Sarakina Gorge

Sarakina Gorge - Entrance

If you are the adventurous type, consider taking a day trip to Sarakina Gorge, which is on the south side of the island, near Ierapetra.

Prepare to take your shoes off to walk through pools of water.

The hike through Sarakina Gorge is difficult at times- it requires climbing over many boulders, and at one point, using a leather strap as a rope swing to propel yourself across a small cliff.

To get to Sarakina Gorge from Hersonissos, take the National Road east, past Agios Nikolaos. Follow this road until you see the signs for Ierapetra. The road to Ierapetra is hard to miss- it is the only main road heading south from that area. Once you reach Ierapetra, follow the signs pointing toward Myrtos, which is three or four villages to the west of Ierapetra. Once in Myrtos, you will take the first main road to the right toward Mithi. After a few minutes you will see a road off to the right with a sign pointing you toward Mithi. Just past the center of the village, you will take a right (there may not be a sign for Sarakina Gorge clearly visible here, but Mithi is tiny, and there is only one road that you can turn right on). From here you will follow the road downhill until you get to a bridge- on the left side of the bridge there is a water treatment plant and a paved parking area. This is the start of Sarakina Gorge. (There is also a small taverna here, but when we visited in June, 2010, it was not open.)

The hike through Sarakina Gorge is difficult at times- it requires climbing over many boulders.