Crete Island - Levka Ori (White Mountanis)

Omalos Plain - Kallerghi Refuge - Katsiveli Refuge - Lívada - Kástro - Askifou Plain (Ammoudari)

September - October 2003

(Sorry, all pictures for description of this trek used are rather of poor quality as they are just copies scanned from classical "paper" photos.)

1^st day (Tue 30/09) There are several possibilities how to get to the mountain's Kallerghi Lodge (Refuge) from Omalos Plain: either using a path, which - according to the map - starts somewhere eastward from the Omalos settlement and should be marked, or along the asphalt road heading to Xyloskalo (= Wooden Stairs), where the entrance into the notoriously known Cretan gorge of  Samaria is, and approx. 1 - 1.5 km before this entrance to turn left on the sandy and stony road, winding uphill and leading as far as to Kallerghi, or last possibility is to go directly uphill from Xyloskalo using also a marked path. As I used the road, I'll describe this way.

The branch to Kallerghi from the road is approx. 3kms far from Omalos and about 1.5km before Xyloskalo, to the left (when walking from Omalos). The route to Kallerghi is waymarked (a sign pole next to the road). It is the quite wide track, or rather a dirt road just for terrain cars. The way is winding on and on upward, rather dull. Only one spot is a slightly variegating in shape - a very detailed map (on a base of a military one) and other information about the area and the way. This road comes to a plain, on which there is well distinct in a distance the target object standing on the top of not too tall a rocky knob - Kallerghi lodge. Under Kallerghi on the left, a sandy and flat plain is which is covered by low bushes here and there. We overnight here in a tent. The tent was, I think, important, as the wind was blowing almost permanently here and push forward very fine sand lowly above ground which gets into all things, including sleeping bags and eyes when you are lying. Next possibility of how to spend a night is to take a room or just a bed on a bunk in the lodge which is managed by Austrians. One can get here also beer and other first aid. A nice view into the depth of The Samaria Gorge is from the terrace beside the hut, with 2000 m tall twins-peaks of Gingilos and Volakias towering beyond The Gorge. Some metres before the entrance to the hut there is a fabulous latrine, under which there is no classical cesspit but nothing, the empty space (one can see through opening very deeply down to the gorge) - excrements fall downhill on slopes under this facilities!! All these facts were very well illustrated by drawing performed on iron-plate window shutters.

2^nd day (Wed 01.10) - Next day we continued along the E4. Marks are, at first, on the rubbled road running under the lodge a little bit northward but then a path branches off from the road to the right, winding downhill a quite steep slope. The path is improved using pieces of timber bracing stairs. The footpath is ending on the road again. E4 goes on along this road offering splendid views around. As soon as the road starts declining and twinning round rocks it comes to the crossing on a flat place. This place is called Buria, or Bouria or Pouria (various maps use various transcription in Latin letters)(later I learnt the right name is Poria). From this spot, one road goes down to the left continuing along a valley (according to the map, I've never gone through) as far as both to Zourva and Lakki settlements. To the right, there is also a way heading toward a house beside which a stony water tank was. In 2003 there was possible to take water into bottles from an outstanding metal pipe with a tap. This is the place, where a former alternative entrance into The Samaria Gorge starts (not used on the present) through the large side gorge called Kalokambos. But now the path is not passable and also it is forbidden for its usage. However, the E4 route goes ahead along the road as far as a spot, where the marked path branches steeply uphill, to the right (a route-sign). The road finishes after a few kms.

