Zakros Gorge Trail loop from Kato Zakros

Hiking trails & Routes

Greece

Lasithi

Zakros Gorge Trail loop from Kato Zakros

Moderate

4.7

(111)

447

hikers

Zakros Gorge Trail loop from Kato Zakros

04:13

13.5km

330m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly walkable paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: November 5, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Ζάκρος Δήμου Ιτάνου

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

708 m

E4 Trail – Valley of the Dead Entrance

Highlight • Gorge

From these signs, the actual tour begins through the gorge of Zaros.

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950 m

Dead's Gorge (Zakros Gorge) Cave Tombs

Highlight • Gorge

Because of the many ancient tombs that were found in the caves of the gorge, the Zákros gorge is also called "valley of the dead".

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990 m

Zakros Gorge Trail

Highlight • Trail

The path through the gorge is easy to walk on and now quite well marked with red dots or "E-4" marks.

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1.24 km

Shaded rest area under a large tree

Highlight • Rest Area

You can relax here in the shade before or after the gorge tour.
And if you have a picnic with you, then this is the best place.

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1.38 km

Gorge of the Dead (Valley of the Dead)

Highlight • Gorge

Gorge of the Dead is not called that because there are goat skeletons lying around everywhere, but because ritual burials used to take place here.

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3.66 km

Valley of the Dead Gorge

Highlight • Gorge

The gorge is at its most beautiful in winter and early spring (lush vegetation, pleasant temperatures, no tourism), but you have to reckon with getting wet feet on one of …

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6.26 km

Old aqueduct

Ruins

10.5 km

View of Dead's Gorge (Zakros Gorge)

Highlight • Gorge

On the old road there is a covered viewpoint to the valley of the dead. Those who dare to venture further forward (sometimes the wind blows so hard here that …

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10.8 km

View of Gorge of the Dead

Highlight • Gorge

One of the most beautiful canyon hikes in eastern Crete.

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13.5 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.89 km

4.16 km

495 m

Surfaces

4.99 km

4.24 km

3.08 km

1.08 km

156 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Monday 9 November

22°C

11°C

17 %

Additional weather tips

Expect light wind and shifting conditions.

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

June 27, 2023,🇬🇷 Zakros - Schlucht der Toten - Kato Zakros

This was a phenomenal hike.
Zakros is located in the otherwise very, very barren east of Crete. In Zakros, however, there is a richly bubbling spring that has not only transformed the place into an oasis, but has also created a gorge through which one can hike over thousands of years.
In June you literally walk through an oleander garden. …

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June 12, 2022,🇬🇷 Tal der Toten ab Kato Zakros

Beautiful hike in Crete's east, which you can start at the top of Zakros or down at the beach in Kato Zakros. In the valley itself you will often come across an old water channel similar to a levada or a waal at a stream. Due to the water, the valley is very green and therefore very different from the …

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April 3, 2025,Kreta 🇬🇷 Todesschlucht

An easy hike along a narrow, flower-lined path through the Gorge of Death. The small waterfront promenade of Kato Zakros is beautiful, with small tavernas on the beach.

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May 8, 2025,Kreta: Zakros-Schlucht

The Zakros Gorge, also known as the Valley of the Dead, takes its name from the Minoan cemetery that developed there. Natural cavities in the rocky slopes served as burial sites for the people of Zakros.

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September 16, 2024,Tal der Toten 🇬🇷

After having hiked this tour last year, albeit from Entrance B, today it was time for the longer tour from Entrance A. As was the case last year, I think it is an easy tour; the A variant took us about 45 minutes longer. When we got to the beach we had a quick cold drink and then went back …

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