Patsos Gorge, Rethymnon area: A spectacular gorge, in which a lot of climbing and trekking is needed. The Patsos canyon runs through a beautiful walking area on Crete. The trail through the gorge is well indicated. You walk along and through the river. For this hike you need good walking shoes (and an extra pair of socks), a backpack and enough water.
During the summer it is lovely and not too hot to hike in this gorge, since there is a lot of shade. In the springtime quite a bit of water flows through the river, which means you will have to walk in it. This is also the time to admire the beautiful flowers and plants that grow in the gorge. In autumn the amount of water in the gorge has gone down, which make the hike a lot easier. Should you want to hike through the Patsos gorge in winter, you really have to be an experienced hiker. Because after rainfall the hike becomes a real challenge. With some bad weather conditions the gorge is not even accessible.
Patsos Gorge on Crete – General information about the hike
The hike starts at a height of 520 metres and you walk on to a height of 180 metres through a canyon with high cliffs. You climb up to maximum 60-70 metres height and descending goes to 340 metres. The stunning nature in the Patsos gorge is for sure as beautiful as in the Samaria gorge.
Some hiking books describe this gorge as easy, but to our opinion this gorge is definitely not one of the easy hikes on Crete. In the summer you can hike through the gorge in 2,5 hours, but when there is a lot of water inside, the hike can take much longer.
Directions Patsos Gorge: You start walking from the main road Rethymno – Amari. Before the village Patsos is the gorge of Patsos. There are signs that show the way to the Patsos gorge and a tavern. Just next to the tavern you can go into the gorge by following the stream that flows through the gorge. After a couple of hundred metres you arrive at the little church of Agios Antonios.
Patsos Gorge on Crete – The adventurous hike in Patsos
The church of Agios Antonios Crete: This church was built into a rock. Outside the church you can see crutches that people have left behind after being cured by a miracle. Miracles obviously still happen here! The number of people arriving here with crutches must be immense. Under the tree you will notice the stack of crutches left behind by these people. In front of the church are hanging devotional images and icons for you to pray and ask the Holy Antonios for help. After the church just follow the path besides the stream into the gorge. You pass a wooden bridge going over the river. A wooden staircase will take you further down. On the way you will see many caves. After you have been descending, you reach a small tunnel, which is the passage in between the rocks.
You have to get through this by using the chain that is attached to the rock wall. When there is a lot of water this can be a real adventure! From here you continue your hike through the gorge in between high cliffs. These rocks look spectacular with plants growing on them. Now it is only a few kilometres more through the gorge until you get to rock where a narrow path with ropes is.
Getting back
Follow this path till the tunnel under the main road, which is the end of the gorge. Climb up here and turn left going to the road. You will be walking along the beautiful lake up to the crossroad to Rethymnon. You can also walk through the tunnel up to the lake, where you then go up to get to the crossroad to Rethymnon.
It is difficult to come back by your own transport to Patsos. Of course you could walk back through the gorge. Hitchhiking back to Patsos would be a good option, since usually you will be taken with. We always hike through this gorge with a guide and organise also your transport!
Walking information
Photo book about walking and hiking on Crete: Excursions and hiking on Crete Greece photo book with information about hiking and walking.
Walking on Crete on YouTube: Here you can see a lot of movies of our hikes on Crete. Each week we post a new video of our last walk, so you get an idea about hiking in summer and winter on Crete.
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Information about walking on Crete: Our accommodation is directly at the seafront and is an ideal starting point for hiking across Crete.
Hiking and accommodation on Crete: The location of our apartments is directly by the sea. The apartments are suitable for everybody: from families to groups, but also for two persons or singles!
Crete News: On this page, we give updates of all our activities in Crete. We upload our weblogs during summer and winter.
Excursions: A page filled with lots of excursions you can do on Crete.
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Patsos Gorge
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