Imbros Gorge tickets give entry to the path through the Imbros Gorge in Sfakia, south-west Crete, a walk that runs down from the village of Imbros to Komitades near the Libyan Sea. Tours across the rest of the country are listed on Greece Tours.
The sections below cover what the ticket covers, where to buy it, online tickets, reduced and free entry, the tours that include entry, getting to the start, the length of the walk, the season, the rules and combining Samaria Gorge and Sfakia, with links into the Imbros Gorge pages. The tours shown are checked on GetYourGuide and Viator.
What are Imbros Gorge tickets?
Imbros Gorge tickets are the compulsory entry passes for the trail through the gorge in Sfakia, south-west Crete, from Imbros village down to Komitades. N.E.C.C.A., the Greek Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency, issues them through its online system.
Revenue from Imbros Gorge tickets goes to both N.E.C.C.A. and the Municipality of Sfakia, under article 5 of a joint ministerial decision. It funds yearly care of the main path, repairs and upgrades to facilities, cleaning, and keeping watch over the area.
The same decision sets four categories of Imbros Gorge tickets: an individual ticket for one chosen date, an annual individual pass shown with ID or a passport, a student ticket shown with a student card, and a free pass for the exempt groups listed below.
Where can you buy Imbros Gorge tickets?
Imbros Gorge tickets are sold online through N.E.C.C.A.’s official checkout and in person at the points of sale, where only card payment is accepted. The small ticket house stands a short walk below Imbros village, at the head of the path.
The official checkout for Imbros Gorge tickets sits at imbros-tickets.necca.gov.gr, linked from the agency’s own Tickets page beside the sites for the Samaria and Aradaina gorges. That page names the Municipality of Sfakia as the manager of Imbros and gives sfakia-d@otenet.gr as its contact; the checkout itself runs in English and Greek.
At the ticket house, Imbros Gorge tickets are paid by card only, so bring a bank card or book online first. Exempt visitors use the same online form: the free pass category opens a list of eligible groups, and a free order ends with a confirm button in place of payment.
How do Imbros Gorge tickets work online?
Imbros Gorge tickets work online in three steps: ticket details, order and payment, then issue. You choose the date, a ticket category and a name for each walker, pay by card, PayPal or bank transfer, and receive the ticket by email for that date.
The first screen takes the visit date, then a category and a first and last name per walker, and a button adds more Imbros Gorge tickets to the order. The next step asks for an email and a phone number, with a choice of receipt or company invoice.
Bank transfer orders must go in at least 3 days before the ticket date and wait until the deposit receipt reaches the Municipality of Sfakia by email and the money lands in the agency’s account; only then are the Imbros Gorge tickets issued. Card and PayPal tickets arrive once payment clears.
Print the emailed ticket or show it on a phone at the entrance and at any inspection. N.E.C.C.A. uses the buyer’s name, contact and billing details to issue Imbros Gorge tickets and report changes or cancellations, passes them on only to complete payment or when the law requires, and sends sensitive data under SSL/TLS encryption. An annual pass needs an order of its own.
Who gets reduced or free Imbros Gorge tickets?
Reduced Imbros Gorge tickets go to students who show a student ID card. Free passes cover children under 18, adults over 65, permanent Sfakia residents, disabled visitors and their companions, and eight further groups, all of them on proof of eligibility.
To claim free Imbros Gorge tickets, under-18s and over-65s show a police ID card or passport, while Sfakia residents show a police ID with a utility bill or a tax office paper. Disabled visitors bring ID plus an EFKA certificate issued through KEPA, or a foreign equivalent, though the gorge has no adapted facilities.
- Large and three-child families living in Greece, until the children turn 23, or 25 for students and conscripts
- Public staff on special duty and contractors maintaining local works
- Working tour guides and mountain escorts holding Ministry of Culture and Sports certification
- Volunteer rescuers on operations and volunteers who help run the gorge
- Licensed researchers, Greek conscripts and unemployed Greek citizens
N.E.C.C.A. also names two free visiting days, European Natura 2000 Day and World Environment Day on 5 June. Holders of reduced Imbros Gorge tickets need their proof on them for the whole walk, as a check without it risks a fine of ten times the ticket’s value.
Which tours include Imbros Gorge tickets?
Guided day trips from Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion pair the walk with a guide and offer pickup, while entry depends on the listing: the Io Tours coach trip from Chania leaves Imbros Gorge tickets out of its price and collects the fee on board.
From Chania, an eight-hour guided hike with pickup adds a village visit and ends with a swim and lunch on a south coast beach, while an eleven-hour version follows historic paths to the narrowest point and finishes at Chora Sfakion. Both run in English with free cancellation; check whether Imbros Gorge tickets are included.
From Rethymno, a ten-hour guided hike with pickup ends on the Sfakia shore of the Libyan Sea for swimming and lunch, and a Heraklion day trip of 10 to 12 hours adds time in Chora Sfakion and a Greek lunch. A 3.5-hour group walk listed at Komitades has an experienced guide speaking English or Greek.
Io Tours picks up and drops off at hotels in ten areas from Chania city to Kolympari by air-conditioned coach, with an English and Greek speaking mountain leader, and stops at Frangokastello after the walk. Organised coaches collect walkers at Komitades. Viator adds two hiking day tours, one with transport. Certified guides walk free while working, yet guests still need Imbros Gorge tickets of their own.
How do you reach the gorge with Imbros Gorge tickets?
Holders of Imbros Gorge tickets reach Imbros village by car, KTEL bus or taxi, about 52 km from Chania or 54 km from Rethymno. The walk then ends near Komitades, so the return by taxi, lift or bus needs planning before you set off.
