15 Gorge Hikes in Rethymno to Build a Day Around

1.Samaria Gorge Full-Day Trek, Pickup & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,610 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $37Our pick

Review of the Samaria Gorge trek from Rethymno, with transport, guide, ferry, costs, trail advice, and an honest look at the challenge.

“This was such a wonderful day. Beautiful views and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Pia, our guide, was absolutely amazing. Words can't describe how important she was to us having this great experience. Our group was not experienced at trekking but she gave us tips for how to tackle the challenge, looked out for us and encouraged us in the final stretches. Thank you so much Pia! The journey to and from was well managed and the coach was lovely. Definitely recommend this gorgeous experience”

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2.Samariá Gorge Full-Day Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 129 reviews · 12 hours · from $37

Hike Crete’s Samariá Gorge from Rethymno with a guide, mountain springs, Iron Gates, a Libyan Sea swim, and ferry ride to Sougia.

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3.From Herakleion: Day Trip to Preveli Beach and Kourtaliotiko

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 90 reviews · from $39

Review of Crete’s Preveli Beach day trip from Heraklion, with Kourtaliotiko Gorge, palm forest walks, swimming, transport, and practical tips.

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4.Kourtaliotiko Gorge River Trek with Lunch! Pick-up Avaliable

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 90 reviews · 5 hours · from $112

Swim to Kourtaliotiko Gorge’s great waterfall, wade through natural pools, and enjoy a farm lunch on this guided Crete adventure.

“It was truly an awesome experience from the very start to the end. The guide was well organised and helped walking through more challenging spots in the river. Also told a lot about Crete and the place where we were walking. The views were breathtaking. At the end we had lunch at banana garden where we also got a chance to walk around with the garden owner and see lots of plants/trees. Thanks very much for such a great experience. It was well worth it!”

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5.Preveli Palm Beach and Kourtaliotiko Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 87 reviews · 10 hours · from $25Best value

Review of a $25 day trip from Rethymno to Preveli Beach, with a boat ride, palm forest, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, and useful planning tips.

“Excellent guides Spiritos & Johnny starting in the olive groves into a gorge to arrive at Plakias beach. Onwards to catch boat to Preveli beach. As this was first boat of season had to split party in half due to numbers. This resulted in revisit to Plakias as first group hadn't seen initially. A good trip out, but could imagine Preveli gets packed peak season.”

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6.Kourtaliotiko Gorge: Snorkel Trip to the Waterfalls

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 56 reviews · 4 hours · from $106

Swim beneath the Kourtaliotiko Waterfalls in Crete with a wetsuit, snorkel, guide, fruit, and transport from Plakias.

“Great trip, we had a great guide, professional, friendly. They equip you with a full wetsuit, which turned out to be really great in the cold water. I would always choose this team, the trip was worth all the money and the long drive from Kissamos to Plakias. Thank you, best regards from Slovenia, Marino and Jasmina.”

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7.Canyoning Tour in the Kourtaliotiko Gorge

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 38 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $141

Canyoning in Crete's Kourtaliotiko Gorge combines waterfall rappelling, river jumps, caves, and a short trek with expert guides.

“It was an amazing day! The guide was so nice and patient and we all had a lot of fun! I would always book this activity again:)”

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8.Kourtaliotiko Gorge: Guided River Trekking with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 36 reviews · 5 hours · from $112

Trek Kourtaliotiko Gorge by river, swim beneath waterfalls, explore natural pools, then enjoy lunch at a Cretan farm near Rethymno.

“A great 5 hour outing trekking in and along the river through the gorge. Our guide Alkis knew it well and took us away from the crowds. Great swimming opportunities. Amazing unbelievable beautiful nature, scenery, views. The waterfall itself was a profound experience. Finished off with great conversation and snacks with the team at the Banana Garden cantina. Worth it!”

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9.Snorkel trip to the Kourtaliotiko Waterfalls Plakias

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 26 reviews · 4 hours · from $106

Snorkel beneath Kourtaliotiko Gorge waterfalls, with wetsuits, guides, transport, fruit, and photos included for a memorable Crete adventure.

