Route: Sirikari Gorge
Area: Crete
Date of walk: 23rd April 2026
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 5.8 miles
Ascent: 1,300 feet
Weather: Sunny spells at first, gradually clouding over
On our second day in Crete, and inspired by yesterday’s walk along the Agia Irini Gorge, we opted for another of the island’s numerous gorge walks. Many places in Crete seems to have multiple names or spellings. The Sirikari Gorge is no exception and is also known as the Tsichliana Gorge or Polirinia Gorge. It links Sirikari village and the ancient city of Polyrinia (also known as Polyrrhenia or Polirinia)
One practical issue of gorge walks is they are linear, so a plan is needed to get back to the start. A taxi had solved the problem yesterday, but today we weren’t sure we’d be able to find one. So, we decided on an ‘out and back’ walk
We parked in a small car park in the grounds of a small church dedicated to Agios Ioannis (St. John), to be found at the end of a narrow country lane leading out of Polirinia. Beside the church a sign on a metal gate points the way to the start of the Sirikari Gorge. We followed the obvious path into the gorge, crossing over an old packhorse bridge, built in the Venetian era
As we headed up the gorge the views became ever more dramatic, with limestone cliffs towering overhead on both sides. Wildflowers lined the path for much of the way. Eventually we arrived at an old farmhouse and, after passing by it, reached a track. We followed this for a short distance before turning off to the left to climb uphill through pasture to the Church of Agios Konstantinos and its cemetery at the edge of Sirikari, marking the far point of the walk
After a brief rest we started the return journey, a simple matter of retracing our steps. The light had been gradually deteriorating but thankfully the forecast rain didn’t arrive. We descended under grey skies, pausing for a while near the end to watch griffon vultures circling above us, hopefully not in search of exhausted walkers
We re-crossed the Old Venetian Bridge and arrived back at the start of a wonderful walk. During the course of four hours we hadn’t seen another soul apart from an old farmer and his dog
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The small church of Agios Ioannis, the starting point for today's walk
We enter into the Sirikari Gorge via this gate adjacent to the church
We descend into the gorge, with a stream on our left
We cross the cobbled Venetian Bridge
New views open up with each twist and turn in the path...
The jaws of the Sirikani Gorge
Zooming in on the path which we'll follow shortly
We ascend a narrow path, keeping to the left hand side of the gorge throughout the walk
Looking back
More views of the gorge around the corner...
Wildflowers lining the path were one of the highlights of the walk...
Euphorbia (spurge)
Pyramidal orchid
We pause at the small area below, where there is a very poignant memorial tablet...
Deep in thought, we follow the course of a small stream for a while
More photos of our progress along the Sirikani Gorge...
The gorge begins to widen as we approach the far point of the walk
We pass through an old farm
The access track to the farm - we turn left at a gate
We pass through this gate (the sign requests the closure of the gate, and doesn't mean that the path is closed)
A fifteen minute uphill climb to the far point of the walk (it's debatable whether it's worth the effort, but every linear walk should have a destination)
We arrive at our destination, the Church of Agios Konstantinos. The village of Sirikari is nearby, but we were content to head back from here
We retrace our steps back through the Sirikari Gorge...
Near the memorial tablet which we'd passed earlier, we spot griffon vultures overhead. These are just three, but there were about 13 individuals and there is clearly a colony here
These massive birds have a wingspan of 7-8 feet. Having lugged the telephoto lens around on yesterday's walk to no avail, I'd left it at the hotel today, so these photos are heavily cropped
We notice a nest in one of the nooks and crannies in the cliifs above
After spending some time watching these huge birds, we retrace our steps back to the start of a fantastic walk
