Skoutouljaris Gorge Alternative Circular Walk

Skoutouljaris Gorge Alternative Circular Walk

A walk that avoids the blocking boulders in the Skoutouljaris Gorge

A fairly challenging 14.5 km (9 miles) circular hike that starts at Masari village and navigates the hill top path at the start of the Skoutouljaris Gorge. This path provides a method to avoid the three large boulders that are wedged across the gorge, blocking the way up river for those who cannot overcome this difficult obstacle. The return route passes two lakes, then takes tracks down to the Makaris river, returning to the start along the road.

Skoutouljaris Gorge Alternative Circular Walk - Essential Information

Walk Statistics (calculated from GPX):

• Start location: Massari 
• Distance:   km (  miles)
• Total Gain:   metre (  ft)
• Total Descent:   metre (  ft)
• Min Height:   metre (  ft)
• Max Height:   metre (  ft)
• Walk Time:  
• Walk Grade: challenging
• Terrain: Road, tracks, rocky river bed

Maps:

The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.

 

GPX Route File

Route Verification Details

• Date of Walk: 13/10/2025
• Walk Time: 09:30:00 to 13:30:00
• Walkers: Griff, Kat
• Weather Conditions: Warm, clear blue skies

Walk Notes

Safety First

The gorge part of this path is quite challenging and should only be undertaken by confident hikers. Wear decent sturdy footwear and take plenty of water.

General Information

The Skoutouljaris Gorge is one of the most visited hiking paths on the island of Rhodes, featuring a circular route that incorporates the awe-inspiring gorge and returns via the Holy Monastery Kamyri. This route is found on numerous websites, published in hiking books, and is available on the maps that accompany some navigation apps. The conventional route does require a car to reach the start/end point, and each time we pass this way, we always see a few tourist cars parked under the shade of trees. For completeness, this conventional route is replicated on this site for those who want to follow it. (see The Skoutouljaris Gorge).

The conventional route through the Skoutouljaris Gorge is a challenging hike along the river bed whose features and obstacles can change with winter rains that move boulders and debris down stream. Without a doubt the gorge is a spectacular wonder of nature and I am pretty certain that many tourists will merely wander through the start of the gorge and then return without attempting to perform the full hike up stream. There is nothing wrong with this, and indeed, the initial part of the gorge with its massive vertical cliff faces will inspire awe and wonder to anyone who journeys through it. We here at Griffmonster Walks have incorporated this into the various hikes that pass by this way. For those more determined to follow the full conventional route, they will eventually arrive at a point where the gorge narrows and they are presented with three huge boulders wedged across the gorge, blocking the way forward. This was certainly the case in 2022 and was still true in 2025. If you are agile and tall enough then you can haul yourself up over these boulders to continue the hike, but for smaller folk this presents a severe challenge. This conclusion has been echoed by other hikers on internet forums where they had to turn around and return to the start.

The Skoutouljaris Gorge

As a method to continue past this obstacle, we devised an alternative route using the hill top footpath that climbs over the the gorge cliff. This does entail a 100m climb, but the broad track makes this route navigable for those unable to overcome the huge boulders. This path returns to the river just beyond the boulders to continue onwards. There are more boulder obstacles further upstream but nothing as severe and challenging as the three blocking boulders.

The huge boulders that block the gorge, which is why this alternative route was instigated

For this alternative route, the Masari Crossroads on the East Coast Highwayis the start/end point, where links with public transport provide a hike for those without a car. The hike is 14.5 km (9 miles) in total, with the river bed section quite challenging in places. The rewards for those who persevere up the river are the lush areas that surrounds two natural lakes in the hills above. This route has taken a couple of visits to the Gorge to investigate the best options, plus research using both maps and satellite images to provide the full route. It provides a full days exploring but it should be emphasized that due to the nature of the terrain, decent sturdy footwear should be worn and plenty of water is required to enjoy the challenges.

A Travelogue of the Walk

The KTEL bus shudders to a halt at Masari Crossroads, a quiet little-used stop along the main coastal highway. These days, most of the buses have automated announcements — a small but welcome touch of modernity that lets you know exactly when to press the bell and step off into a new corner of the island. Masari Crossroads is the first stop beyond Kalathos; however, the distance is deceptively long, leaving us impatiently looking for the stop ahead.

