St. Anthony Gorge (Gorge of Patsos)

Beautiful gorge absolutely stunning scenery. First half hour or so there is a well trodden path mangeable in flat shoes. Those who want a walk rather than a scramble would recommend you turn back and go back up the other side when you get to the bridge. If however you are fit, have good balance and shoes with firm grip, feel free to continue down what can only be described as a scramble down rocks with some bits having ropes for support. Absolutely amazing day but quite hard work. Rather than scrambling back up again we walked back up the track with stunning views of the lake and a bit between olive groves and vineyards back to the taverna.

This was a very nice way to experience this mountain area - hiking the gorge moderately with Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Vassilis is a real nice and professional guide who admires the history and the culture of his area.
Our 7 years old grandson and the entire family enjoyed this lovely afternoon very much.
To complete the day we dined a local delicious meal cooked by his mother.

6. 9. 2020 Breathtaking, adventurous hike through the canyon, the bottom of a dry river. 3 km of active movement through rugged terrain, where you climb some sections of rocks using ropes and ladders. Great. We, the amateurs, did it too. There is no other way back than to repeat the whole route back. I recommend to all more active people. Not suitable for small children. More youtube travel video PSIS-visit. Iva + Petr CZ Prague

Absolutely fabulous not for anyone who has walking difficulties or for the feint hearted quite strenuous in places, but magnificent landscape
Definitely recommend this

3rd time that we are doing the Patsos Gorge and it is still a pleasure to hike and climb here. In our opinion Patsos gorge is one of the most challenging gorge on the island. Reserved to people which are able to master balance because of the quantity of big rocks along the path which have to be stepped over. Ladders and ropes are present for complicated section but always very well prepared and well kept.
2 hours are necessary for the way down and same time for the return way. If you are lucky you will find a pickup car parked in the middle of nowhere for the return trip but don’t count on it.
The reward will be a great lunch at the big taverna located at the gorge entrance! Definitely a must-do if you are sporty!

We hiked this gorge on October 23rd and it was just a little stream that either you had to walk through or do some high adventure obstacles to get to the waterfall. From the trail head by the Drimos Tavern (have GPS take you here) it’s an easy walk that took us two minutes to get to the church in the cave (the hermitage with pictures of holy men, candles, and crutches left behind from miracle healings) and the picnic area.

By looking at the map posted at the trail head you will see that you are half way through the posted map at that point. If you want to get the the waterfall you cross the first bridge to your left and continue on it takes about 45 minutes. There is one other bridge to cross on this hike.

After the first 5-10 minutes of easy walking you get to some obstacles. There are a few ladders across the gaps in rocks, there are ropes attached to the cliff, there are a few rocks that are taller than me so I had to have my husband help me get down on the other side. The biggest problem is that the rocks are marble and they have been worn down to a slippery surface. It was dry when I went and we were all slipping as we crossed the rocks. Wear closed toed shoes with really good traction, or your feet/body will get hurt. I wouldn’t take this hike if the rocks were wet and I wouldn’t take small children beyond what is posted on the map. Our 11 year old son did fine.

The stream was only ankle high and we tried to avoid it as much as possible by going the hard way around it through the obstacles. If it looks like you lost the trail, look up and there is probably a rope attached to a cliff nearby. The trail is not always well marked, a few times we explored different paths to find the one that was the trail.

When we reached the waterfall, maybe at 45- 60 minutes into the hike, we passed it because we didn’t realize it was there. At the time you reach the waterfall you are using a rope on the left cliff edge. To see the waterfall you need to turn around to the right and walk back around to the right and you see there is a stream of water falling from a high spot down into a pool a few feet down from you. When we were there the pool was ankle deep and dirty so we did not go in, but you can see a higher water line.

After the waterfall the water noise quiets down so if you get to an area with still water you have gone too far. We hiked all the way to the tunnel which is maybe 20 minutes past the waterfall and goes under a road. You can wade through the water in the tunnel or go up the hill on your left and there is a section of fence that has been cut through so you can cross the road on the top and go back down. The other side of the tunnel is wide open, a rocky dried river bed and beautiful with the colorful deciduous tree leaves. We turned back here but other TA reviews said that if you follow the riverbed for another 45 minutes you will reach a lake at the Potami Dam.

It’s a beautiful hike with the dramatic cliffs, rocks, stream, waterfall and fall colored leaves. Our 11 year old son was great at it and loved the hike. I recommend doing this hike for the adventure and challenge, but not if its raining and you must have sturdy close toed shoes. I think it took us an hour to get to the water fall and 45 minutes to get back to the car park.

Loved this hike but harder than imagined from the reviews.Not had to contend with ropes and ladders before. It says at the top that it is a 1.5k walk but it certainly seemed longer. Enough of the whinging we still felt it was great fun but will be eternally grateful to the kind group of Cretan doctors/nurses who gave us a lift back to the top in their coach!

The drive from Spili to the gorge was challenging as on Sunday it is very hard to pass the narrow streets of Patsos. However, on return we found a way to avoid Patsos (see google maps) taking a road from the gorge that goes to Patsos so that with a nice right turn you miss the centre.
The gorge itself was interesting as of another type than others: smaller, green, with water. The observatory offers a nice view. The path to the gorge is not signposted. You should stay on the left side of the gorge to get from the South entrance into the gorge. From the right side you will end at a steep descent, good for young alpinists. The taverna was on Sunday populated with local Cretians - nice to observe and learn how they enjoy life.