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Mount Ida
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Mount Ida

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Mount Ida
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1 contribution
Leisurely Climb, Awesome Reward
Oct 2023 • Couples
-Did this mid-October, perfect conditions: clear sky, temperature in the mid-20's.

-Started at Mygero Refuge (one room is always open, and so are the toilets but you'd better use the bush as the toilets are filthy, courtesy of barbaric, uncivilised people).

-Followed the single path leading up, no chances of mistakes.

-It gets colder and more windy as you ascent, so bring layers. I am used to quite cold environments so I was wearing shorts, 2 t-shirts and a plain cotton hoodie, but most of the other hikers had long hiking trousers, shells or windbreaker jackets. You do you.

-The paved path is very easy to follow and climbs steadily, rarely relents and gets you to a big ridge, which is more or less haldway through the hike: after that, the incline eases up and it's almost flat up to the summit.

-Once you get to the ridge, you'll be exposed so be ready for strong winds and colder climate.

-Just follow the path to the summit, it's marked with red dots every 1-3meters, can't really miss it. Occasionally there also is a "tourist" signpost pointing downhill.

-Try to ignore the vultures circling low over your head, you're not gonna die and they aren't aggressive. Take a close-up picture, if anything. They're gorgeous.

-At the top, the reward is breathtaking, absolutely fantastic. Take it all in and enjoy being on the highest point of Crete.

-It took me 2h15' to reach the summit, at a leisurely pace (I hadn't hiked in 8 months) and stopping to take lots of photos , and with a single 5' break (I needed to put on my hoodie once I had reached the windy ridge). The way down was 1h or so.

-WARNING: there are no shade nor water sources whatsoever, and the sun can be quite hammering despite the mild temperatures. Bring water and sunscreen (or a hat?) accordingly. If you do this between May and September, be ready to bake.

-PLEASE don't be a cvnt and take your rubbish with you.

Written 21 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adventurer817273
1 contribution
Great mountain walk.
Sep 2021
Ascended from Mygeros refuge in September. Typed in Mygeros refuge into google maps and easily found. Relatively easily accessible from either direction on the main Heraklion to Chania road,took us 1hr 53 from Giorgiopoulos. The last 10 km the road narrows and a lot of hairpin bends, an overloaded and underpowered tourist rental car will struggle beware of occasional vehicles approaching at speed around corners. Also quite a few herds of sheep.

Free parking no problem at the refuge and the last few kilometres very well signed.

The toilets at the refuge-just dont bother-words cannot describe!

The initial ascent path is clearly visible from the refuge car park. It zig zags south easterly from the car park towards the shoulder of the summit ridge. Although well marked and well maintained with slabs, we found the going tough possibly due to the altitude and also from carrying food,water and spare clothes (I am the cautious type), it all seems like a bit of a slog, but perserverence is rewarded on reaching the main ridge and turning due west (took us 1 hour ten mins to this point).

The path is more loose at this point but still well marked you will see two other summit peaks Psilorites is the third, follow the path west and you will slowly ascend to the main summit. There are hovering birds of prey and also highly entertaining mountain goats. The summit is clearly visible as it has a stone shelter built on it.

We reached the summit in 1 hour 55 mins (mixed ages but aerobically reasonably fit) we saw couple of runners do it in around 1 hour and ten mins. The summit has a bell not sure if you are supposed to ring it but temptation proved too much and nothing bad happened. There is a stone built shelter with some religious icons and incense within. The views will vary according to weather conditions, occasional breaks in the clouds allowed us to see the north coast and surrounding valleys. Temperature (15c lower than sea level) plus wind made it chilly and any more than 20 mins at the summit is uncomfortable.

Descend by the same route and enjoy the exquisite torture on your knees and thigh muscles taking care not to fall, one hour 15 mins to return.

