Walk in the White Mountains of Pachnes

Walk in the White Mountains of Pachnes - Crete

Crete, Greece

The white mountains of Crete are a mountain range that has more than 50 peaks above 2000 meters. The tallest one is Pachnes (2453m), which is the second tallest mountain in Crete (only 4m lower than Psiloritis). The white colors and the landscape in general leave an unforgettable view on a sunny day.

It’s only reachable from the South coast of Crete, passing by Anopolis. The roads to this village are good, a bit meandering but perfectly paved. It takes 1h 45’ from Chania and 1h 40’ from Rethymno.
After Anopolis, you have to drive 20 km more (1 hour!) through a dirt road. We strongly recommend you to do it with a high car such as a pick up or a 4x4, since the road is full of stones and you might damage the car. But, we have to say that if you are patient, careful enough and drive slowly, you can make it even with a normal car.
This road, despite being bumpy and tricky, offers astonishing views, crossing different altitude landscapes such as pine forests, holm oak forest or a completely desert section.

You can leave the car at "Dirtroad to Pachnes" (here) or you can continue a bit further (2.7km, until here). However, the road gets even worse so you will need a high car to drive through the last section.

The hike is about 3km and it will take you around 1h from the end of the road. Otherwise it will be 5.7km, 1h 30 from "Dirtroad to Pachnes". The hike goes up and has a total elevation gain of 400 m, being the steepest part at the end. The trail is very well indicated with orange and white paints, so you will only have to follow them while you admire the beautiful lunar scenery. There is another trail (green and white) that is a bit longer, but also takes you to the summit.

On the top you will see a shredded Greek flag and a rocky plate indicating the height. The temperatures might be around 0 even in summer. In addition to this, it might get very windy and foggy, which lowers the thermal sensation even more. Bear in mind that there may be snow during several months of the year, so check the weather forecast in advance and gear up properly.

On the way you can find very special plants. Actually, there are some botanics hiking up there just to look at the plants. These plants can survive in extreme conditions, for instance, under snow.

The landscape is out of this world. It’s a pity the road to access it is very bumpy.