9. Sougia - Agia Eirini - Omalos

9. Sougia - Agia Eirini - Omalos

The ninth route of E4 European Long Distance Path is 13,5 kilometers and takes 7 hours and 30 minutes to follow it. The best season of the time to follow it is from May to September, the part of the route in the gorge is a bit tiring and there are red signs during the whole route to help you. The route starts from Sougia and the asphalted road that goes through the Sougia Gorge. You turn right to the fork after 2 kilometers and go down 800 meters till the bridge from where you can go to the opposite bank/Starting from Sougia, you follow the same route to Omalos through Koustogerako (about 3 kilometers) till you find the torrent of the Sougia Gorge and go opposite to the its eastern bank. Before the bridge, you follow a smaller road and not the asphalted road that goes along the torrent. After 600 meters, go opposite to its eastern bank and pass by the Agios Dimitrios church and the ruins of an old bridge (after 2 kilometers). The road that you follow after 500 meters turns right and leaves the river behind. Continue 2,5 kilometers on the path that follows the torrent and arrive at a place for resting and relaxing. You are going through one of the most beautiful gorges in Crete and, after a while, you reach another resting area after 1,5 kilometers. The place where the gorge is forked, another relaxing area and a forester’s guardhouse are after 1,5 kilometers. Turn left to that fork and, after 1,5 kilometers, go up to 700 meters above the sea level. Go through the small wooden bridge and the small settlement and, then, up to the hillside following the old Byzantine path to Omalos. Pass by a flat area with a mitato (i.e. shepherd’s shelter) and a small dry stream and reach the new car road. Walk for 1,5 kilometers till you reach and follow the smaller road in your right that the part of E4 from Sougia through Koustogerako ends. Pass by Agioi Theodoroi and arrive at the south-west of the Omalos Plateau.