Dromos tis mygas at Anogia

One of the best-known villages in Crete is Anogia, a mountain village high on Psiloritis or Mt Ida
The road from Anogia up to the Nida Plateau and the famous Idaean Cave also brings you to the start of an easy, one-hour hike along the Dromos tis Mygas
At the entrance to Anogia, turn left towards Nida and climb up, praying to spot a reservoir to your left.
A few hundred metres after the reservoir you will see an opening in the road right after a very tight right-hand corner. Directly opposite the road is the signpost to the Dromos tis Mygas.
Leave your car here, tighten your bootlaces, grab a water bottle and go.

Detailed map showing every landmark along the Dromos tis Mygar, or “Dromos tsi Mygias” in the Cretan dialect.
At first you walk along an even dirt track.
Anogia is a purely shepherding area and you will see sheep and goats grazing on the slopes all around.
You will pass next to mitata, the drystone shepherds’ huts of Psiloritis. The shepherds stay in the mitata to be close to their flocks, and make cheese and store it there until they sell it.
This hike took place in February 2010, which is why the landscape is a wintery one, with bare trees and overcast skies.

The entrance to a mitato is blocked by an iron door. Shepherds’ huts are called “mitata” in Central Crete and “koumoi” in the White Mountains in Chania.
A ruined mitato, At this point the road turns right and runs along the Myga Gorge.
The road leads to a modern sheepfold. On your left is the Myga Gorge, while in front of you is the slope parallel to the gorge.
Leave the dirt track, walk towards the gorge and start climbing the rock-strewn slope. There is no path, but aim for the peak in the distance.
Myga Gorge or Mygia Gorge in the local dialect.

As you climb the trail, you see the sheepfold below and the spot with the ruined mitato where you left the dirt track.
You have to climb from rock to rock, Go slowly, choosing the easiest route. Don’t try and go in a straight line, but zigzag to make your path smoother.
Stop to inspect the deep folds of geological strata which are clearly visible in the sides of the gorge.
The mountain landscape of Psiloritis with its limestone rocks and Kermes oaks (Quercus coccifera), proof against strong winds, storms and winter snows, as well as the summer heat.
At many points along the trail there are distinctive blazes on the rocks.

Take frequent breaks to enjoy the view and snap the wild beauty of the landscape.
It’s quite a climb from the point where we left the dirt track to the peak.
When you reach the peak, you’ll see Anogia spread out in the background to your right.
Turn your gaze left and you will see the snowy peaks of Psiloritis peeking through the clouds.
After the peak you will cross a flat expanse, following the blazes on the rocks. Then you go down a gentle slope to the Anogia-Nida tarmac road.

On reaching the road, turn right to descend to the point where you left your car. Alternatively you can follow the blazes and the map along the trail again.
End of the Dromos tis Mygas. On reaching your car, you will have covered 2.5 kilometres in about 1 hour.

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Dromos tis Mygas is a short hiking trail a few kilometres after Anogia. It is a 2.5-kilometre circular route which climbs parallel to the Myga Gorge, allowing you to enjoy a short 1-hour walk on the slopes of Psiloritis.

The strange name "Dromos tis Mygias" (Trail of the Fly in Cretan dialect) is derived from the legend that many flies gathered around the corpse of a wild beast killed by an Anogian many years ago near a local spring.

The photos show you the landscape in the depths of winter, but without the snow common in the Anogia area. If you come in the spring, the flowering shrubs and wildflowers will make the trail prettier and the landscape gentler.

Mygas Gorge, Anogia

Mygas Gorge - Dromos tis Mygas or Mygias at Anogia