the square; if driving, park here, as vehicles aren’t allowed on the waterfront promenade, where seafront tavernas and shops stretch under a long trellis that keeps the street shady. The post office ( 7am-2pm) is on the square. There are two ATMs.
Just in from the promenade’s eastern side, Englishwoman Maxine Kolioveta owns a nameless, unmarked souvenir shop ( 6970414023; 9am-3pm). Among other unique gifts sold here, she does lovely, hand-etched cards, decorated with traditional Cretan motifs like violins and fishing boats.
Maxine also carries an engaging new book, In Sfakia: Passing Time in the Wilds of Crete (Lycabettus Press, 2008). Written by British linguist and long-time visitor Peter Trudgill, this easygoing narrative recounts the author’s experiences with the proud Sfakians since the mid-1970s, and is very informative for local history. For those keen on Greek linguistics, a book consisting of about 200 pages of unique Sfakian dialect terms and phrases – some dating to Venetian, Byzantine and even Ancient Greek times – is sold here, too.
Sleeping & Eating
Hora Sfakion has a few hotels and domatia. Its waterfront tavernas are fairly similar, and specialise in fresh fish. Be sure to try the Sfakiani pita (sfakian pie) – a thin, circular pie with sweet myzithra cheese and flecked with honey.
Rooms Stavris ( 28250 91220; stavris@sfakia-crete.com; s/d €25/35; ) On the port’s western side, this place has clean, basic rooms, most of them self-catering.
Xenia Hotel ( 28250 91490, 6972120547; xenia-sfakion@otenet.gr; s/d €40/45; ) Friendly Giorgos Lykogiannakis