Patsopoulos Gorge
The Patsopoulos Gorge is formed under the almost deserted village of Patsopoulos in the province of Mirabello, prefecture Lassithi. Its stream, called Mesomouris, starts from the settlement of Dilakkos and ends in the gorge of Kouroukoulos, a few meters before ending at the beach of Kouroukoulos. The two gorges are separated by a narrow strip of wild rocky land, called Spathi. From the top of Spathi, you will have view to both canyons. A very beautiful spot in the gorge is the point Kokkinos Detis (red cliff) which is full of plants living in rock cracks, most of which are endemic.
Just before the exit to the sea there is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Luke, a local hermit who died in the canyon and was shot with an arrow. Below the church there is the cave of Saint Luke, from where holy water drips. Shortly after the chapel, you will find the exit of the gorge at the beach of Kouroukoulos with very large pebbles and a magical seabed. On the eastern side of the beach, there is a marine cave below the cliff that leads to the very nice pebbly beach of Kakia Naspa (meaning bad landslide), which is very nice for remote swimming.
