Slot Canyon Atlas

Atlas › Crete - Heraklion

Kalami 2

verified ACA 3A I Low flood risk Kalami, Viannos, Heraklion

Four hundred meters of back to back rappels, usually dry, and the natural pairing with the wetter Kalami 1 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. To link the two, after passing the concrete tank continue instead of dropping into Panagia, reach a piste, follow it right 500 m, then take a faint col on the right on foot with a cairn at 330 m. Approach: enter the watercourse, 20 m downstream find a cairn river right just at the canyon exit, climb straight up the mountainside to the upper orchards with a few cairns, pass under a water tank and traverse three minutes. Exit crosses the Kalami and climbs back to the piste at the pylon. Limestone.

Logistics

PermitNo permit required. Ropewiki records Requires permits: No.
Distance0.25
Elevation459
TimeAbout 1 hr descent with a 20 min approach and a 2 min exit. Ropewiki spans 1 to 3.1 hr overall.
TechnicalACA 3A I (v3a1 II). Minimum 25 m rope in single; biggest waterfall 15 m. Only 400 m long and the rappels run one into the next without a break. Generally dry, and few of the pools cause any problem.
SeasonYear round. Descente-canyon calls it accessible in any season.
Flood riskThe lowest risk line in the Kalami pair: generally dry, with an escape possible around the midpoint. Still cancel on rain over the Omalos plateau.
Vehicle accessNo shuttle. Two approaches: from Myrtos head toward Heraklion about 15 km then turn left for Kalami, cross the village toward Sidonia and in a big left bend, 1.3 km before Psari Forada and 4.6 km after Kalami, turn right onto the piste to the small chapel of Moni Keralimaniostisos. Or from Arvi head for Psari Forada and Sidonia, climb left at the fork, cross Psari Forada and 1.3 km past the village take the piste left to the chapel, 11 km. Then turn right onto a level piste for 500 m to a parking by an electricity pole and transformer.
Crowd3.6 of 5 across 17 ropewiki votes; 2.7 of 4 across 18 on descente-canyon.
Coordinates35.0079, 25.4938

Sources