The E4 winds up slopes, among stones, which could be quite dangerous in case of moisture - they could be slippery, as terrain is made of limestone. Waymarking is always good. Using this path one can reach the peak of Mt. Melindanou (2042 m). The terrain from this place eastward is well visible on the satellite maps of Google Earth, including the E4 route (note of author: previous sentence is not the truth now, as in Google Earth are used very bad pictures of this area recently; the terrain is covered by clouds!!) The footpath down is clear and well-marked and runs through several plains. The descent finishes at the spot called Pirou. It is the extensive flat place with a mitatos (a stony shepherd's shelter) and the circular water tank. From this spot, the wide valley goes on to the south (and - according to the map - it comes to the next similar large flat valley with the mitato and several goat's and sheep pens, and with the seepage well well supplied by water, at alt. approx. 1600m. One part of this place is called Petradhé and next the lower one is Potámos stretches above the beginning the Eligias gorge (running as far as to the sea.). Nevertheless, back to the E4. It goes on from Pirou sideward uphill on the western slope, always with good marking. Then it turns a bit to the left, passes some destroyed mitato and a goat's pen. The way is easy, through the rather flat valley, running over lower rocks and several sandy depressions as far as it reaches one of the most known and the most "civilized" place in the heart of Levka Ori - the plain under the Katsiveli Refuge. This place is generally called also Svourichti (on some maps) which is also a name of a peak looking down on it. I've called this place "the most civilized" because there are two mitatos, one water source high on slopes (collected into a pipe), one underground water tank, one concrete water trough on the ground, two or three animals' pens and the mountain lodge of Katsiveli on the crest above that all. Concerning water - in 2003 there was enough water, the trough was full, nevertheless in 2006 there was no running water, only if one sucks the pipe, he can be able to drink some awfully tasting and warm liquid. There are several disused animals' pens around and just the first one at arrival is very suitable for pitching a tent!! There is possible to use one from mitatos for overnight, usually the bigger one, but it seemed to us to be not in good hygienic conditions as it is also used by shepherds who have different civilizing habits (much later I could see, the shepherd's mitato is locked and there is a "tourist" unlocked mitato disposal with bunk beds inside.) Generally, I prefer own bed in my own tent. This place is also known as a junction of routes - one goes back to Kallerghi, the second one to Katsiveli Lodge and further to the Lívada valley and finally there is the beginning of the route to Páhnes here, to the highest summit of Levka Ori. So, we pitched the tent and spent a quite cold and windy night here.

3^rd day (Thu 02.10) - The E4 goes on from this place upward to the stony hut standing on the col at altitude of more the 1900 m. On the second side of the saddle, there is the same scenery of that time - the dry, brown and stony slopes. The E4 drops down the slope along the quite well-marked footpath. At the beginning of the descent, there was (in 2003) a sing pole to Lívada (the very important place on the route), but in 2006 it wasn't here. The next important landmark is not too far from it - a small crest with an E4-pole on its top. The large part of the route running to the right is visible from here very well. The path running through the wide valley is well-marked and nobody can get lost if keep himself on the valley bed. A light problem can arise at the above-mentioned spot of Lívada. The valley gets wider here and this place is an intersection of more ways. To follow the E4-route, one has to keep himself on the right side of the valley, because from the left side the different route comes (from the Volika Lodge on the northern part of Levka Ori and from Kolokithas). Marks of the E4 lead up a low hill, more a crest, on whose top there is a bit destroyed mitato and a pen. On the second side of the crest, there are stairs down on the bed of the side valley. Here is necessary to turn right and to ascent slightly. After maybe a half an hour E4 poles climb up to the left and over the crest. The path continues on the bottom of the valley. It passes through some depressions and terrain steps, often looking like a moonscape, as far as it climbs up the saddle, from which the northern coastline is visible (under conditions of good weather and visibility). On your left there is towering Mt. Agio Pneuma, whereas on the right there is Mt. Grias Soros, both over 2000 m. This spot is called Sideroportas (= Iron Gate). Now the route continues little bit down and traverses to the right as far as on the quite the sharp crest. Next continuing of the E4 is not very clear from here. Generally, the footpath traverses the slope on the left side of the valley, whereas on the right hand down there are visible many sinkholes (or potholes, swallow holes) - really wild and depressive terrain. One has to overcome at least one big terrain step. The poles are now very sporadic, to find them is quite hard. Last one we found standing on the small spine, which projects just to the right from the slope. There was impossible to find the next pole, until we saw someone standing over the valley on the opposite ridge!! So we dropped down and climbed up as flies to it. In front of us the huge depression, one of the deepest and largest which we could see until now, appeared. According to the map, the E4 route continues downhill to the deepest place of the depression and climbs uphill on the opposite slope again. We lost the mark's poles definitely here, but fortunately, we could see a person climbing up to us. It was a German boy finding the route but in the reverse direction. We showed him the last pole we have found and he gave advice us in return to use traverse to the col Koutala Seli. I think it is a silly idea to hike according to the map, because there is drawn the way down to the depression and steeply upward to the saddle again. Therefore, I think one can get on the same place (the saddle) traversing roughly on the same level to the saddle beyond the depression (Koutala Seli). The col is between Mts. Koutalás northward and Kástro southward. (Much later I found, the right and MARKED way is DOWN into the doline!!) As soon as we got to Koutala Seli, we did not look for the next poles and started descending along and around the base of the Kástro massif. The old marked route on the ANAVASI map (it didn't exist at that time!!) climbs from Koutala Seli up to the northern ridges of the massif and along it descents on the other side of the massif down on Niatos plain. However, we continued around the flanks of the massif as far as to a small depression north-eastward to overnight.

