The Kourtalioti Gorge is a gorge in the southern part of Crete. It is situated where the river Kourtaliotiko flows southwards between the mountains of Koroupa and Xiron.
Kourtalioti can be accessed easily, because a road leads through it. In several locations one can stop, get out of the car and take pictures. Approximately half way through, an arch comes up from where steps lead to the little church Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) Kourtaliotis. Just before the church, the path bifurcates.
Going left, i.e. towards the church, leads to a bridge from where you can see a few waterfalls and into a cave. A bit further along, i.e. following the river, one can walk further into the gorge by climbing rocks.
Turning right at the bifurcation is the more interesting path to follow. The steps lead to the waterbed, from where you have to turn right and climb over some rather big rocks. Just after the pumping station. small waterfalls run from the sides and a pond is created. From this point the narrow entrance to a cave can be seen. Be aware that the water is extremely cold, but if you overcome this hurdle, you are presented with the most beautiful experience. The first few meters you can walk through the pond, then it becomes deeper and you have to swim for about ten meters. Inside the cave, waterfalls from all sides present themselves. It is not very deep there, thus your upper body will be out of the water. Due to the cold water, this makes your skin tinkle, an incredible feeling in conjunction with the scenery. When we were there, not many people were swimming so we had the cave to ourselfs for a few minutes.
To say the least, standing in a dark cave, waterfalls from all sides and the cold water made this to an unforgettable experience.
