Setting up walking routes in Crete: A regular part in winter is that we set up new walking routes. Many hikers like to see different routes again and so do we. We have a lot of walks. Guests like to walk with us, whether it is for 10 or 20 kilometres, easy or tough we have it all.
New routes in 2024
18 January 2024: setting up the Knossos – Archanes route. Old paths, gorge, churches, villages, mountains, aqueduct and more! Total 12 kilometer and height difference 380 meter.
10 January 2024: setting up the walk Havgas in Lassithi
8 January 2024, starting the walk in the dark
5 January 2024, the river hike. Climbing and hiking.
Walking routes set up in Crete: 2 February 2023 South Crete, discovering for the new season – snow walk around Lassithi.
Setting up walking routes in Crete: 4 January 2023 South Crete, discover for the E4 route by 10 April 2023.
Weekly programme for walking holidays in Crete: You really feel like booking a walking holiday to Crete Greece, but you don’t really know how to get to the most beautiful places. What is the best way to go about it? It is not difficult, you think; just search the internet and you will find the places others recommend via websites such as TripAdvisor. Big disadvantage of this internet search, you will mainly end up at Crete’s tourist attractions. In the end, this is not what you are looking for.
We are not in favour of tourist attractions. That is why we organise walking holidays on Crete ourselves, so we can show you parts of the island that others do not. These walks can be complemented by other activities. For example, you can choose an 8-day holiday with 5 days of hiking. The other days you can fill in yourself or we will give you the necessary tips on what to do. But you can also opt for 4 days of hiking and 1 day attending a workshop.
29 December 2022 – Mountain hiking in Crete Rouvas Zaros gorge: An overview of the Rouvas gorge hike in Crete. What hikes can you do in the Rouvas area?
Hiking information Rouvas, Crete: Rouvas mountain hiking in Crete – Rouvas Gorge – Rouvas Crete. This hike in Rouvas is not suitable for people afraid of heights or for small children. For this hike, you will need sturdy mountain shoes with a good tread. Bring plenty of water, especially in summer! Crete’s most famous water comes from this area: the waters of Zaros and Rouvas. The Rouvas forest is also home to wild cats, these cats are really big! The chances of seeing these wild cats in summer are slim, these animals are very shy. Along the way, you will encounter many mountain goats, though. On Sundays, the Rouvas area is often busy. Then, mostly locals go by car to the Rouvas Plateau, where the church Agios Ioannis is located. The road to the Agios Ioannis church is a dirt road. Here you can enjoy a picnic in the countryside.
Type of walk (Rouvas): The total walk takes 6-8 hours. The distance is 12 -17 kilometres or 22 kilometres. The Rouvas round walk to Agios Ioannis is 12 Kilometres. The walk has a rise of 612 metres (17.3%) and a fall of 630 metres (17.8%).
Rouvas hiking and surroundings: The most famous place where the Rouvas gorge begins is Zaros. Rouvas and Zaros are very well known in Crete, as water is produced from both villages. Mires is also a well-known place near Rouvas. The Rouvas Gorge lies on the south side of Psiloritis Mountain, the highest mountain in Crete. Mount Psiloritis is 2,456 metres high.
More information on the Rouvas gorge round trip hike, description E4 path and multi-day hiking options to Nida and Psiloritis
Description of the Rouvas Gorge: There is quite a lot of diverse information about the Rouvas Gorge. Sometimes it says that the Rouvas Gorge is an easy 2 to 3-hour gorge. This is not correct! It is quite a climb with lots of loose stones. In the gorge, you will see very beautiful nature and wonderful views. Agios Ioannis is a beautiful little church, located on the plateau of Dasos Rouvas: the forest of Rouvas. You will regularly see wooden signs on the way to Agios Ioannis. On the plateau, you can go 3-4 ways: back through the forest to the starting point, on to Nida and Psiloritis, or to Gergeri. Take your time for this Rouvas hike, this hike takes about 6 hours.
Start of Rouvas mountain hike in Crete: Lake Votomos (400 metres) is located in Zaros. Between Agia Farvara, Mires and Agia Deka, take the Gergeri – Zaros exit. In the village of Zaros, go to the freshwater lake Votomos, which can be crowded in summer. There are many trout farmers near the small lake. When you start walking, you immediately lose the crowds around the lake. To the left of the lake, walk up towards the church of Agios Nikolaos. Follow the signs: Rouvas gorge – Agios Ioannis.