4^th day (Fri 03.10) - Next day we started to decline around the base of Kástro massif approximately to the southwards as far as an underground but empty water tank called Katástromeno beside a track leading to the Niatos plain. Near the next (and empty as well) water tank, under a tall tree, the E4 pole appeared again!! So we went following the poles now and around the Niatos we got to the Tavri refuge - a quite newly built building, standing about 300 m from the main road. Nice views are from the terrace in front of the house: eastward to the Askifou Plain and back to the white Kástro! We rest here and went on back to the road. The E4 left after several hundred meters the road to the right, near a shepherd's house with some pens. Then went through pastures and turns left into the forest. Now it winds down through the forest, overcomes a bitumen road (from Tavri) and continues always downhill as far as a big info-table at the edge of the village of Ammoudari, where the E4 route ends. The village lies on the main road Vrisses - Chóra Sfakia and there are several supermarkets and taverns, where one can buy what he wishes (in 2003; but in 2008 a new road which runs around the village caused the most of supermarkets crashed and also taverns aren't so full like they used to be in the past, and only one or two of them were working). After a meal in a tavern, we continued on the main road and shortly along it to branch to the left down on the plain heading the village of Petrés. Our next aim was to get through the gorge of Asfendou as far as the southern shore in the village of Agios Nektarios. There are on the plain many small roads and tracks and our main effort was to get to the lowest hill of the plain, the southernmost one. On this hill, there is the village of Goni spreading on its slopes. From the margin of the village, we join a track heading for the south. It is a dirt service road slightly ascending southward. As the dark was coming we found a place for overnight not so far from the track to pitch here the tent.

5^th day (Sat 04.10) The morning was nice and as soon as we ate our breakfast we packed things and set off. We followed the road up. The first, on the left side, there is a ravine but as soon as the road (here, rather a track already) turns sharply to the right the ravine is much shallow and it is here rather a gully. Walking along this road we got to some pens and at the end of the road, there was a chapel, and here, we found we are wrong. Indeed, from this spot, there was an excellent view of the whole Askigou plain but it wasn't the place at which we wanted to be. So, to return down as far as the sharp bend of the track, leave it across the gully and continue southwards and up. Rocks underfoot but high above we could see patterns of a civilization - a hint of a stone wall. And really, when we got to the saddle we meet a track. We were aiming along it as far as the village of Asfendou. This village is completely without any facilities - no tavern, no shop, no water source. And the water we needed having a lack of it. Looking for the best way down through the village we got into something that looks like an open channel or maybe a watercourse, about three metres in wide and running between walls about 2m high. In a certain distance, we left it to the right and across some fields reached the footpath at the upper end of the Asfendou gorge. The way down is not difficult and it is easy, it is running on a mule-track which is a little bit broken at one spot but not very difficult to overcome this place. Although we didn't rush we got in the lower end shortly after the mid-day. To walk down to the village of Agios Nektarios didn't take a too long time but as soon as we were on the main road (from Sfakia) we tried to find a tavern but didn't succeed. Therefore, we went across the road heading for the sea. First, we follow the track beside fences of the olive orchard. Here noted a water hydrant inside the enclosure but not so far from the fence. The track run down into a watercourse and through it, we come on the shore. Here, we found a camp spot. One of us returned to the hydrant to try to take water (success) and oncoming evening near the sea was such a big reward for us after these five days of hiking in the mountains.

6^th day (Sun 05.10) - It was Sunday and we were almost sure, there is no bus connection in the village on that day. And it was really so. Therefore, we tried to catch a lift and in a short time we succeeded and a man took us (6km) as far as the junction with the main road to the Chania. From here, we walked along the bitumen road as far as Sfakia where this stage of our holiday finished.