This place is for the real traveller, the one that does not mind walking several km, taking in all the breathtaking surroundings and finally will be rewarded with this very special Monument, the Katholiko Monastery considered to be the oldest Monastery of Crete dating back to the 7th century. Wear good footwear for this walk/hike since some places its quite slippery. Further down, passing the amazing bridge, a path will guide you the see with some more surprises... Please keep this places clean, do not litter and don't leave anything behind, thank you

Great hike thats about 3km. Caves are nice, the trek is very slightly and easy to manage. The water at the end is crystal clear blue green color. The bridge area is beautiful.

Following the path starting from Gouverneto Monastery, you will reach Monastery Katholiko in 15 minutes after visiting Arkoudiotissa Cave on the way. The roots of this monastery are thought to date back to the 11th century, but the buildings you will see are dated to the 16th century. The monks living here during this period became the last representatives of the monastery, as the coastal areas were targeted by pirates. In the monastery, the church, dilapidated monk cells and an impressive old bridge crossing the river stand preserved. There are also several storage rooms under the base of the bridge. If your Crete trip brought you to this region, be sure to visit this impressive monastery. While enjoying the view offered by these impressive structures among the mountains, don't forget to gather strength for your way back.

Beautiful remains of an old Monastery on the side of a mountain . Quite a walk from the main entrance , but well worth it . Go early morning to avoid hiking in the extreme sun and heat .

Beautiful ruins, really worth the exhausting hike. Entry fee is 2,5€ per person. If you're up for it, you can continue to walk the gorge from here, but the path is challenging. You'll be rewarded with a very beautiful cliff bay though. Remember to bring enough water, there is no possibility to refill at the monastery.

About halfway on the hike path from the Gouverneto monastery to Katholiko beach you will find the ruins of the Katholiko monastery. It is worth the hike but make sure to start the hike early, especially on a hot day. Bonus if you start early, you'll have the whole place to yourself! Make sure to continue the hike to Katholiko beach!

This is a beautiful hike but not for young children or people with limited mobility. It will take 1 hour + to get down. The walk back up is mostly stairs which is rough on a sunny hot day. Worth it, but come prepared with water and food.

Beautiful, majestic ruins. Definitely worth seeing. The road leads with stairs and paved surface. You can walk in sneakers.

It’s just ruins but essential point on the descent to the bay and up. If you are looking for the way down/up, it’s after the bridge, quite steep so be careful.

Well worth the hike from the Gouverneto monastery, it's a shame one isn't allowed to go to the bay, we saw dolphins there from a distance!

Awesome view, wonderful treat at the bottom with crystal clear water. Hike is medium challenging for your cardio especially on the way back up. Follow the white and red marks when you get to that patch of grass as it could be a little confusing. Other than that, take your time, dont trip and enjoy one of the most scenic hikes you will ever do. Once you head back up, take a moment and visit the monastery where you will find the monks doing a ceremony. Be respectful, quiet, take a moment of gratitude for everything that you just experienced. I would do this again. Also fee to get in is 2.5 euros per person Bring a bathing suit Bring good shoes!!!

Great walk through mountains to an ancient monastery. About 30minute walk each way. Flip-flops not advised. Although we both had them on. Spectacular views.

The way up to the monastery where the hike actually starts is really not suitable to pedestrians, you would need a car to get there, no bus takes you up/down, this is why the 4*. At the entrance, the cashier was very nice, told us all about the hike, and checked if our shoes were suitable. Entrance fee is 2.50 euros. The trail itself is very nice, not too demanding, with beautiful views. It was very hot that day we visited, so we only went down to the abandoned monasteries, it was definetly worth it. The place has a very unique vibe, and you can take great photos.

After 200m going down you will reach the old monastery Katholiko. Enjoy the shades and the view. At the point prolong your walk towards the see, 20min aprox, you will not regret it.

Wort the walk. Small ruins of monastyr to visit. It has a feeling of ancient times, but apparently, it is still in use.

Very good place for a views and for your body get tired so many steps but after that good food in hotel. We go with a quads realy nice driving through some serpentine. Excellent views really recommend 👌 👏 👍 😀 🙌 😄 2.50€ entrance not much and worth.

Cool monastery. It seemed they didn’t care about wearing shorts. The best part is the hike behind it. We were short on time so didn’t go all the way to the water, but the hike is definitely worth it. Lots of steps but not too hard. Cool caves that look like they are out of a movie set. Also NATO base next door so you will casually see missiles being launched. So don’t be alarmed, no nuclear war.

Abandoned monastery, currently in ruins and hidden in a gorge. Way to here leads from Gouverneto Monastery - via rocky and steep path. Once you're here, it's almost a must to carry on to Katholiko Bay to get wet in cold and crystal clear water.

Breathtaking place! The walk and the ruins are from another world!

Fantastic place, the upper level monastery is fine but the cave church and trail to the ocean is epic.

40 minutes of walk peaceful place, but sometimes windy 😁

road rocky 40min down hill but view and monastery itself was really awesome. too bad we came there late so couldnt see more in those hills.

The new monastery was closed for refurbishment, and the old one was not much to look at. The most interesting bit was the cave. To get to the Katholiko beach you need proper hiking shoes. It's a hike on a trail through a canyon that is marked with red and white lines. Swimming is not allowed though.

Lovely, easy gorge. Great outing for the whole family!!!

Very hard to reach, you have to hike on a mountain trail to get there, but when the weather is good it really is worth it!

Lovely hike, gets more scrambly the further down you go. Locals tell us to ignore the monastery and go for a swim as it is public land. We did not as we had run out of sunshine.

Beautiful...peaceful...lovely small easy hike down the mountains and into some gorgeous caves & down the gorge leading to Avlaki Port....