When is Samaria Gorge open?

According to the listing, Samaria Gorge is open seasonally from May 1 to October 31. The 16-kilometer route starts on the Omalos Plateau, passes the Iron Gates and the abandoned village of Samaria, and finishes at the beach in Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea.

How do you get to Kleftiko and the Blue Cave?

Both are reached by boat. Kleftiko, on Milos, is visited mainly on boat tours through its sea caves and white arches. The Blue Cave on Kastellorizo has an entrance only about a meter above sea level, so small boats take visitors in, and the listing recommends early morning.

Is the water cold in Kourtaliotiko Gorge?

Yes. The creator who posted the gorge warns that the water is notoriously cold and to expect a chilly swim. The gorge is fed by the Kourtaliotis River and mountain springs, which also feed its 40-meter waterfall near the church of Agios Nikolaos.

Nature and Viewpoints in Greece From TikTok: Gorges, Caves, Rocks

Half of this list is on Crete, and every Cretan entry is a gorge. Creators hike Samaria Gorge down to the Libyan Sea, scramble through Patsos Gorge with its ropes and swim-out pool, swim in the cold water of Kourtaliotiko, and drive the bends of Therisso Gorge outside Chania. The rest of Greece shows up as sea and rock: boat trips into caves, a mushroom-shaped stone, and a cliff above an airport runway.

Most of these places are free, and several can only be reached on foot or by boat. The Blue Cave on Kastellorizo and Kleftiko on Milos are boat-only. Skiadi on Kimolos takes a 20 to 30 minute walk. The Corfu planespotting spot is the odd one out, a roadside cliff where people film jets landing over the water.

Written from public posts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Updated Oct 2026.

Where creators go

Samaria GorgeNatural Landmark · Mourniés
Europe's longest gorge, a 16-kilometer trail on Crete from the Omalos Plateau to the beach at Agia Roumeli. Highlights include the Iron Gates, where the walls close to 3 meters, the abandoned village of Samaria, and the chance of seeing a kri-kri goat. It is open from May 1 to October 31, and the creator simply says it needs to be on your Crete list.
Patsos GorgeHiking Trail · Rethymno
A 2.5 km gorge hike in Crete's Amari province with a waterfall dropping into a cave and a natural pool you have to swim across to get out. Expect scrambling and short ropes over a 190-meter height difference. The creator calls it their favorite hike on Crete, quieter and greener than Samaria.
Kourtaliotiko GorgeNatural Landmark · Rethymno
A gorge near Rethymno cut by the Kourtaliotis River, with a 40-meter waterfall, the church of Agios Nikolaos, palm trees and an easy 2 km central trail. The wind funnels through the rock walls and makes clapping echoes. The one warning in the post: the water is very cold, so swim knowing that.
Therisso GorgeNatural Landmark · Mourniés
A gorge outside Chania best seen from the car: a winding road between vertical cliffs and plane trees, with pull-overs for photos, goats on the road and cooler air than the coast. It ends at the village of Therisso. A creator includes it in a post about Chania's less obvious side.
KleftikoNatural Landmark
A former pirate bay on the coast of Milos with white rock arches, sea caves and clear turquoise water. It is reached mainly by boat tour, and the creator lists a boat day through the caves and arches among 16 essential Milos experiences. Plan it as a full outing rather than a quick stop.
Blue CaveNatural Landmark · Kas
A sea grotto on Kastellorizo, roughly 40 to 50 meters long, where the light turns the water bright blue. The entrance sits only about a meter above the sea, so you visit by small boat, and the listing suggests early morning. A creator includes it in the first part of a Greece-on-our-map series.
SkiadiNatural Landmark · Paros
A mushroom-shaped volcanic rock on a bare plateau on Kimolos, formed by hardened magma. Getting there is a 20 to 30 minute walk, and the reward is the rock itself plus wide views over the island. The creator went in September and describes Kimolos as an island they already plan to return to.
Corfu Airport Planespotting SpotPhoto Spot · Corfu
A cliffside spot near Corfu airport where commercial jets come in low over the water on their final approach. The note describes close-up views of landing aircraft, and the spot is free and open around the clock. For aviation fans it is the main event; for everyone else, a short detour with a sea view.

Crete's four gorges, from easy to demanding

The Cretan gorges differ a lot in effort. Therisso is a drive. Kourtaliotiko has an easy 2 km path to its waterfall. Patsos is short but involves ropes, scrambling and a swim. Samaria is a full-day 16 km walk that ends at the sea and only runs in the May to October season. Two of them, Samaria and Therisso, are listed under Mourniés near Chania; Kourtaliotiko and Patsos are near Rethymno.

Island nature by boat or on foot

Away from Crete, the posts come from smaller islands. Kleftiko on Milos and the Blue Cave on Kastellorizo both need a boat. Skiadi on neighboring Kimolos is a walk across a plateau. Corfu, in the Ionian, adds the airport cliff.

Good to know

Patsos Gorge is 2.5 km long, but it involves scrambling, short ropes and a swim across a pool, and one creator calls it their favorite Cretan hike. For something gentler, Kourtaliotiko Gorge has an easy 2 km central trail to a 40-meter waterfall. Samaria is the long option at 16 km.