Orino Gorge or Butterfly Gorge – Lassithi Crete beautiful gorges
Orino gorge is an interesting gorge that starts from Orino village of Lassithi plateau and ends in the area of Koutsoura.
Orino gorge, despite the catastrophic fires that the forest has suffered in the area of Lasithi, the gorge remains one of the most beautiful ecosystems of Lasithi with intense vegetation. It is relatively easy to cross and does not require much effort. Recommended to all tourists.
ORINO GORGE has a 5 kilometers distance to walk, it is considered one of the most beautiful gorges of Crete. Walk the easiest gorge of Eastern Crete and photo shoot sightseeing treasures!
Orino gorge had a terrible fire on 2013, the fire destroyed the whole gorge ecosystem and of course the population of the red butterflies! The green of the gorge is back, trees and plants are very beautiful growing slowly. the number of butterflies has been reduced, they exist but not as many used to fly before the fire.
Orino gorge has many small waterfalls along it’s paths. The gorge has many plants and many trees on the beginning and after 1 km you will see land flat and at the last 2km the huge rocks to climb and finish the walking. It is important to know there are many waterfalls you should follow to exit the gorge, in the winter months it is easy to get lost, as the waterfalls are more than usual in summer time!
You can visit Orino gorge by bus, you will need to get the bus driving to Orino village of Lassithi plateau, there you will start walking direction to the south, there are signs to enter the gorge.
Orino gorge is easy to drive by car, hire a car and drive to the village and park at the beginning of the gorge. The important to know is you will need to walk all down and then return to the car, there is no other way to achieve in doing this, 5km distance + another 5 to return.
Orino gorge is easy to be visited with a Taxi, the driver will show you the beginning of the gorge and you will exit the gorge and get another taxi for the way back to the accommodation. The solution of the taxi could be used for the example of the hire car.
There are many taverns to visit in Lassithi plateau, the gorge is very close to Orino village that taverns sell traditional cooked food! Important to know is the locals cook with local products produced in the area, potatoes and tomatoes are some examples such as meat and other Cretan products!
The best season to cross the gorge is the spring. By this time you can discover beautiful sightseeing, while in the whole way you can see fountains and small scattered waterfalls. Orinou Gorge located close to Makry Gyalo, starts from the picturesque village Orino and concludes in Koutsouras after 3-4 hours walking.
The Orino Gorge, known as the Red Butterflies gorge, is one of the most beautiful green gorges in Crete. In the past, red butterflies used to pop out of bushes and trees but nowadays, after the forest fire of 1993, their number has been considerably reduced.
At the beginning of your hike, there are small cataracts and a small river flows along the gorge, even in summer period, when there are no rainfalls in the area. Despite the big fires in past, the gorge remains mainly well-vegetated and beautiful with rich plants and trees.
We recommend you start your hike near the village of Orino and end in Koutsouras village of south Crete. Then, we recommend you go swimming at a nearby beach.