We’ve grown fond of this stop. Over the years, it has become our starting point for many wanderings, familiar yet full of promise each time we return. Beside the road, a humble kantina stands at the junction, its shade a refuge from the morning sun. Here, the host serves an excellent frappé — creamy, cold, and bracing — alongside long, crusty batons filled with a mixed vegetable omelette. Simple food, but somehow perfect; it fortifies you for whatever the day may bring.

Ancient old olive trees

The walk to the gorge begins gently, meandering through orange and olive groves, their air heavy with the scent of ripening fruit. In October, the oranges glow softly between green leaves, and irrigation channels glimmer as they rush with clear mountain water. Ancient olive trees, with their twisted and gnarled trunks, seem to murmur stories of centuries past. One can almost hear them if the breeze is still enough.

Each visit offers something new to notice. This time, it was blackberries — a small but surprising discovery. I had never seen them on the island before. There were only a few, certainly not enough to fill a demijohn for wine making, but they were a delight nonetheless, small gems of glossy black nestled in the lonely brambles. They are cultivated in parts of Greece, though perhaps not here on Rhodes. These particular berries looked stubbornly wild and smaller than the British varieties that abundantly populate wasteland or wild commons. The Greek name for blackberry, μαύρο βατόμουρο (mávro vatómouro), quite literally translates as 'black raspberry' — a name that rolls on the tongue like something both familiar and foreign.

Blackberries, an unexpected discovery among the orange and olive groves

The oranges are bountiful, and Masari is renowned for these citrus orchards

Beyond the groves, the road meanders towards the gorge, tracing the Skoutouljaris river’s path on the right. To the left, sheer cliffs rise dramatically, pocked with caves and dotted with goats that perch precariously on the ledges with careless abandon. A destroyed dam that once spanned the river bears silent witness to the power of the torrents that thunder through this valley when the rains come. The tarmac of the road crumbles in places, evidence of restless earth beneath our feet.

Eventually, the road opens into a broad clearing where the river bends sharply to head for the gorge. Beyond that curve lies the wildness and the beginning of true adventure, where new experiences would unfold. When we arrived, three cars that had passed us earlier were parked in the shade of olive trees, strategically placed in order to gather the maximum of the scant shade that their branches provided. Only one of the cars had occupants who were an elderly couple, their age not preventing them from the challenges ahead, a quiet confidence born of long experience. They adjusted their walking poles, smiled knowingly at us, and set off behind our lead, traipsing into the sun-baked river bed.

Despite the fact that it was October, a clear, deep blue sky and a penetrating sun beat down as we started the track alongside the river bed. Behind us, the elderly couple followed some twenty meters behind. The track separated with one fork going back to the river bed and the other heading up the steep gradient to climb over the top of the gorge, our chosen route. The couple blindly followed under the assumption that we were heading into the main gorge. I called a question over the distance between us, asking them if they were heading to the gorge. They answered in the affirmative, their accented reply hinted at a Dutch origin. I pointed them in the correct direction and we parted our ways.

Climbing the hill over the gorge

The ascent of the hill was punctuated with stops in the shade of the intermittent pine trees, taking swigs of water from our bottles. Looking from whence we had come, a panorama presented itself, a view all the way back to the coast with the azure blue of the sea forming the horizon. The summit of the hill was rounded, and the views of the continuing gorge lay ahead, opening up to still-steep vertical cliffs. Beautiful. This certainly gave a different perspective on the gorge. The track continued down to form a riverside path, well used and easy to navigate. We were now ahead of the three blocking boulders and hoping for a more leisurely route to come. The river bed was littered with green shrubs and herbs and the cliffs soon changed to hills rolling away from the river, their slopes full of skeletal trees — a testament to the fires that had ravaged Rhodes during the summer of 2023.

The view over the hill with the river winding its way into the hills

The track eventually petered out and we had to drop down to the river bed and navigate the best route across the stone-ridden ground. These stones ranged from easy going gravel to large unsteady pebbles that made progress slow. In places heaps of stone had been gathered together by previous hikers to form cairns, a simple method to act as a guide for the best way forward. Occasional huge slabs of black earthy rock presented themselves and the mind would wander, pondering on how water could have swept them down the river. Nature never fails to impress.

