Kofinas Summit

Awesome view from Kofinas: deep down in the south coast+forests+..., west along the long coast, north the fertile Mezzara? plain. Calm flight of birds of prey in the updraft.

The climb to Kofinas and the view over half of Crete is one of the highlights of every holiday on the island. The way up is a bit bumpy, but not dangerous (although classified as a T3 via ferrata, it is probably more of a T2). The summit itself is more of a plateau. Above is the Holy Cross Church, compared to older pictures it looks freshly renovated. Inside there is a kind of summit book. The clouds are moving over the mountain and it is a unique atmosphere up here. There was once a Minoan sanctuary on Kofinas and as early as the early 7th century BC. a temple complex. From the 1st century AD until today it has again been a holy place. In the 1960s to '90s, numerous cult objects were discovered during excavations up here. Every year on September 14th a big celebration takes place here, during which the fruits of a “holy tree” are collected and blessed, then distributed to the locals as a kind of “holy bread”.

One of the best places to see griffon vultures.