We saw 7 other people during the entire day,which in this crowded world is remarkable. Although I think the mountains are for everyone, and this ascent can be done by any reasonably fit person, this is not a walk to be undertaken lightly and no one should attempt it without adequate preparation, research and equipmen (spare clothes)t / food and water and certainly not in bad weather conditions unless a trained mountaineer / walker.

Boots or trainers? Either will be fine according to preference, I opted for leather boots but at least two members of the party managed fine in trainers.

Its not as pretty or scenically diverse as Mount Gingilos (above Samaria) but nevertheless its a lot of mountain for your money and because its the highest peak in Crete has an additional cachet. Highlight of our visit to Crete.
Written 10 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Toby C
Brighton and Hove, UK34 contributions
Top of Crete
Sep 2020 • Solo
The plan was to be on summit for dawn and then paraglide off.

The drive was a nightmare really coming from Heraklion. IF YOU'RE APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH THE ONLY ROAD THAT WILL GET YOU TO THE MYGERO REFUGE GOES SOUTH FROM THE VILLAGE OF LIVADIA. All other roads are impassable in a rental car... trust me. I tried 😉

The path from the refuge is super obvious to the south east, the climb up is really chilled and way shorter than that guide time. Took me 2.5hrs up and down on foot total. Winds were mental on summit so I couldn't fly off but I had a great view of both coasts as far as Matala and beyond to the south and Gazi to the north.

Quiet on the way up. Only a handful of folks. More coming up on the way down but nothing like you get on a prominent peak in Alps.

Do it. You won't regret it and the drive through the mountains is an experience off the beaten track.
Written 22 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Koutsioumpas
Rethymnon, Greece24 contributions
360 view of Crete!
May 2019
The highest mountain of Crete offers a great view from the summit at 2456m. I started from migeros plataeu and follow a well made stone path after 4 hours I reached the top! Great destination for hiking lovers. Mind that until late of May the mountais has snow so be carefull. The ascent is difficult in July and August because of high temperetures.
Written 23 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Primoz B
7 contributions
Hiking the Psiloritis, highest mountain on Crete
Oct 2019
I have started at Nida Plateau, to which I came from Anogia village. The surroundings are beautiful. The route starts at the small church. There are also signs for Ideo Antro cave. It took three and a half hours for me to reach the summit, called Timios Stavros. The route was not very steep and it was marked with red signs and stones. The wiews must have been awesome, but I did not see much because of bad weather. I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Written 1 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pierre W
Brussels, Belgium21,623 contributions
Extreme wind at the top, traverse from Arkadi to Zaros
Oct 2019
I climbed it as part of a 2.5 days superb trek starting from Arkadi Monastery and ending in Zaros, routes P7, P8, P9, P13 and P2 in the Cicerone guidebook. I climbed Psiloritis itself from the Mygero refuge (one room is open, the toilets are filthy) and descended to Nida Pleteau. The crosswind North to South at the top was extreme, some hikers were not prepared at all for it (3 layers needed).
Written 23 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mjc_travels
Lexington, MA406 contributions
Totally enjoyed the views but you have to work for it!
Sep 2019
We enjoy hiking so decided to do Mount Ida while we were in Crete. This was the exact opposite experience of hiking Samaria Gorge - steep climbs up, no water, and almost no people! But it is beautiful at the top. We started at the Mygero Refuge trailhead and started up around 8:30am. The trail is pretty well marked and quite a steep climb. I hike quite a bit but I have to say that the trail gave me a challenge. We reached the top around noon and spent about 30 minutes admiring the views, which were gorgeous the day that we were there. It was also a reasonable temperature unlike some of the other reviews. We then headed down the same path. The trail is steep and there is loose gravel so certain parts were definitely slow going. It took us about 2-2:30 hours to get down. I took 2.5 liters of water, as suggested, and found it to be way more than I needed. I probably had 1.5 liters when I reached the bottom. It wasn't a hot day so maybe that was why but I did think that I might have been better off to carry less water. We hired a "guide", which in our case was a taxi driver that had hiked the trail numerous times. We enjoyed hearing about his day to day life over the course of the day.
Written 14 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kahiti
Oakland, CA4 contributions
Short hike, spectacular views
Sep 2019 • Couples
This hike is well worth it for the stunning views and a unique environment you won’t see by staying in the low lands. From what I’ve gathered it seems like one of the more accessible peaks in Crete.

