Hike to Katholiko Monastery in Crete

The Gen X Travels

7 years ago

Another beautiful day in Crete and we decided to hike to Katholiko Monastery and on to the sea. Also known as, Moni Katholiko, it is considered the oldest monastery in Crete, dating back to the 11th century. Founded by St John the Hermit, this monastery is built into the Avlaki Gorge on the North shore of Cape Akrotiri in Northwest Crete. The monastery was abandoned in the 17th century due to pirate raids.

Directions to Katholiko Monastery

The monastery is about 35 minutes from Chania. We started out from our resort and took the National Highway East past Chania towards Pithari. That is where we totally lost GPS. Luckily, I had a map and we turned North at Anemomili and kept heading North. Basically, follow the signs towards Gouverneto Monastery. This is where you will park and also find the trail to Katholiko Monastery. The roads were good but narrow. We had no major problem finding the monastery entrance and there is a small fee per person. The drive was pretty and also enjoyable as we drove through the quaint little villages and countryside.

Gouverneto Monastery

Most days you can visit the Gouverneto Monastery which is a functional, operating monastery. It was Tuesday though, and we have found out many spots of interest are closed in Greece on Tuesdays, not just religious sites but archaeological sites as well. I do not know why. Any one else know? You need to walk past the Gouverneto Monastery to get to the trailhead, it was impressive and would have been great to see the inside.

Trailhead to Katholiko Monastery

You can’t miss the path to Katholiko Monastery because it is right through the gate at the end of the side walk at Gouverneto Monastery. The view is spectacular, you can see the Aegean Sea from the trailhead so anticipation is high!

The Trail to the Monastery

It is important to note, the Trail to the Monastery has a lot of steps. The trail has a gravel path at times and also a cobblestone path at times, but a lot of steps. I felt it was a good, well maintained trail which was also easy to walk on. The views are gorgeous

Cave of the Bear

The Cave of the Bear has a large rock in the center of it that resembles a bear, thence the name. You can’t miss the entrance as it is along the path. Although the cave is lit, it is still dark so step carefully.

Katholiko Monastery

TAll in all, Katholiko Monastery is spectacular. The ruins give a glimpse as to how impressive this must have been. The monks that lived there at the time lived in small rooms and also in the caves around the gorge. Incidentally, during the WWII Nazi invasion many Crete locals inhabitants who fought in the Battle of Crete hid in the monastery and its surrounding caves.

Hike to the Sea

We decided we also wanteed to hike to the sea. The hike starts under the large stone bridge. Getting below the bridge takes some effort. There are 2 paths down the steep hill, both are tough and take careful footing. I used the 3 point method where I kept 3 points of contact at all times, meaning if I moved a leg, my other leg and two hands held on firmly. In addition, I did not move another limb until I was firmly footed. It did not take long, just caution.

The path to the sea was a loose rocky path through the gorge. Not treacherous, but again, good and careful footing required. I would definitely not wear flip flops and it would also be a rough trek for someone who had bad knees or hips. It also was hot!

Once at the sea, the views were spectacular! We did see an ancient boat dock which was pretty cool! We did not find any place that looked like a beach. The area was all sharp, volcanic type rocks. We were told that swimming was forbidden as of 2 months prior to our arrival. Not sure where people swam at in the past as I didn’t see any place that looked swim friendly.

The Sea

Hike Up

We hung out and explored the cliff above the sea enjoying the views and then followed the same trail back up. All in all, I found it to be easier, from a walking stand point, to hike up. Although from a cardiovascular stand point, it was tough. Hiking up was a good cardio work out though, and we weren’t the only ones huffing and puffing on our way up! It took us a little over an hour to get to the top from the sea.

I absolutely loved everything about this hike. The views, history, monastery, cave, and also thee sea are all things I love about Crete nestled in to one hike.

Planning

While planning our trip to Greece, I found the travel guide Top 10 Crete to be very useful. It lists the top 10 of places to go, restaurants, and also sites. It also lists the top 10 by region and area. I felt it was a great planning tool, in addition, it came with a pocket size map.

I also bought a National Geographic Map of Crete and this was priceless as we lost our GPS several times. The map is pretty accurate and also durable. It really did help us out! As a matter of fact, looking through this post, 8 years later and 4 trips to Crete since I wrote this, my Creete map is still in great condition.

Where We Stayed in Chania, Crete

While in Chania we stayed at the Domes Noru z, a beautiful seaside resort with wonderful amenities. Our room, which overlooked the pool, was comfortable and spacious with a plunge pool and soaking tub. The staff was welcoming. I will write more in a future post on where we stayed and ate during this trip. In the meantime, if you want you can click here for more information on Domes Noruz in Chania.