Greece C messier · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
340 metres, to scale.
A slice through Topolia Gorge where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
340m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
12.5km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
26°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
72m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
5 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 30 °C on the floor, against 25 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from April to May and from October to November. The wettest months are from November to February.
- 14°9°Jan
- 14°9°Feb
- 16°11°Mar
- 19°14°Apr
- 23°18°May
- 27°22°Jun
- 30°25°Jul
- 30°25°Aug
- 27°22°Sep
- 24°18°Oct
- 20°14°Nov
- 16°11°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Crete, Greece
Topolia Gorge is a canyon in Greece, cut by the Tiflos river. The relief model measures 340 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 783 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 13 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Kíssamosnearest town · 8.9 km in a straight line
- Parking 2,880 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.5 km from the floor
- Chania International Airport (CHQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 44 km in a straight lineCar hire at CHQ airport (Souda)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From April to May and from October to Novemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 12viewpoints within 5 kmTunnel Topolia, 764m, Κάστελος and 9 more
- 4marked hiking routes within 4 kmEuropean Walking Route E4, Greece, Crete, ΣΗΡΙΚΑΡΙ-ΠΟΛΥΡΡΗΝΙΑ, Topolia Gorge and 1 more
- 7footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 2caves within 3 km
- 8car parks within 3 km
- 1information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 2bus stops within 2 km
- 8hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmΑρχόντας, Palazzo Loupassi Boutique Hotel, Cory Apartmen and 5 more
- 17restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- campsites within 8 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Kíssamos8.9 km in a straight line
- Kolympári16 km in a straight line
- Geráni20 km in a straight line
- Palaióchora21 km in a straight line
- Agía Marína24 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Topolia Gorge.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Peakyas59 mountains within 15 km
Coastya5 beaches within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 14 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 20 | 16 |
| Afternoon · rim | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 11 |
| Night · rim | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 98 | 90 | 52 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 57 | 83 | 103 |
| Rainy days | 16 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
| Sun hours/day | 4.3 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 9.1 | 10.6 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 11.7 | 9.7 | 7.3 | 5.2 | 3.9 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 9 | 6 | 98 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 14 | 9 | 6 | 90 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 16 | 11 | 7 | 52 | 7.2 |
| Apr | 19 | 14 | 9 | 27 | 9.1 |
| May | 23 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 10.6 |
| Jun | 27 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 12.5 |
| Jul | 30 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 12.7 |
| Aug | 30 | 25 | 19 | 5 | 11.7 |
| Sep | 27 | 22 | 17 | 21 | 9.7 |
| Oct | 24 | 18 | 14 | 57 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 20 | 14 | 11 | 83 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 16 | 11 | 8 | 103 | 3.9 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (72 m) and the rim (854 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 56% | 32% | 122% | 97% | 39% | — | — | 124% | 97% | 112% | 63% | 58% |
| 2021 | 76% | 24% | 79% | 145% | 41% | — | — | 136% | 51% | 132% | 46% | 90% |
| 2022 | 96% | 39% | 144% | 39% | 37% | — | — | 322% | 96% | 62% | 75% | 28% |
| 2023 | 71% | 30% | 70% | 73% | 180% | — | — | 56% | 200% | 26% | 38% | 41% |
| 2024 | 70% | 44% | 42% | 33% | 62% | — | — | 86% | 72% | 11% | 55% | 99% |
| 2025 | 57% | 43% | 47% | 148% | 121% | — | — | 50% | 42% | 91% | 59% | 76% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Topolia Gorge
Greece
- 340 mDepth
- 13 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 26°Steepest wall
Samariá Gorge National Park
Greece · 33 km
- 964 mDepth
- 5.1 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 56°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q25164001) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
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islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here