Hohlakies gorge – Lassithi.
Hohlakies Gorge is a beautiful, fairly small and easily accessible gorge in the prefecture of Lassithi. It begins at the village of Hohlakies and ends up at the beautiful bay of Karoumes on the eastern coast of Crete.
This is a relatively easy gorge walk with a well identified path mostly over rocks. At the end is a fabulous beach (Karoumes) , mostly pebbles ,
The water is crystal clear and very inviting after the walk. When facing the sea and looking left there are a number of acacia trees under which are chairs and tables. Ideal for shade and a picnic. The path markers are a bit hard to see at times. Great beach at the end for a swim.
Parts of the walk are quite difficult. You should wear proper shoes and bring enough water. Beautiful views and nice beach are the rewards!
Contrary to the information in the walking guides, this wasn’t an easy or short walk! It took 2+ hours down to the beach and 1+ hours back up to the car. The start of the walk is deceptive too. If you park at the cemetery, having negotiated the very narrow bends in the village of Chochlakies, the walk starts as you take the gravel path next to the wooden harbor thing with the map. After a few meters there’s a red arrow to the right. Don’t take this turn into the olive grove. Carry on straight down the path and cross the concrete ford over the river – if it’s still in water. Carry on wiggling through the olive grove, following the river bed on your right, until you come to a gate and a sign saying Chochlakies Gorge. Now follow the red way markers which are very clear all the way along the gorge. they’ve usually painted dots on boulders, so you have to look out for them sometimes.
Most of the path follows the river bed and as such, isn’t a path at all, just the river bed. We were lucky/unlucky in that the water was still in the river bed when we walked there in May this year. apparently quite unusual. Although wading through water is very refreshing in the heat, it was sometimes thigh high so very slow going. The beach at the end of the walk has no facilities at all so take food and plenty of water. Well worth the adventure however.
I wouldn’t class it as a difficult walk by any means, but don’t expect a short stroll to the beach!
The beach itself is paradise, lovely blue water in a peaceful sheltered bay. We spent much of our time there completely alone.We had planned to travel along the cliff to the cave, but to be honest the minute we saw that beach, we realized we were set for the day!
The walk each way took us about 1hr 20mins, although I’ll admit that while an experienced walker, I’m not a very fast one!
If you want an easier gorge walk then I’d recommend doing the gorge of the dead instead (Zakros) either park at parking spot A for a slightly more challenging experience, or B for an easy stroll, but don’t expect a beach anywhere near as nice at the end!
