Slot Canyon Atlas

Atlas › Crete - Heraklion

Kalami 1

verified ACA 3B II High flood risk Kalami, Viannos, Heraklion

The wetter of the two Kalami canyons, bolted out of the water so it still goes in high flow, and short enough to pair with Xerofarago next door.

Descente-canyon warns that the Canyoning Crete guidebook has the two Kalami canyons confused: the eastern and more aquatic one is Kalami 1, also called Panagia, and the generally dry one further west is Kalami 2, also called Xerofarago. The access road does not pass through Kalami hamlet itself; the piste start can also be reached from Arvi, 1.4 km past Psaris Forada. Approach as for Kalami 2: reach the streambed, descend 20 m to a cairn, follow an easy steep line to a basin, continue straight to a piste, follow it about 400 m through a hairpin and drop by a faint path. Limestone.

Logistics

PermitNo permit required. Ropewiki records Requires permits: No. Descente-canyon flags a dam, water intake or hydroelectric structure upstream or on the descent.
Distance0.43
Elevation558
TimeAbout 1 hr 20 min descent with a 35 min approach and no return walk. Ropewiki spans 1.75 to 3.25 hr overall.
TechnicalACA 3B II (v3a2 II). Minimum 20 m rope in single; biggest waterfall 18 m. The narrows is very beautiful, a handful of waterfalls separated by short easy walking sections. It is bolted out of the water, so descente-canyon says it goes in high flow. There is more water here than in Kalami 2 and the bottom can be dry while the top is running.
SeasonSpring.
Flood riskBolted out of the water and passable in high flow per descente-canyon, but a dam or water intake sits upstream or on the descent, so flow is not purely natural. An exit is possible river left at a water intake, three minutes to a piste. Cancel on rain over the Omalos plateau.
Vehicle accessNo shuttle. Leave the Ano Viannos to Ierapetra road at the Kalami sign onto the good road toward Sidonia, follow 7.4 km and at a left hairpin take the piste right toward the chapel of Keralimaniostisos, then keep it level, left at the first fork and right at the second, to its end at a pump intake. The upper parking is not recommended: 30 min of driving on bad pistes.
Crowd3.2 of 5 across 13 ropewiki votes; 2.3 of 4 across 13 on descente-canyon.
Coordinates35.0141, 25.494

Sources