Saint Savvas Gorge

In the wild and majestic Asterousia Mountains, 60km south of Heraklion is located the gorge of St. Savvas. Its entrance is positioned near the homonym chapel, accessed via a dirt road leading south from the village of Koumasa. The 4km long gorge joins the gorge of Trypiti and continues till its exit in the beautiful beach of Trypiti, after passing through the characteristic narrow walls of Tripiti Gorge.

Apart from the beauty of the dry landscape in Asteroussia, in the gorge you will find a large olive wood with many olive and carob trees. Although there are many parts of Crete with dense olive groves, the characteristic of the forest of Saint Savvas is that it consists of olive trees that are wild and not cultivated, enabling visitors to see how the olives look like in their natural environment. Besides the trees, the canyon hosts important wildlife and birds.

Trees are scattered all along the gorge, but where their density is increasing at the point between the entrance of the narrow gorge of Tripiti, west of the gorge. The visitor in that place, which can be accessed via the dirt road running in Tripiti Gorge, is surrounded by a lush green landscape of olive and carob trees where the shade is a small oasis.