Pachnes - White Mountains

Inconceivable view

After driving through the wild and beautiful area of Sfakia in the Southwest of Crete we arrive at Anopoli, the birthplace of the famous 18th century Cretan freedom fighter Daskalogiannis, who gave his life in the struggle against the Ottoman Empire. Anopoli lies at 580 meters at the southern slopes of the White Mountains, also called the Cretan Alps with more than 50 peaks that exceed 2000 meters.

From here we continue by 4×4 for an hour on a spectacular road, leading us to the starting point of our walk at 1950 meters. Here we are in the heart of the White Mountains and step by step we will enter the so-called Cretan "high desert", an area of unique scenic beauty. After less than 2 hours we will reach Pachnes, the highest summit in the White Mountains and the second highest on Crete. As the track lies at a very high altitude, the temperatures will always be rather cool and pleasant.

Once we reach the top we can enjoy a stunning panoramic view, featuring the Samaria gorge and mount Gigilos to the west, Cape Gramvoussa to the north, Gavdos island and the Libyan sea to the south​ as well as mount Ida to the east. After having a picnic break at this amazing place we will head back to the point where our vehicle can pick us up and bring us back to Anopoli again. On our way back we can enjoy a refreshing swim in the Libyan Sea at Ilingas beach, just outside of Sfakia.