Start from Zaros
Agios Nikolaos church (Zaros): You will now see the Agios Nikolaos church on your left at an altitude of almost 500 metres. Past the church, continue walking uphill. This is where the hike up begins, watch out for loose stones on the way! Don’t walk too close together as you walk up, as loose stones can roll down. A path runs under the trees, but sometimes the path disappears and gives way to a riverbed, which you then walk through. In the riverbed, you sometimes have to use your hands too, to lean on a stone for a moment to cross to the next stone.
In winter and spring, water can flow through the riverbed, making the walk much longer, than in summer. The water is a natural obstacle, but very beautiful! A zigzag path up the hill leads to a clearing, where you could walk back to Agios Nikolaos church via another path.
At the clearing, follow the signs to Agios Ioannis. Now the harder climb begins! When you start walking, you will not see the path above you. This path is not suitable for people afraid of heights or small children. With every step up, the view of the surroundings becomes more impressive. Via winding paths, you walk uphill with the river on your left. These are real waterfalls in winter. There is a wooden railing, but don’t rely on it too much. These wooden railings can be shaky in places. After walking for a while, you will come to a place where the gorge is wider. Here, walk up the riverbed, where there are wooden steps and a wooden bridge.
The Rouvas Forest
The beginning of the Rouvas forest: After walking along the gorge, nature changes. Now you will see green bushes and a forest with beautiful views of the mountains from the forest. To the left are the canyons of Gefari. In the forest there are trees found only on Crete such as: the maple, cypresses, pines and plane trees. At the end of this path, keep right to Agios Ioannis. There are now two paths leading to Agios Ioannis. It is nice to walk both these paths, then it is a kind of round walk.
The plateau of Rouvas – Gergeri- Agios Ioannis: On the plateau are thousand-year-old trees. Some trees are hollow, in which up to 3 people can fit. There is a water tap on the plateau. So far, water always comes from the tap, but always bring your own water anyway. There is a mountain hut with a barbecue and water: a lovely place in spring. It is also possible to spend the night in the mountain hut. The peace and quiet here at night is incredible. This is a great place for 2 or 3-day hikes around Rouvas and Nida. The mountain hut is sometimes dirty, often left messy by some people. On the other side of the plateau is a “mitata”: an old shepherds’ hut. These used to be used for shepherds to spend the night. A mitata is built entirely with natural stone, without cement.
The Rouvas Plateau
Dasos Rouvas: This beautiful forest has many different trees, such as: maple trees, cypresses, pines and plane trees. From the forest, there are great views over the plateau.
Moni Agio Adoniou Vrodissiou: This monastery is located between the villages of Zaros and Voriza at an altitude of 550 metres. It has stunning views over the Messara plain. The small church is dedicated to Saint Antonios.
Nice spots to visit in the area
Gergeri: Gergeri is a traditional mountain village, which is also very famous for its traditional carnival festival on Clean Monday. This is when the young men dress up as sheep in real sheepskins and sheep bells. There is live Cretan music and the whole village dances in the streets from morning to night.
Messara plain: The views over the Messara plain while walking are breathtaking. The Messara plain is a fertile area, with a lot of agriculture and horticulture. In the middle of Messara you will find the ruins of Gortys, on the western side the archaeological excavations of Festos. North of the Messara plain is the Ida Mountains, to the south the Asterousia Mountains.
Description of walks on Crete: Description of various walks we can offer you during your holiday on Crete. Some walks can be combined well for our multi-day walks on Crete.
More information
Walking on Crete the new E4 walking week in Lendas: New E4 walk in the area of Lendas, South Crete. The route consists of several walks: gorge walking, seaside walking, good hiking trails, as well as hiking through the mountains. The walks lead us through and past pine forests, monasteries, villages, mountains and caves.
Daily news from Crete: On this page, we give daily updates of all our activities in Crete. Every day, during summer and winter, we upload our weblogs.
Excursions on Crete: Here you find a lot of information about excursions during your holiday on Crete like: car and bike rental, car and accommodation, diving, cycling, hiking, hiking combinations on Crete, Greek cooking lesson, playing golf, boat trips, horseback riding, outdoor activities, sailing, jeep safari, fishing, group excursions, active holiday on Crete, weekly excursion programs or fly-drive.
Holiday information Crete Zorbas Island: For renting apartments and holiday homes, all your excursions and cheap flights to Crete. If you are looking for apartment rental and accommodation on Crete, you have come to the right place. We have a variety of apartments, suitable for families, singles, couples or more people travelling together. We can help you to organize your holiday on Crete Greece to your wishes. An active outdoor vacation, active holidays, a beach holiday, or a combination of both we can all realize for you.
To give you an impression of your vacation in Zorbas Island on Crete, we have created a “Zorbas Island” movie for you: Zorbas Island Vacation movie in 5 Minutes.
In case you like more information, please send an email to zorbasisland@gmail.com