Palekastro – Karoumes

Starting from Palekastro on foot, you will arrive at the small settlement of Agathias in 15 minutes. You walk through the village and in the end you walk on a dust road among olive trees, coming close to the hills, south-east of the settlement.

When you arrive there, you may need some help by a native in order to show you the right turning. The area at that point may confuse you because of the many rural roads.

Ten minutes after Agathias, you start ascending and after half an hour you arrive at the small plateau “Plativola”, which is 150m high. There you will see the small temple of Agios Spyridon, which is located in the middle of the small plateau. There you can see the road which leads you to south-east.

In order to reach Agios Spyridon chapel you have to pass through hedges made by barbwires. You will not have to be stopped by them. There are gates at these hedges, where you can open them, get in and close them again. These hedges are made in order to localize the sheep and goats.

From Agios Spyridon you go downhill and in half an hour you arrive at the marvelous and completely secluded area of Skinias. There you can enjoy your swimming in one of the two wonderful beaches. From the southern beach with pebbles there is a signed path, which leads 20-25 meters lower to the south.

In one hour from Skinias you will reach the Karoumes beach, which is very beautiful, too. The way between these two beaches is marvelous and you can enjoy the dark blue of the sea combined with the wild and untouched cretan countryside.

The beach of Karoumes is bigger than the beach of Skinias. There are trees that offer you plenty of shadow, something that you will not find in Skinias. From the beach, looking to the west, you can see the entrance of the homonymous gorge.

Karoumes Gorge
You need about 90 more minutes to cross that wonderful gorge. After you exit the gorge, you will meet the picturesque settlement of Hohlakies. Hohlakies is a small village in the middle of Zakros and Palekastro. On your way you can enjoy a refreshment or a cup of coffee in a small, traditional “kafeneion”, hidden in the middle of the settlement (open only in summers).

The whole environment and the cretan hospitality will seal all the marvelous impressions you have collected all day long…
From Hohlakies village you can take the bus back to Palekastro.

Chohlakies or Karoumes Gorge

Additional Info

Altitude: 0 – 180 m

Starting Point: Palekastro or Agathias Village

Path Type: Not asphalt road (4km) – marked path (4km) – marked path in gorge (3km)

Difficulty: Moderate

Walk distance: 11 kms : 4-5 hours (Palekastro – Chochlakies village)

Palekastro-Karoumes trail Gallery

Accommodation

Thalassa apartments

Thalassa apartments offer charming self-catering accommodation for your holidays in Palekastro, Sitia and Eastern Crete. They are extremely well situated for easy access both to the beautiful Kouremenos Beach (just 300 m away) and to the famous Vai Palm Beach…

Voula’s Casadimare, Kouremenos

Voula's Casadimare apartments located just 70m from the sandy beach of Kouremenos, in the middle of an olive grove of 6000sqm In Voula's Casadimare you will find Cretan hospitality combined with the personal care that the family owners provide during…

Palekastro Scooter and Bikes

We offer top quality, efficient, reliable, high performance bikes and scooters for rent. All of our bicycles are perfectly maintained, fine tuned for precise, reliable operation. We clean and service them after every single use, so you can focus on…

Ostria Hotel

We welcome you to Hotel Ostria, Palekastro. Crete has much to offer its visitors: Sandy beaches, rocky mountains, a unique fauna, exellent food - the world famous cretan cusine- , significant archaeological and natural beauties. My name is Spiros Papadakis.My…

Sirines studios, Agathias

In a verdurous olive grove at the edge of the traditional settlement of Agathias close to the village of Palekastro and very close to the famous beach of Hiona, we have created SIRINES, a small family block of 4 apartments…

House Margot Rooms, Palekastro

Away from big touristic centres in the small village of Palekastro in the eastern side of Crete, where the image of the beaches has still remained unspoiled, where the old customs still stand, where the nature is still primitive, surrounded…

Akti Villas, Kouremenos

The complex is located in a quiet and picturesque area in Kouremenos Beach, 2 km far away from Palekastro village, east Crete. It is ideal for couples and families with children looking for quality and ultimately relaxing holidays away from…

Elia studios, Agathias

Elia Studios' complex of 6 studios - apartments (about 26-28m2 each one) is located on a quiet slope of a hill at the edge of the traditional settlement of Agathias at Palekastro area. Their exceptional position gives them superb views…

Anatoli Rooms, Agathias

ANATOLI Rooms are located at the eastern side of the small, but picturesque traditional settlement of Agathias, 1 km far from the beach of Hiona and 1200m far from the beach of Kouremenos, known to the lovers of windsurfing. They…

Elia Taverna, Palekastro

1 km East from Palekastro you can find Agathias, a small and traditional village. Taverna - Restaurant ELIA is situated in Agathias, approximately 1000 m. from the famous beaches of Hiona and Kouremenos, and is one of the few traditional…