Diktamos Gorge
Diktamos Gorge
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
21 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
9
Average
0
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Lilz97
Chelmsford, UK21 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
An incredible hike, around 10 miles if you do the full loop from Stylos. We thoroughly enjoyed the first 6/7 miles until we reached the gorge. Though it is beautiful, it was full of water. We both wore trainers which actually worked well as the climbing down was tricky. WARNING - we did have to swim at one point, the river bed was also wet pretty much all the way down which meant we had to walk through the water most of the way down the gorge. Certainly an adventure!
Written February 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rfitz537
Toronto, Canada94 contributions
Sep 2019
This gorge is such a great day trip- I’m shocked it doesn’t have more reviews! We drove to the start of the gorge (25 min from Chania) and parked our rental car in the parking lot right at the start. The hike started off fairly easy but got more challenging 2/3 of the way through. It is a solid intermediate hike, but definitely reasonable if you’re in decent shape. Would not bring children/elderly. We both wore hiking shoes and would not recommend going without them. There were some steep areas. The trail was very well signed with red arrows and saved us a couple of times the path ahead looked arduous- always follow the red arrows! It took us 3.5 hours to hike the gorge and then we walked 30 minutes from the end into Stylos. Pretty much the entire hike except the last walk to Stylos was in the shade, which we greatly appreciated! We stopped at a bar and had a beer like the other reviews recommended and the bar called a cab for us. The cab back to our car was 35 euro. The scenery was incredible, and we never came across anyone else the entire hike! There was only one car in the parking lot where we started. Great experience, beautiful scenery, and a nice break from beaches/tourists. We were so happy we did this!!! Hidden gem
Written September 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tomzsurfin
Wetherby, UK43 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We loved this walk, we are in April and the water level has pretty much gone, so it may be different when you are here. It is a 3.5 - 4 hour walk..... one way!! We did the easy option, which is downhill from Stachy (find “diktamos gorge start” on google maps). We wouldn’t have wanted to do it uphill! You can park your car at the entrance, which is signposted, and all you need to do is follow the river bed, which is obvious when you are there. There are red paint arrows on rocks to send you in the right direction when the river bed gets tricky, but it is is not hard, great fun and a bit of a test !! The gorge and goats are fab all the way. When you leave the gorge at the other end, you still have a twenty minute road walk to Stilos, where you fall in to any of the bars for a well deserved beer!! We got the bar to call is a taxi for for the return 30 minute car ride, which is common and cost 30 euros, we used George Terezakis taxis, +306944463470 who took us back to the start point.
Nice Taverns at the start too, so give it a go, fun gorge and a bit of a test in places, not really suitable for under 10’s I would say.
Nice Taverns at the start too, so give it a go, fun gorge and a bit of a test in places, not really suitable for under 10’s I would say.
Written April 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deborah V
Leicester, UK145 contributions
Jul 2023
Started at Katochori & parked at the entrance to the gorge. First two thirds were great, no other people in site, only goats. Beautifully shaded & more interesting than a flat hike. The last third of the hike, the gorge descends & the boulders get larger & larger & becomes a feat of rock-climbing rather than hiking. 1 of the ladders was missing & some of the drops were quite large with only smooth boulders to negotiate them. Without my 21 year old son offering his body as a step numerous times I would have had no option but to turn back. The gorge walk took us 8 hours with a further half hour to reach Stylos. In hindsight, we wished we had started at Stylos as we would have encountered the difficult part of the hike 1st & turned back. Also, climbing up the boulders may have been less traumatic than facing dangerous falls. My parents have hiked this gorge many times & their experiences didn’t resemble ours so I suspect that the gorge may have been altered by floods/time. I wouldn’t want my experience to prevent others from visiting however, it may be worth starting at Stylos & have the option of abandoning the hike if the climbing is too much. Hiking footwear is essential & a good supply of water.
Written July 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zorbathepolak
37 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
3.5 h of slow walking in a shadow of old trees , a little bit difficult ;-) After the walk you will apreciate a cold beer at the taverna in Stylos ,-).
Written September 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda C
Upper Dicker, UK8 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
It was very easy to find the start of the walk - we just drove to the place indicated by Google maps as the start of the gorge (on the edge of the village of Katochori). There is a car park here and a sign that marks the entry to the gorge. Also, there are two restaurants (both very good value). The one nearest to the car park has a very pleasant outside seating area with a beautiful view. The food is good too.
