Gorges & hikes Hidden gem

Tavri Refuge

Sfakia, Chania · Free

Highlights & amenities

Entry: Free

About

A mountain refuge above the Askifou plateau.

The Tavri refuge lies at 1,200 m on the Tavri plateau, above Askifou. It can accommodate up to 45 people with advance reservation through the Chania mountaineering club.

It's reached from the village of Ammoudari and is the starting point for hikes to Kastro peak (2,218 m). The E4 trail passes through the plateau.

Sfakia is the proud mountain region of south Chania, famous for its fierce resistance to every occupier of Crete. The White Mountains drop straight into the Libyan Sea here, leaving only small villages like Chora Sfakion, Loutro and Agia Roumeli, some reachable only on foot or by boat. Famous gorges, including Samaria, Imbros and Aradena, cut through the mountains. Try the Sfakian pie, a thin pancake filled with soft cheese and drizzled with honey, in one of the harbour tavernas.

Around Sfakia

Nearest town: Chora Sfakion, about 14 km by road
Nearest airport: Chania airport (CHQ), about 35 km by road

The west of Crete is the island at its most dramatic. Chania has the most beautiful Venetian old town on Crete, wrapped around a harbour with a lighthouse and a domed mosque. In the evening the narrow lanes of Splantzia and the old Jewish quarter fill up with tavernas and small bars. More about Chania