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A well-maintained hiking trail, accessible year-round, leads through the Gorge of the Dead. It can be started either in the village of Zakros or at the Palace of Zakros in Kato Zakros. If undertaken as a loop, allow four hours for the hike. The gorge is a section of the European long-distance hiking trail E4.

At the mouth of the gorge are the Minoan palace Kato Zakros and a coarse sandy beach.

Carbonate rocks predominate in the valley. The steep-sided gorge, approximately eight kilometers long, is traversed by a stream that carries water year-round in some places. Oriental plane trees (Platanus orientalis), oleanders (Nerum oleander), and chaste trees (Vitex agnus-castus) grow along the banks. In spring, larger colonies of Cretan birthwort (Aristolochia cretica) can be observed.

The gorge is called the "Valley of the Dead" because the Minoans buried their dead in the numerous caves in its sides. Only one grave was found intact; it contained the remains of five women dating from 2300 to 2100 BC. All the other burial caves had been looted.

The Gorge of the Dead (Greek: Φαράγγι Νεκρών Farángi Nekrón), also known as the Gorge of Zakros (Φαράγγι Ζάκρου Farángi Zákrou) or Valley of the Dead, lies below the town of Zakros, west of the Minoan palace near Kato Zakros in eastern Crete. During the summer months, the gorge is one of the most popular hiking destinations in eastern Crete.

Holy Church of Saint Joseph of Azokeramou, lived from 1440 to 1511

The gorge got its name from the Minoan cemetery that developed there. Natural cavities in the rocky slopes served as burial sites for the people of Zakros.

Sitia is a small port town and the center of sparsely populated northeastern Crete. Tourist offerings are largely limited to cafés and restaurants along the large harbor promenade, allowing the town to retain its original charm.