Then the river bed narrowed into another gorge, its sides not as tall as the main gorge but this had a more confined width where numerous large black and grey boulders presented the next obstacle. It was like a giant had placed them all the way up this section of river bed as a puzzle for hikers to find a navigable course through the maze. A turn in the river's course hid the extent of this challenge and at first sight it looked somewhat daunting to know where to begin. With a little investigation of each nook and cranny between the boulder, and with some trepidation, we inched a way ahead between the boulders, hopeful that another gap would present itself ahead. In places we had to jump across pools of crystal clear water, where life thrived, lizards darted into hiding and frogs plopped into the water as we passed, vanishing in ripples that quickly stilled again. Occasionally, helpful Cairns provided confidence that we were heading along the best narrow passage between boulders. Sometimes we would try one way through then have to retract and try another. Clambering, climbing, sliding, sometimes splashing, with the only path being the one we created ourselves. Rounding the turn in the gorge revealed that the end of the boulder puzzle was in sight, giving us a feeling of exhilaration that the challenge was virtually complete. Altogether it was slow and patient work, but deeply satisfying — each small victory measured not in distance but in persistence.

The start of the boulder maze

Cairns make the best way forward

The gorge opened out again to a wider and easier going river bed all the way up to where the track that led away from the river which would lead us up to the lakes. The track actually crossed the river bed and on the opposite side it eventually led to the Gadoura reservoir but that was for another expedition, another time.

Heading along this well defined track, there was some relief that the going was now easy and the rest of the route should give us no more challenges. Directly above the river the track passed fenced olive groves before starting a steady ascent to the lakes. Everywhere looked lush with greenery and the fragrance of wild herbs wafted the air all the way up to the first lake. The track took a sharp left to lead around the lake. Directly ahead, immediately before the bend, were two tall cairns standing either side of the start to a rugged footpath that led around the eastern side of the lake. This was the route most hikers took, which led around the mountain and to Moni Kammiri. We followed the track as per our plan to find a different route.

The track that leads from the river to the lakes

The area around the lake is comparatively flat and hemmed in by the mountains. According to the map the location is known as Plakia (Πλακιά) which roughly translates as flat, an apt name by all means. Lakes are few and far between on Rhodes, other than the man made reservoirs. This lake seemed to be natural, and together with the second lake, a little higher up, they were formed in large natural gullies in the landscape. According to the map a stream that sprang from near the summit of the mountain behind the higher lake fed firstly the upper lake, then the lower lake before coursing down to the Skoutouljaris river. There was certainly no evidence of flowing water on this occasion but I am sure winter rainfall would reinstate the watercourse. Around the perimeter of the lake were lush green bushy shrubs such as oleander, almost looking as they had been regimentally planted although they most likely just followed the highest water line. In addition, pine trees dotted the landscape around, and the usual hardy herbs of Greek sage and thyme were everywhere to be seen and their aromatic tones filled the air. The shrubs partially obscured the views of the water and we had to find suitable viewing spaces or push branches away to sneak a view of the mountains and sky reflected in the tranquil waters.

Sneaking views of the lower lake through the vegetation that surrounded its perimeter

The head of the lower lake that reveals the low level of the waters

Continuing to the upper lake, which was no more than 10m above the first, we arrived to be greeted by a similar spectacle or still waters reflecting the deep blue sky and the mountains, with similar shrubs marking its perimeter. The height gain allowed us to look back down across the lower lake and take in the inspiring panorama of the lake amidst the mountainous terrain, something for which we could only stand there and let our eyes feast on the view. That sight itself was a worthy reward for the effort to get here.

What the view did not allow us to see because it was obscured by pine trees was something that the prior research of the route also missed. This was not discovered until I started writing up these very words and performing a little more research. A mere 175m beyond on a track that led away from the lake was a chapel. Not just a humble chapel but a whole dedicated fenced area complete with palmed gardens, that looks resplendent in its hillside setting. An image can be found on Google Maps and I have qualified this on the hiking map and satellite images. A return to this area may be called for and to feast ones eyes on this area is enough to call us back and pay homage to the view, the waters and the chapel.

The upper lake

The panorama over the lower lake taken from the vantage point of the upper lake

Eventually we pulled ourselves away from this magical place and proceeded along the track to find our return route. The meandering track led us across the hillsides in long, gentle curves, slowly descending as it went. Briefly a deep gorge accompanied the track, no doubt eked out by winter rains. A ruin sat at the head of an olive grove, its history forgotten with time. Maybe a shepherds house? Then came the view point where the sight of the Makaris river valley stretched out below, the course of the grey broad river bed winding its way between the tree covered mountains. A glorious sight by all means, and a welcome feeling that provided the certainty that we were on the correct way back.

