Rethymnon hosts several accessible beautiful canyons. The most famous is the Gorge Kourtaliotiko, in which flows the river Megalos that ends at the beautiful beach of Preveli with the dreamy palm grove. The gorge has the largest quantity of water in Crete and river trekking along its bed, from the springs to the beach, is an exciting experience. Other hiking-friendly canyons of Rethymnon include the twin Kollita gorges at the area of Argyroupolis, the gorge Kotsifos by Plakias, the gorge of Saint Anthony at Patsos, the gorge Prasano and the gorge Platania. Next to the town of Rethymnon there are the lush canyons of Myli, Vederi and Gallos.
Approximately two kilometers northwest of the village Karines at position Faragi there is a small but impressive gorge, Kariniotiko Gorge. Kariniotiko canyon is completely unknown as the entire surrounding area is not included in the tourist routes. However, the surrounding area has exceptional natural beauty and hosts one of the most impressive oak wood of Crete with huge ancient trees.
The lush canyon of Vederi starts from the village Fratzeskiana Metohia, passes next to the village Vederi and ends on the beach of Gerani (after 7km). The canyon has dense vegetation that makes trekking very difficult, as there is no footpath along its length.
Kollita Gorges, i.e. Twin Ravines are located nearby the picturesque village Argyroupolis, about 22km southwest of Rethymnon city. They are named so, as they consist of two parallel canyons that end near Kato Poros settlement. Here we refer to the easternmost gorge of Moundros.
The canyon is formed north of Rodakino village and is inaccessible without the use of canyoning equipment. It starts south of the summit of Kryoneritis Mount and after 5km it merges with the canyon of Sykia, just before reaching the bridge of Rodakino.
Gorge Perdikaris is located between villages Miriokefala and Argoules, along the borders of the prefectures of Rethymnon and Chania. It is a rugged canyon with steep gradients, low vegetation and large opening throughout its length.
At the small and almost deserted village Chordaki, district of Amari, we meet the small but very beautiful canyon of Kynigospilios south of the village. It is a secret place, not visible from anywhere and this is the main reason that remains it unknown. The canyon Kynigospilios has enough water flow during the winter months till the end of spring, which comes from the slopes of Mount Kedros.
Below the village Myrthios of North Rethymnon (not the village Myrthios by Plakias) a small ravine with plane trees is formed, with a small and very wild gorge formed at its exit at position Kaminolakos. The gorge is dry and carries water only after heavy rainfall.
The very beautiful gorge of Sykia is actually the easternmost gorge of the province of Sfakia and is formed north of the village Rodakino. It is a technical canyon, thus crossing it requires technical equipment, as there are more than 10 steep descents (waterfalls) secured by a relay from the speleological associations of Crete.