Makrigialos Gorge Walks

Gentle 3 hour, 5 km (3 mile) walks of Pefki and Butterfly gorges, on tracks and paths, with some scrambling over rough terrain.

Butterfly (Orino) gorge, near Makrigialos, south east Crete
View the Butterfly gorge gallery on Flickr

Butterfly Gorge

  • Unless you wish to walk the gorge in both directions, take two cars, and leave one at each end of the gorge
  • The lower gorge is accessed from the Koutsouras Community Park, where refreshments are available during the summer season
  • The upper gorge is accessed via a gate off the main road to Orino, 9.3 km from Koutsouras Community Park. Continue westwards from the park for 2 km, and take the second turning on the right, signposted to Orino. Continue for 7.3 km, and the gate will be on your right. Just past the gate, on the right hand side of the road, is a small shrine, and the view is down, across the gorge, to a small church. There is space to park a car off the left side of the road a little further on
  • The walk is marked by painted red dots, and yellow and red arrows. Be prepared to scout around for them at certain points where tracks converge or where the path is less obvious

Pefki gorge, Makrigialos, south east Crete
View the Pefki gorge gallery on Flickr

Pefki Gorge

  • The lower gorge is accessed from Makrigialos, by taking the road to Aspros Potamos at the junction with Villea Village
  • The upper gorge is accessed off the main road west out of Pefki, where there is a small space to park a car
  • The walk is marked by painted red dots and arrows. Be prepared to scout around for them at certain points where tracks converge or where the path is less obvious

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