Kourtaliotiko waterfalls in Crete

Kourtaliotiko waterfalls in Crete

Crete, Greece

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The Kourtaliotiko waterfalls are a series of waterfalls located at the bottom of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge surrounded by a truly enchanting landscape. A unique characteristic of these falls is that they have an abundant stream of water all year long, even when the rest of the canyon is dry in the summer, as it is supplied by an underground spring of water.

How to get there

It’s located about a 30-minute drive south of Rethymno. The roads are good, so you can even make it with a Fiat Punto. You'll need to park the car in one of the parking lots along the road (for example here, here or here). Keep in mind that if you go around noon and in summer, it might be challenging to find a spot. NOTE: Occasionally, there is a food truck in one of the parking areas (here).

Another alternative is to take the bus. You can make it with the Rethymno-Plakias route, which stops near the waterfalls. However, the bus frequency is a bit low. You can check the schedules on the ktel website.

The waterfall area is located at the bottom of the gorge, specifically in the narrowest part. You can descend to it from here or from here. If you choose the second location (with steeper terrain and stairs), there will be a point where you have a path to the left leading to the church of Saint Nicholas and a couple of viewpoints. The path to the right takes you to the waterfalls. Pay attention to the surrounding plants, as you may find aromatic herbs such as oregano or thyme. In total, it will take you about 10-15 minutes from the parking area to the bathing spot (here).

Pool and waterfalls

The first thing you'll see upon arrival is a sort of beach with coarse sand and stones at the feet of a lagoon. Right in front, the walls of the gorge become narrower, forming a passage of approximately 30 meters long and 4 meters wide. Water flows directly out of cracks in the rocks of the walls of this passage, creating beautiful mini waterfalls, leaving a trail of greenish moss and forming a large pool along the entire passage.

The depth varies depending on winter and spring rains. In some sections, you might not touch the bottom with your feet, especially near the largest waterfall (at the end of the passage). The current also intensifies as you get closer to this area. You can stay behind the cascade and even jump in the falling water mass. However, be aware of an underwater pocket located on the right side of the fall that represents a danger in case the water dragged you there.

The water temperature is very, very cold, around 14ºC in the summer. Its color is spectacular, especially when the sun reaches the bottom of the gorge. However, this only happens for a brief period of time around noon as the gorge is very narrow. Due to the geological formation, it is an area that is often very windy.

We recommend wearing water shoes. Additionally, if you enjoy cliff-diving, next to the beach there are a couple of ledges at 2 and 5 meters. Near the main waterfall, there's another one at a height of 1 meter.

Don't forget to bring a snorkel, as in the pool, you may find large eels (don't worry, they're not dangerous) and crabs. Additionally, you might see dragonflies, and if you are lucky, even vultures and tortoises.

The water of these falls is renowned to be very pure, as it comes directly from the mountains and has been filtered by the rocks until arriving in the canyon. The water supply of many villages of the surrounding area comes from this gorge. However, it should be mentioned that some abandoned water pipes, used for water transportation , slightly ruin the overall picture of the pool.
With the exception of these pipes, the views are very beautiful both in the corridor with the waterfalls and in the canyon, as the cliffs rise to a height of 600 meters.

The origin of the water has not been conclusively proven. According to local folklore, the springs were created by a miracle of Saint Nicholas Kourtaliotis. It is said that he touched the rock wall with his five fingers, thus creating the five largest water jets.

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At first glance, it's a spectacular place for a swim. However, when you actually feel the water, you might lose your enthusiasm. Be brave!