“Thank you Alex for this wonderful hike through the gorges of kourtaliotiko. It was really amazing !! The water was a bit cold, but it was okay with the diving suits. The site is really astonishing with all the waterfalls gushing from the mountain. Such a environnement should be preserved.”

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10.Unique Wine & Food Experience Inside a Cretan Gorge

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · 4 hours · from $170Top rated

Taste Greek wines, Cretan dishes, and local spirits on a stone balcony inside Zourida Gorge near Rethymno.

“It was really nice meeting new people and the setting was absolutely stunning. The food, the wine and our host were amazing.”

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11.Guided e-Bike Tour on Mili Gorge and soft drinks

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 20 reviews · from $62

Ride an e-bike from Rethymno through Myli Gorge, Halevi Monastery, and hill villages, with a guide, soft drink, and mountain views.

“This bike ride was lead by Yiannis who was excellent. He was professional & friendly He took into consideration the ability of all riders. His knowledge was excellent. I would highly recommend booking with this company”

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12.Samaria gorge with Professional Hiking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 17 reviews · 14 hours · from $41

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge with a guide, then swim in Agia Roumeli and return by ferry and bus. A full-day adventure for fit walkers.

“goed en grappig verhaal. Goede organisatie. mensen uitleggen dat ze cash mee moeten nemen is wel zo handig.”

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13.Imbros Gorge Hike From Rethymno

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 13 reviews · 10 hours · from $30

Hike Crete’s Imbros Gorge from Rethymno, then swim and eat by the Libyan Sea on a practical, budget-friendly day tour.

“we werden op tijd opgehaald door de bus met gids. De wandeling door de imbros deden we alleen, heel aangenaam,.. en na de kloof konden we een frisse verse appelsiensap drinken in een lokaal café. we bezochten nadien een gezellige haven waar je iets kon eten, drinken en zwemmen. Door de hevige windstoten bracht de gids ons naar een ander haventje dan eerst was afgesproken, wegens veiligheidsredenen ivm de windstoten.. dus mijn ervaringen hiermee zijn dat de mensen van Get You're Guide enorm bezig zijn met onze veiligheid, noden,.. het was een fantastische ervaring! alles op tijd, duidelijk en zeer aangename mensen”

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14.Kourtaliotiko Gorge & Preveli or Kalypso Beach | Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · 8 hours · from $109

Review of Crete’s private Kourtaliotiko Gorge and Preveli or Kalypso Beach tour, with swimming, local food, flexible pacing, and practical tips.

“Wij hebben een fantastische dagtour gehad met George! Hij haalde ons netjes op bij ons hotel (Lyttos Beach in Analipsi) en reed ons langs de prachtige noordkust van Kreta. Onderweg vertelde hij van alles over de omgeving, waardoor we niet alleen veel zagen maar ook veel leerden. Onze eerste stop was bij de indrukwekkende Kourtaliotiko Gorge, waar we samen genoten van een typische Griekse koffie – een heerlijk authentiek moment. Daarna bracht George ons naar het unieke Preveli Beach, met zijn palmbomen en de rivier die uitmondt in zee. Een prachtig stukje natuur dat we nooit zullen vergeten. Toen we trek kregen, nam George ons mee naar een klein lokaal…”

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15.Off-Road: Waterfall, Lake Kournas, Gorges, Preveli Palms

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $107

Review of Crete’s 9-hour 4x4 tour to Lake Kournas, Argyroupoli Springs, Preveli Beach, and dramatic gorges, with practical tips.

“Unfortunately, it must be mentioned that the car seats were not adequate for traveling in a "normal sitting position"; the rear seats are very low and it is impossible for tall people or, for example, customers with hip replacements to sit comfortably in the car. The tour operator should take this into account on future tours. The tour was supposed to be guided in English, but the guide spoke mainly German (the passengers were German). Otherwise, the tour was interesting, although it lasted 9.5 hours instead of 12 hours. We didn't get to visit the monasteries, but there may have been a reason for that. The nature was beautiful, the…”

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