One of the most imposing gorges of Crete and the 10 most beautiful gorges of Europe is the Cha gorge. It begins near the Kato Chorio settlement and ends to the Ierapetra plain, in the east of the Vasiliki village.

In order to visit it, you follow the road to Ierapetra and continue on the road to the Thripti hill from Kato Chorio. After 7 kilometers, you follow the crossroad to Agia Anna.

The walls of the gorge are very narrow so a deep section in the mountain is created which is visible from far away. Its total length is 1800 meters.

The visitors of the gorge should be experienced climbers as there are 26 technical descents about 30 meters long. There is a lot of water in it so, if you want to pass the gorge, you may even swim.

The water creates small lakes and that makes the gorge an important water biotope as many migratory and temporary birds and various mammals have found shelter in it.

The Cha gorge is famous for its rich flora. Pine trees, sweet-smelling plants, flowers and other rare plants grow in the gorge.

At the end of the gorge a large waterfall is created that is about 215 meters long.

The name of the gorge came from the verb “chasko” that means to create a gap, an opening.