Aradena Gorge

The Aradena bridge is a steel span built in 1986 by a Sfakian shipowner to reconnect the abandoned village of Aradena to the road, and it crosses the gorge at about 138 metres above the bed, which makes it the highest bungee jump in Greece and one of the highest in Europe, operated on summer weekends. Below the bridge, a path descends into the gorge and follows it for roughly four kilometres to Marmara beach at the sea, involving iron ladders bolted to the rock at two steep steps and boulder scrambling throughout; the walk takes three to four hours down. Aradena village itself stands empty above the gorge, its stone houses roofless around a Byzantine church, abandoned in the twentieth century.

Highlights

• The Aradena bridge - a steel span 138 metres above the gorge floor.
• The abandoned village - roofless stone houses and a Byzantine church.
• The ladder sections - iron rungs fixed into the rock at the steep steps.
• Marmara beach - the pebble cove where the gorge meets the sea.

When to go

April, May, September and October; summer is too hot in the gorge and winter rain makes it dangerous. Boats from Marmara to Loutro run in season and solve the return.

Practical notes

This is a demanding walk with ladders, boulders and no water source, and it is not suitable for children or anyone with vertigo. Return requires a boat from Marmara or a long climb back. The access road to the bridge is rough.

Nearby

Loutro is a short boat ride from Marmara; Chora Sfakion and Frangokastello lie east.

Key facts