Slot Canyon Atlas

Atlas › Crete - Heraklion

Tsoutsouros

verified ACA 3B II Unknown flood risk Tsoutsouros, Heraklion

A quiet walk down the bed gives way to one deeply enclosed 32 meter waterfall, the single real event on an otherwise gentle Kofinas line.

From Heraklion take the road south to Arkalochori, continue toward Ierapetra and at Martha turn right for Pyrgos, then after Demati turn left for Tsoutsouros. Coming from Keratokampos the lower piste is on the right just before the village entrance sign. On the approach pass the gate as best you can and follow the piste southeast over small hills, then drop steeply left into the torrent bed. Limestone.

Logistics

PermitNo permit required. Ropewiki records Requires permits: No.
Distance0.5
Elevation738
TimeAbout 2 hr descent with a 20 min approach and a 5 min exit. Ropewiki spans 2 to 3 hr.
TechnicalACA 3B II (v3a2 II). Minimum 35 m rope in single; biggest waterfall 32 m. After a walk down a peaceful bed the narrows takes shape with a little water and one or two waterfalls with real character. Just as the interest drops off and the narrows opens, you arrive at the deeply enclosed 32 m. The narrows continues past it but with few obstacles left, and the descent finishes with a few small steps in open surroundings.
SeasonWinter to spring. Descente-canyon notes it dries quickly and that the top can run when the bottom does not.
Flood riskNo easy escapes, and the second half, which is the finest part, is the enclosed one. It dries fast, so the window where it is worth doing is the same window where a storm matters. Cancel on rain over the Kofinas catchment.
Vehicle access6.7 km shuttle. Lower parking is reached by a concrete piste that doubles as the torrent bed, followed 400 m to its end near a transformer and water intake. Upper parking: cross Tsoutsouros toward Heraklion, count 4.5 km from the junction to a cattle pen on the left, then take a piste right for 1.1 km to its end at a concrete shack.
Crowd3.2 of 5 across 14 ropewiki votes; 2.3 of 4 across 18 on descente-canyon.
Coordinates34.9981, 25.2931

Sources