Kato Zakros, Eastern Crete

hhttps://www.kato-zakros.gr/_en/zakros.php

A lovely seaside town in Eastern Crete, Kato Zakros attracts nature and activity lovers, history buffs and those seeking peace rather than the party crowd. You will love Kato Zakros if you want to:

explore the interesting ruin of a Minoan palace complex dating from 1900 BC and see turtles in a pool
walk through a beautiful gorge (3.3 km one way) where Minoan corpses were found in caves, lavender scents the air and trees resound with bird song
discover the gorges and caves around the town - Pelekita Cave is only 3 km from Kato Zakros along the coastline with terrific views while the beach of Karoumes is a further 2.4 km away
swim or snorkel in the crystal clear sea, relax on the beach or with a book, and let the stress disappear
watch the sun set and the moon rise over the ocean while sipping a cool glass of wine.

The few tavernas along the pretty beach, serving a delicious array of local fare from seafood dishes to moussaka and massive salads, mean the food and drink in Kato Zakros are top notch.

Those seeking late night entertainment, a cool club scene and loud music would be better off heading east to the resort towns.

Check out our amazing video, and find out more below.

Things to do

Zakros, Minoan palace complex

https://www.ancient-greece.org/archaeology/zakros.html

http://www.explorecrete.com/archaeology/zakros-palace.html

This small but exquisite ruin of a Minoan palace and prosperous trading city is a couple of minutes walk from the town of Kato Zakros with the lovely gorge of the Valley of the Dead nearby. There are signs in English explaining the the purposes of the various ruined buildings.

The site covers an area of about 4,500 hectares with the original site spreading over 8,000 hectares. The complex was built around 1900 BC.

Kato Zakros was a sheltered port where ships from Asia and Africa would find safe harbour, and Zakros was an important trading route. Rock crystal vases and a bull's head were found there among other artefacts and are now housed in Heraklion museum.

It's a pleasant area to wander round and you are likely to have it to yourself. Nature buffs will be charmed by the turtles swimming in the old cistern.

There is more information in the video.

Valley of the Dead gorge

http://www.explorecrete.com/hiking/EN-gorge-Zakros.html

This beauiful gorge will fascinate walkers, geologists and history buffs. Corpses of Minoan people were found in the caves, which these days harbour wild goats. The 2.5 km walk one way can be done from Kato Zakros or from a signposted point on the road above the town. The walk forms part of the E4 trail and can be combined with the 5.5-km walk from Kato Zakros to Karoumes Beach via Pelekita Cave (see next section), a total length of:

8 kilometres one way
13.5 kms return if you are staying in Kato Zakros
16 kilometres return if you walk the gorge both ways.

The sandstone walls reflect the morning and late afternoon light in fiery golds and crimson and are shaped like fairytale palaces festooned with different flowers. Walls are made of different sorts of rock and can be orange, grey, cream or red. Gnarled trees house flitting birds, and lavender bushes grow as high as your head.

We were there in September and the gorge was mainly dry but water levels can be high, involving rock hopping. The walk itself has steep sections but is not difficult

The gorge can be crowded so to truly enjoy the walk go in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is at its best.

There is more information in the video.

Walk from Kato Zakros to Karoumes Beach via Pelekita Cave

http://www.destinationcrete.gr/en/e4-path-at-lasithi/e90-kato-zakros-karoumpes

This beautiful 5.5-kilometre walk follows the coastline from Kato Zakros, providing stunning views of the turquoise sea and cliffs. It is rocky and uneven, with a steep section ascending to Pelekita Cave so give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it, especially if you plan to explore the cave. Once at Karoumes Beach, you can extend the walk by exploring pretty Chochlakies Gorge which is 3.5 kms long.

Pelekita Cave

https://www.incrediblecrete.gr/place/cave-of-pelekita-or-cave-of-the-fig-tree/

To fully explore this fantastic cave, you need one or more powerful torches though you can just descend a little way and still see a lot using your mobile phone flashlight.

We saw small stalagtites and stalagmites, rock glistening with moss looking like organ pipes and boulders of amazing colours: gleaming turquoise, purple, pink. See the video.

Take care, the trail is steep, slippery and rocky.

It is apparently possible to walk for 310 m to a small lake through chambers featuring colourful stalagtites and stalagmites, vault like ceilings and impressive rock formations.

The University of Southampton is conducting a research project in the cave as traces of Neolithic habitation have been found including pottery, animal bones, seashells, and chipped and ground stone tools. Find out more

The cave is well worth a visit: it is magical and so quiet, and you will probably have it to yourself like we did.

Onto Karoumes Beach

After the cave, there are no longer sign markers on the trail, which becomes narrower and steeper. A few hundred metres below the cave is the remains of a quarry where limestone was mined to build the Minoan trading centre of Zakros,

The trail ascends and descends steeply then reaches lovely Karoumes Beach and Chochlakies Gorge. The beach has trees and is shady and peaceful.

Do you have questions or comments about this article? Email maddestinations@gmail.com or leave a comment under the video.