11. Omalos - Katsiveli

11. Omalos - Katsiveli

The eleventh route of the E4 European Long Distance Path in Crete is 15 kilometers and lasts about 7 hours. You can follow it from the end of spring till the beginning of autumn, it is not a difficult route but it can be really tiring during the summer and there are E4 signs for your convenience. Start either from the dirt road 1,5 kilometers from Ksiloskalo that leads to the Kallergis mountain hut of the Greek Mountaineering Club of Chania or the path that starts from the end of the car road in Ksiloskalo to the north-east and meets the dirt road to the Kallergis mountain hut (it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Continue on the dirt road to the east, pass the flat area (after 45 minutes) and turn right to the next fork. The path starts after 15 minutes in your right and is about 50 meters from a dry torrent(1.470 meters above the sea level). Following the path and the right side of the torrent, you meet forks after 10 minutes where you head to the north. Go up to 1.700 meters above the sea level and pass a small flat area with a destroyed mitato (i.e. shepherd’s shelter) and a farm. After 20 minutes, you can observe the Melintaou hilltop to where you head. Continue to 1.950 meters above the sea level (about 1 hour and 10 minutes from the flat area) and reach the Melintaou hilltop. The mountain’s cavity is after 40 minutes where you can see the Lines hilltop (in the left) and the Plakoskeli flat area is after 30 minutes (1.750 meters above the sea level). Go down for about 45 minutes to the east and reach a small plain with a spring and the mitato of Papasifis where you can rest or use it as a shelter in a case of emergency. Continue to the Kefala hillside, turn to the east and see the desolated mitato (in the south of Kefala). You can see Pachnes opposite that point and turn left (to the east) going up. After walking 1 hour and 40 minutes and observing the Modaki hilltop in your right and the Svourichti hilltop in your left, you reach Katsiveli where there is a tank, a well and a mitato, the most important paths of the Lefka Ori Mountain meet and the “Christos Chouliopoulos” mountain hut can be seen 400 meters in the north and in 1.790 meters above the sea level.