Drivers head south from Chania through Vryses and over the Askyfou plateau to Imbros in about an hour, a little more from Rethymno; our route from Chania to Imbros Gorge maps the drive. Parking at the top runs short, so drivers with Imbros Gorge tickets arrive early.
KTEL Chania–Rethymno runs buses from both cities to Chora Sfakion, and its stop list includes Imbros and Komitades, though departures are not frequent; N.E.C.C.A. refers walkers to KTEL for timetables, and the bus ticket is separate from Imbros Gorge tickets. Staying in Chora Sfakion? Take the morning bus towards Chania and step off at Imbros.
The route covered by Imbros Gorge tickets ends near Komitades; from there, taxis or local transport, where available, carry walkers back. Locals offer lifts back to Imbros, at times in an open pickup, so ask in the tavernas. Leaving the car in Komitades and riding a taxi up to the start means it waits at the finish.
How long is the walk on Imbros Gorge tickets?
The walk on Imbros Gorge tickets runs about 7 km on the main trail from Imbros to Komitades and lasts between 2 and 3 hours, according to pace. The path heads downhill over rocky, uneven ground, and the narrowest point closes to 1.6 m.
N.E.C.C.A. rates the route as easy for the greater part, though its harder sections, with steep slopes and narrow or rough passages, ask for moderate to good fitness. From Imbros at 780 m, Imbros Gorge tickets lead down a stream bed that runs dry in summer.
Named landmarks, among them Aeroplano, Stenada, Mesofarango and Xepitira, sit below rock slopes rising above 600 m, and cypress and pine shade long stretches. A stone arch on the right, about 90 minutes below the ticket house, marks the last stretch; holders of Imbros Gorge tickets reach Komitades about 15 minutes later.
In which months can you use Imbros Gorge tickets?
Imbros Gorge tickets work in a six-month season, as the trail opens daily from the day after April ends until 31 October. From November to April the gorge stays shut, and emergency closures can still cut single days within the season.
N.E.C.C.A. announces emergency closures the day before as a rule, or on the same day when an emergency strikes, so walkers with Imbros Gorge tickets check its notices and the Municipality of Sfakia website first. Within the season, the agency advises entering as early in the morning as possible.
Walking guides call Imbros an all-year route, yet Imbros Gorge tickets follow the official season. Inside that window, June is the last month for the flowers on the cliffs, shade makes the summer walk bearable, and rainy days are best skipped because of falling rocks.
Which rules come with Imbros Gorge tickets?
Imbros Gorge tickets come with operating rules: carry identification and show your ticket whenever staff ask, follow staff instructions and any emergency limits on entry, fly no drone without approval from the responsible authorities, and smoke only where clear signs allow it.
Holders of Imbros Gorge tickets walk inside the Natura 2000 site Lefka Ori and Coastal Zone, home to endangered species, so plants and animals stay undisturbed and rubbish goes out in a backpack to the bins beyond the area. N.E.C.C.A. points walkers to the main crossing trail, the only route it recommends for hiking.
Warning signs mark stretches at risk of falling rocks; never stand in them and move on fast. N.E.C.C.A. recommends a helmet through narrow cliff sections, and by entering on Imbros Gorge tickets, each walker takes on full responsibility for their own safety.
Can you combine Imbros Gorge tickets with Samaria Gorge or Sfakia?
Yes, but Imbros Gorge tickets cover Imbros alone, and the Samaria Gorge needs its own separate ticket. Both gorges keep the same six-month season, so a stay in Sfakia fits both walks on separate days, with Chora Sfakion as the base.
The Samaria Gorge, a national park since 1962, runs 16 km from 1,250 m to Agia Roumeli in five to seven hours, about twice the walk on Imbros Gorge tickets. From Chora Sfakion, a direct ferry reaches Agia Roumeli, where a path climbs to the Gates and back.
Chora Sfakion, the harbour capital of Sfakia, lies five kilometres from Komitades, about an hour on foot along an unshaded road. East of it, Frangokastello keeps a Venetian fortress of 1371 on a wide sandy beach, while car-free Loutro lies a boat ride away; both round off a day on Imbros Gorge tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can children walk the gorge on Imbros Gorge tickets?
Yes. N.E.C.C.A. sets no minimum or maximum age and calls the downhill route suitable for families in sports or hiking shoes. The surface turns rocky and uneven in places, and no vehicle enters the gorge, so parents with Imbros Gorge tickets need to be sure their children can finish.
Which wildlife can you spot on Imbros Gorge tickets?
Look up for birds of prey: bearded and griffon vultures and Bonelli’s eagle live here, with blue rock thrushes, red-billed choughs and scops owls, and caves in the walls give shelter. Holders of Imbros Gorge tickets also meet kri-kri, the wild Cretan goats, resting by the road near Komitades.
What history do Imbros Gorge tickets lead through?
After the Battle of Crete in 1941, the gorge was the main escape route for Allied troops bound for Chora Sfakion; nearly twenty thousand crossed, and about thirteen thousand boarded ships for Egypt. Walkers on Imbros Gorge tickets still pass remains of the old mule trail, the only link between Chania and Chora Sfakion until the road arrived.
Are there shops or water inside the gorge on Imbros Gorge tickets?
No shops trade inside the gorge, so the official advice is to bring food, water, a hat and sunscreen. Carry at least 2 litres of water per person, as water points are scarce, and stock up at the cafés of Imbros before showing Imbros Gorge tickets.