Ha Gorge
not verifiedpermit unconfirmed 2026-08-19
ACA 4C
High flood risk
Ierapetra, Crete
Crete's top-rated technical descent, 1300 plus foot limestone slot on the south face of the Thripti range, signature 50 meter rappel.
Spring is short. The Ha runs in March and April; outside that window the flow is either too low to be interesting or too high to be safe. Beta is best on descente-canyon.com (French). The canyon mouth opens to spectacular views over the Libyan Sea; allow time for the exit walk.
Logistics
| Manager | Greek state forestry / municipality of Ierapetra |
|---|---|
| Permit | RopeWiki's Red Tape section is empty and its infobox carries no Permits field, so access here is unverified rather than confirmed free. |
| Distance | ~1.0 |
| Elevation | ~1312 ft loss |
| Time | 4-5.5 hr (5-15 min approach, 4-5 hr descent, 5 min exit) |
| Technical | Limestone slot on the south face of the Thripti range. Ropewiki rates 4C III (v4a3 V). Longest rappel about 164 ft. Sustained limestone work, swift water hazard, polished bedrock. Ropewiki community average 4.5 of 5 across 18 ratings makes it Crete's top-rated descent. |
| Season | Mar-Apr (spring runoff window) |
| Flood risk | High. Spring-fed slot below a steep limestone catchment, flow swings hard with snowmelt and storms off the Dikti and Thripti ranges. Cancel on rain forecast for the upper Ha drainage. |
| Vehicle access | 2WD, 15 km shuttle required |
| Crowd | Moderate for a destination of this quality, low on weekdays in season |
| Coordinates | 35.0843, 25.8412 |
Sources
- beta fr: https://www.descente-canyon.com
- ropewiki: https://ropewiki.com/Ha
- heroPhoto: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ha_gorge.jpg