Smiliano gorge

The Smilaino gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno is located north of the village Ano Meros and approximately 45 km southeast of the city of Rethymno. The Ligiotis River, flowing out from Gerakari, passes through the gorge.

The Smiliano gorge, 2.5 km long, starts at the village Vrises near the abandoned settlement of Smilé, the name of which it bears.

Pretty rough and wild, especially at the beginning, the Smiliano gorge, or else Kalamafka, is the ideal destination for all the canyoning-lovers in early summer, since there are a lot of waterfalls with very deep lakes beneath, ideal for “jumps”. The biggest “jump” is about 15 meters tall, probably the tallest in Crete.

At some parts, the Smiliano gorge narrows and requires the use of ropes or, alternatively, parallel hiking along the slopes of the gorge.

Even during the dry years, the Smiliano gorge is abundant in water, which makes the beginning of the gorge quite dangerous, even for the masters of canyoning. Instead, the dirt-road, descending from the village Drygies, is preferred. At this spot at the beginning of the gorge, the steep cliffs create a slope and, following the path, you can easily descend into the heart of the canyon, where the consecutive waterfalls are being created.

The Smiliano gorge, creating about 10 impressive waterfalls with the tallest being 13 meters high, has the largest and deepest waterfall basins in Crete.