Agiofarago Gorge

Agiofarago means the gorge of saints, and the name is literal: its walls hold caves used by hermits from the early Christian centuries onward, some with carved crosses and soot from ancient fires, and at the seaward end stands the tiny twelfth-century chapel of Agios Antonios beside a spring and a rock-cut cistern. The walk in takes thirty to forty minutes, level and easy, between cliffs that narrow to a corridor of pale limestone; climbers use the walls, which carry bolted routes. At the end the gorge opens onto a small beach of white pebbles with startlingly clear water. There are no facilities, no shade beyond the cliffs and no lifeguards, and the walk back in the afternoon heat is the hard part.

What you actually see

• The hermit caves - rock shelters with carved crosses in the gorge walls.
• Agios Antonios chapel - a twelfth-century chapel near the sea.
• The beach - white pebbles and clear water at the gorge mouth.
• The climbing walls - bolted routes on the limestone sides.

When to go

Spring and autumn for comfortable walking; the gorge is hot and shadeless in the middle of summer. Morning visits leave the return before the worst heat.

Honest expectations

The access track from Odigitria is rough and slow, and a normal car needs care. There is nothing at the beach: no water, no cafe, no toilets. Boats from Kaloi Limenes and Matala offer an easier arrival in season.

Nearby

Odigitria monastery is at the track head; Matala and Kaloi Limenes lie along the coast.