The Sarakina Gorge (also Mirtos Canyon, after the nearby coastal village of Myrtos) is a canyon in the southwestern part of Crete, Greece. It is located about 15 km west of Ierapetra and a few kilometres upcountry of Myrtos, near the small village of Mithi.
Facts
It's length is about 1,5 km, while it's width rarely reaches more than 10 metres and the height of the walls peaks at approx. 150 m. The river of Kriopotamos is flowing through the Gorge, which carrys water in an very unsteady levels during the year, due to moist winters and arid summers.
Access and Transition
The canyon can be accessed from the lower end as well as from the upper end. The lower end of the canyon is somewhat easier to locate, while the canyon's transit from the upper end is easier to manage - merely the entrance into the canyon is hard to find in both cases, because it was not made touristy accessible yet.
The level of difficulty of a transition is medium, although one single transition takes only about 1 1/2 hours, as you have to walk in the river at some parts respectively a few stone steps have to be scrambled. Otherwise belaying with a climbing equipment is not necessary, too.