Roza Gorge
The gorge of Roza is an offshoot of the gorge of Ambelos. It starts from the area of Ano Kera, near the monastery of Panagia Kera Kardiotissa and meets the rural road that runs inside the gorge Ambelos near the village Gonies. Hiking in the riverbed is impossible due to steep descents, but there is a well marked hiking trail on the sides. Moreover, the sides are impressive, with visible geological formations that attract the eyes of the visitors, with their special beauty special. The gorge has surface water after heavy rains which is seen from the oleanders growing in the riverbed.
The name Roza is taken after the pinkish (roz means pink) colors of the walls. According to another version, the gorge served as a place for disposing the sterile animals (e.g. donkeys) in the past. Thus, the locals refered to the gorge as "Stira Za" (i.e. sterile animals) that was later paraphrased to "Sti Roza" (e.g. in Roza).
Canyoning in Roza Gorge
The gorge Roza is technical, meaning that it is not possible to hike in its bed as there are many steep descents (rappels) that require the use of special technical equipment and training. For those involved in canyoning, they should know that the largest rappel is about 18m high, the points are secured with relays from the speleological clubs of Crete and the descent of a small group takes about 3 hours. The gorge is close to Heraklion and is easily accessible, therefore is often used for canyoning schools.
