The Best Natural Experiences in Crete: Gorges, Waterfalls and Mountain Villages

Crete is an island of contrasts, where mountains rise sharply out of the Mediterranean and villages stay recognisably themselves. The beaches get the attention, but the interesting half of the island is the interior: gorges cut hundreds of metres deep, waterfalls that only appear when you leave the coast road, and villages that have their own reasons to exist.

The gorges, compared

Gorge	Length	Walking time	Difficulty	Ends at
Samaria	16 km	5-7 hours	Demanding, mostly because of the length and the descent	Agia Roumeli, on the Libyan Sea
Imbros	8 km	2-3 hours	Easy, well-defined path	Komitades village
Aradaina	6.5-7 km	4-6 hours	Hard - boulders, uneven riverbed, iron ladders	Marmara Beach
Kourtaliotiko	Short walk, not a traverse	Under an hour to the falls	Moderate; steps down to the river	Waterfalls and pools inside the gorge

Samaria Gorge

Samaria is the famous one. It runs about 16 kilometres from the Omalos Plateau down to the village of Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, and most walkers take 5 to 7 hours. Cliffs rise more than 500 metres above the path in places, cypress and pine cover the upper slopes, streams run through the riverbed, and the wild kri-kri goats are genuinely wild rather than fed.

The route passes the abandoned settlement of Samaria roughly at the midpoint, and the narrowest section - the Iron Gates, or Sideroportes - comes below it, where the gorge closes to a few metres between near-vertical walls. It ends at sea level, and Agia Roumeli can only be left by boat.

Imbros Gorge

Imbros is shorter and considerably more accessible: about 8 kilometres and 2 to 3 hours of downhill walking. It gives up very little in scenery. Narrow passages run between towering limestone walls, plane and cypress trees shade long stretches of the path, and the footing stays comfortable throughout. It finishes at Komitades, where the tavernas are, and it carries a fraction of the crowd Samaria does.

Aradaina Gorge

Aradaina, in south-western Crete near the abandoned village of the same name, is the wild one. It runs 6.5 to 7 kilometres and loses about 520 metres continuously, over uneven riverbed, stone steps and boulders, and it includes fixed iron ladders on the steepest sections (there is a stone bypass path for anyone who would rather not use them). It is rated hard and needs good balance and proper footwear.

Above the head of the gorge stands the Aradaina bridge, a steel road bridge spanning the ravine - the site of the highest bungee jump in Greece. The gorge ends at Marmara Beach on the Libyan Sea, a bay walled in pale marble-like rock, from where a boat taxi runs back to Loutro or Chora Sfakion.

Kourtaliotiko Gorge and the waterfalls

Kourtaliotiko, inland from Plakias, is the most photogenic gorge in the Rethymno region and the least demanding. Steep limestone walls funnel the Kourtaliotis river down towards Preveli, and a long flight of steps drops from the road to the chapel of Agios Nikolaos, where the falls tumble into clear pools. It is a stop rather than a hike, which makes it easy to combine with Preveli beach or the village of Spili in the same day.

Three mountain villages

Anogeia sits high on the northern slopes of Psiloritis and has a proud musical tradition and a hard history - it was destroyed in reprisals during the Second World War and rebuilt. Narrow streets, stone houses and weaving workshops are still in use, and the local cheeses are the reason people drive up.

Margarites is the pottery village, and the workshops are working ones. You can watch potters at the wheel, buy directly, and look out over olive groves from the edge of the village. It pairs naturally with Arkadi Monastery and ancient Eleftherna, both nearby.

Spili, in the Rethymno region, is built around a long stone wall of lion-head spouts pouring cold mountain water into a trough - the village square is the fountain. It sits between mountains and fertile plain, is on the road south towards Preveli and Plakias, and is the standard coffee stop for anyone crossing the island.

Practical notes

• Best seasons. April to June and September to October: mild temperatures, green landscapes, and far fewer people. Samaria is normally open from 1 May to 31 October and closed the rest of the year.
• What to bring. Proper hiking shoes with grip, a hat, at least 1.5 litres of water per person, and sun cream applied before you start. Gorge floors are stone and river cobble, not path.
• Respect the terrain. Stay on marked trails, take rubbish out with you, and leave the kri-kri alone.
• Plan the day around the exit, not the entrance. Samaria and Aradaina both end somewhere you cannot drive from; the ferry or boat taxi times set your schedule, not your walking pace.