Gorge hike
Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead.
Photo: Salih Akbudak / Pexels
Quick facts
- Region
- Lasithi
- Start town
- Sitia
- Typical duration
- 4–6 hours
- Type
- Gorge hike
The Zakros gorge, often called the Valley of the Dead, runs from inland Zakros down to the Minoan palace at Kato Zakros. The walk is a few hours on a stony riverbed, with caves in the walls and almost no shade. It is waymarked and it is not a casual stroll. You need a plan for the return: a taxi, a second car, or the walk back up, which changes the day. Summer heat in the gorge is serious. Water is your job.
Start at the upper entrance near Zakros village. Finish at Kato Zakros. Arrange the ride back before you step in. There is no boat out.
It suits fit walkers who can arrange the car shuttle. Skip it in high heat at midday, after storms, or with anyone unsteady on loose rock.
Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead needs 4–6 hours from Sitia. The months that usually work are April to October, not after heavy rain. The stones are the walk, so wear shoes you have already used and carry more water than a town morning needs. Rain and a closed gate change the plan. Have a shorter walk in mind before you leave Sitia. Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead is this gorge, with this start in Sitia. A shorter or longer gorge nearby is a different walk.
Is it worth it
Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead is worth the hours from Sitia when it suits fit walkers who can arrange the car shuttle. The walk is a few hours on a stony riverbed, with caves in the walls and almost no shade. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.
What to bring
- Water and a hat, because The Zakros gorge, often called the Valley of the Dead,
- Shoes that match the ground on Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead. Start at the upper entrance near Zakros village.
- A layer for the start in Sitia. April to October, not after heavy rain still has cool mornings and wind.
- The return hour written down. Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead takes 4–6 hours, and a second plan the same day is how you miss it.
Tips
- April to October, not after heavy rain is the window to trust for Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead. Outside it, ask whether the day is even running.
- Leave Sitia with 4–6 hours clear. Start at the upper entrance near Zakros village. Finish at Kato Zakros.
- Search “Zakros gorge hike Valley of the Dead Crete” and check that the meeting point really is Sitia.
Related tours
HistoryMinoan palace of Zakros
Sitia4–6 hours
Kato Zakros holds a Minoan palace at the end of a gorge, on the sea, smaller and quieter than Knossos. The site is the rooms and the setting, not a reconstruction with red columns. You can drive to it or walk the gorge down to it. Doing both the walk and a long palace visit is the full day. The beach beside the site is a simple swim after the stones. Shade is poor on the ruins. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are Year round, the coast road is the slow part. It suits people who like a site with a landscape attached. Skip the gorge walk if anyone needs a flat path. The palace alone is still a reason to drive down. Drive from Sitia to Zakros and then down to Kato Zakros, or walk the gorge from the upper entrance.
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Richtis gorge to the waterfall
Agios Nikolaos4–6 hours
Richtis is the gorge inland of Exo Mouliana, between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia, walked down to a waterfall and a small cove. It is not Samaria. The path is waymarked, rocky, and shaded in places, and the last section can be slippery. The waterfall is the point. In a dry September it is a trickle, and after spring rain it is the reason you came. The walk back up is the part people underestimate. The usual length is 4–6 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October, after rain the stones are slick. It suits steady walkers who can spare a half-day from the east coast. Skip it with a buggy, after heavy rain, or if anyone needs a flat path. There is no boat at the end to collect you. Drive the coast road to Exo Mouliana and follow the gorge signs to the car park.
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Ha gorge, for people who already hike
Ierapetra5–7 hours
Ha gorge cuts down to the south coast west of Ierapetra. It is a serious scramble with metal rungs in places, not a signed family walk like a mild section of Richtis. People who are comfortable on rock and exposure use it. Everyone else should not start. Water, shoes and a retreat plan matter, and a guide is the sensible version if you do not already know this kind of path. After rain the rock is a reason to postpone. There is no boat collect at a café. The usual length is 5–7 hours, and the months that usually work are April to October, and only in stable weather. It suits experienced hikers. Skip it for a first gorge, for children, and for anyone who does not like exposure. Imbros and Richtis are the easier east-and-south alternatives. The trailhead is inland of the south coast near Ierapetra.
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FAQ
Questions.
- Plan on 4–6 hours from Sitia. It suits fit walkers who can arrange the car shuttle.
- April to October, not after heavy rain. Outside those months the day is often closed, cancelled, or a different trip. Ask the day before you leave Sitia.
- Start at the upper entrance near Zakros village. Finish at Kato Zakros. Arrange the ride back before you step in. There is no boat out.
- It suits fit walkers who can arrange the car shuttle. Skip it in high heat at midday, after storms, or with anyone unsteady on loose rock.
- Zakros gorge, the Valley of the Dead is worth the hours from Sitia when it suits fit walkers who can arrange the car shuttle. The walk is a few hours on a stony riverbed, with caves in the walls and almost no shade. If that is the part your group will fight, leave it for another date.