PRACTICAL TIPS

TRAILHEAD: Park at the Mygero Refuge. The road to the refuge is paved and can be navigated to using Google maps. It becomes windy and narrow at the end, going through a few villages, with 2 way traffic and no lane marking. There were also large herds of goats on the road when we went (they move). There is a toilet at the refuge, but it looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks, so be warned.

THE HIKE: From the Mygero plateau, the trail climbs 856 m (2570 ft) in about 5.5 km (3.5 mi). The trailhead is marked by tall poles starting on the paved road, and the trail itself is very obvious, being paved with large flat stones for the first 3 km (2 mi) or so. The hike is uphill the entire way. The trail starts gradually up the slope, reaching a foothill where it climbs the ridge in a series of short switchbacks. It then reaches the first and largest of three saddles, where the trail climbs then traverses the side of a peak on the Mygero side. The third peak is the tallest and a small church / shelter and bell can be found there. On a clear day, there is a panoramic view of both the south and north coasts. The ascent took us 2.5 hours with rests, and 2 hours going down (it’s brutal on the knees). A fast hiker could probably complete the whole in 3 hours.

WEATHER: Just google “psiloritis weather”. Weather can change rapidly on a mountain, so it’s always good to bring layers. Sun protection is vital (hat + sunscreen) because there is no shade on this trail. Good shoes are a must as well (plenty of stones to twist your ankle on). We hiked here in mid-September and were lucky to have a clear day with temperatures around 10*C (50*F) with a nice cool breeze, which was perfect to counteract the heat of exertion + the sun.
Written 21 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
branto
Olomouc, Czech Republic19 contributions
Mount Ida = Psiloritis
Jul 2019 • Solo
I recommend to start from Mygero Refuge (free parking), where good asphalt road from Livadia (Λιβάδια) leads. This route has only 4 km and 1000 m elevation, but due to the sun and the absence of shade you need to be a little fit (hat and at least 2l of water is neccesary). As soon as I got to the ridge (at half way) it was very windy and quite chilly (my hat flew twice, be aware), so I also recommend jacket. Also bring walking shoes, disinfection (in case of injury) and sunscreen. The trail is well marked and visible (during day). In July you will meet there mainly big black bumble bees (little scary but not interested in humans), black birds (maybe eagles), necessary Cretan goats and their poop (and a lot of flies on it). In three places I even saw the remnants of snow. The environment reminded me of southern Utah and Nevada (US): basically desert, rocks and bushes, which may seem boring to someone, but I liked it. What I liked most were the beautiful views of the lunar landscape, not only at the top but also during the journey. To be honest, there are more interesting places on Crete, f. e. Gingilos. Anyway, if you like mountains and you have time for two or three trips in Crete, this is one of them.
Written 1 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marc
Puurs, Belgium35 contributions
Amazing views!
Jul 2019 • Family
You should visit the top of Crete! July is a perfect timing. 32 degrees on the beach, on top of the mountain it is 13 degrees but no shade so you need to protect to the sun. Wind can be high. We had 30km/hour and that was ok. Check temperature and wind before you go on-line. Drive with your car to Mygero refugee. Just type Ida psiloritis on Google Maps and navigation will go to that point( there is a car park). You can go by any kind of car, the road is ok. On the other side of the street you start. Will take 3-4 hours to reach the top. 2-3 hours to go down. Just a few white flags are visible on the first climb as sign. Then nothing but the path is clearly visible. At a certain point you will see red dots as signs. Enjoy the views, silence,...
Written 12 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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