To begin your walk, take the track past the sign that marks the beginning of the gorge and continue a little way beside an orange grove. On your right hand side is the gorge floor. When we walked it in April it was a stream. As the track veers off into the orange grove you need to leave it and cross the gorge floor/stream by way of stepping stones onto the right hand bank. From there onwards it's pretty simple to follow the floor of gorge as it winds its way along. There is a large red arrow very close to the start of the walk that directs you across the stream/ gorge floor. Ignore this because it takes you across to the right hand bank prematurely and the path peters out.
The other red (and sometimes blue)arrows that point out easier routes through and around the boulders of the gorge are useful, but there was one occasion where it did not show the best way to negotiate a drop. So, it's best to have a look for yourself to find a safer route if an arrow points to anything that looks a bit tricky.
We had a wonderful afternoon in the gorge. Met a variety of goats, spotted lots of inviting picnic spots and enjoyed easy scrambling here and there.
Recommended and not far from Chania
To begin your walk, take the track past the sign that marks the beginning of the gorge and continue a little way beside an orange grove. On your right hand side is the gorge floor. When we walked it in April it was a stream. As the track veers off into the orange grove you need to leave it and cross the gorge floor/stream by way of stepping stones onto the right hand bank. From there onwards it's pretty simple to follow the floor of gorge as it winds its way along. There is a large red arrow very close to the start of the walk that directs you across the stream/ gorge floor. Ignore this because it takes you across to the right hand bank prematurely and the path peters out.
The other red (and sometimes blue)arrows that point out easier routes through and around the boulders of the gorge are useful, but there was one occasion where it did not show the best way to negotiate a drop. So, it's best to have a look for yourself to find a safer route if an arrow points to anything that looks a bit tricky.
We had a wonderful afternoon in the gorge. Met a variety of goats, spotted lots of inviting picnic spots and enjoyed easy scrambling here and there.
Recommended and not far from Chania
Written April 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jake Y
Cardiff, UK37 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
We started this hike from the village of Stilos and walked past the old church of Agios Ioannis before entering the gorge from the bridge just to the north of the village (At the bridge take the left track into the dry stream bed).
The gorge is a moderate walk with many obstacles to climb up or around and is not suitable for children or those with walking difficulties. that said, if you have a moderate level of fitness you should complete the trek through the gorge in around 3 hours.
We turned off to the left at the two small water pumping buildings and followed the track back to Stilos via Semonas. A total distance of around 19 Km in around 5 hours walking.
In March the riverbed was dry apart from a few places and you need to take your own supply of water to see you through this walk. Boots or sturdy shoes are recommended due to the rough nature of the gorge floor.
TOP TIP - Keep an eye out for the red arrows (supplied by the Mountaineering Club of Chania) to show you the way around some of the more fearsome boulders and rockfaces. They can be a little tricky to see sometimes, so if it looks like you will need a rope to clamber over an obstacle spend a few moments to find the arrow directing you to the 'easier' route.
The gorge is a moderate walk with many obstacles to climb up or around and is not suitable for children or those with walking difficulties. that said, if you have a moderate level of fitness you should complete the trek through the gorge in around 3 hours.
We turned off to the left at the two small water pumping buildings and followed the track back to Stilos via Semonas. A total distance of around 19 Km in around 5 hours walking.
In March the riverbed was dry apart from a few places and you need to take your own supply of water to see you through this walk. Boots or sturdy shoes are recommended due to the rough nature of the gorge floor.
TOP TIP - Keep an eye out for the red arrows (supplied by the Mountaineering Club of Chania) to show you the way around some of the more fearsome boulders and rockfaces. They can be a little tricky to see sometimes, so if it looks like you will need a rope to clamber over an obstacle spend a few moments to find the arrow directing you to the 'easier' route.
Written March 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
malgo
Brussels, Belgium182 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
This is quite a challenging walk.Proper shoes is a must. The road is covered with stones and boulders.actually you walk the dry river bed. We could not find a way back to out car, so we made the gorge both ways. It took us 4 hours with 2 short stops each way. Not a good idea to go there with kids.
Written October 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen M
Oxford, UK399 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
Absolutely lovely walk / scramble through mostly shaded gorge. I am very fit but could feel it in my knees at the end, due to constant jumping off rocks. As other reviewers have said, look for red arrows as I was completely stuck a few times with huge boulders looking at first impassable!
I parked car at top, then taxi back up - 25 mins, 30 euros - after a well earned beer! Took 3 hours to bottom of gorge, then another 20 or 40 mins to Stilos or Neo Choria for a taxi.
I parked car at top, then taxi back up - 25 mins, 30 euros - after a well earned beer! Took 3 hours to bottom of gorge, then another 20 or 40 mins to Stilos or Neo Choria for a taxi.
Written August 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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