The track soon dropped down to a level area alongside the river filled with olive groves, and a tiny chapel which we had visited previously. Each time we had passed through this area on previous visits we found it strewn with old rusting oil drums and the scene had not changed. They were always an odd curiosity and all purposely placed not just dumped. Directly ahead smoke wafted in the still air which immediately raised concern considering the wild fires that the island had witnessed in previous years. As we drew closer we could see the smoke was issuing from a tiny building with a ladder propped against its wall. Every seam of the building exuded smoke in thick plumes, even through the edges of the door although no windows could be seen. Then it dawned upon us that this was a smokehouse. We walked closer and passed a similar building that had no smoke and that concluded that they were smokehouses, and all became a little clearer. The oil drums must be part of the charcoal making process, maybe tightly packed with wood, loaded into the smokehouse and a fire lit underneath them. The air was now rich with the earthy scent of slowly burning wood. The craft of charcoal production dates back to ancient Greece and the tradition carries on today. The charcoal is then used for grills where souvlaki are cooked. It is good to see the enduring tradition continuing.

The ruins of a shepherds cottage

The view of the Makaris river

We set to depart down to the river-bed track when a battered old pick up truck slowly cut across toward us. We waited to allow it to pass and exchanged a friendly kalimera to the driver, a weather worn chap who was probably tending the smokehouses.

The rest of the walk was a trail we had done many times, along the riverbed and down to the Malona to Masari road, this was straight forward with the river walk easy, and a broad track that is used by many vehicles to get to the fertile valleys. A small bulldozer sat in a clearing alongside the track as it cut across a bank where the river turned. This was a vital tool to clear a new track each time rain erodes its course.

A rewarding end was had at the Cafe Rendezvous, a friendly taverna with tables under the large trees in the centre of the village where we could have some lunch. Reflections on the expedition coloured the conversation, reminisces of the sights and the wonder and exhilaration of completing a walk we had promised to do for years but had never undertaken. Then there was curiosity. Why had we not encountered any of the other hikers from the cars that had parked at the start of the gorge. Without a doubt they they should have been seen somewhere along the route, either just ahead or behind. Even though the hilltop route was somewhat of a shortcut, the course of the river before the next gorge gave ample view behind but not a soul was seen. Maybe they were also overcome by the giant boulders and had to turn back. The same reason why we had researched the alternative route that we had just completed.

The lady who took our order returned and we sat and relaxed under the cool shade with a large beer each accompanied by a shared platter of cooked meats, olives, cheeses, cucumber, tomato and bread sticks and the grateful feeling of being here in the shady confines of a Greek taverna, in a Rhodian village on a warm October afternoon. What more could anyone want. A perfect moment.

Stacked oil drums

The smokehouse in operation

The second smokehouse

View across to the the chapel of Saint Taxiarches (Άγιοι Ταξιάρχε)

The walk along the Makaris river bed .

Cafe Rendezvous under the cooling shade

Directions

The following directions offer an outline to navigating this hike and should be used in conjunction with a good hiking map - see the Maps and Navigation page. For more precise navigation it is advisable to use a navigation app on a mobile device and import the GPX that can be downloaded from this page.

1. Take the bus to the Massari crossroads bus stop.
2. Follow the road into the village. After 280m, there is a road leading off to the left just before wheres the road narrows and a two storey house with upper balcony can be seen on the left. Turn left here.
3. After 80m there is a car service centre on the left, and the road turns into a track that leads into orange and olive groves. Continue onwards along the track.
4. After 200m the track junctions with a road, continue over the road and onto the track opposite.
5. After 160m the track meets a rough road. Continue over this and straight ahead on the track.
6. Keep to the main track for a further 1km. Ignore all other tracks, this will curve around to the right, followed by a bend to the left after which the track is fairly straight until it merges with another track.
7. Bear left, after 300m this will junction with a road. Turn right and follow the road.
8. The road leads over a long river bridge after which there is a junction where a small chapel sits on the waste ground between the two forks of the junction. Take the right fork that heads to the hills.
9. The road follows the river bed which is on the right. After 1.2 km the road leads across the river bed where the river bends into the course of the road. At this point the river needs to be crossed using the rough track across the bed.
10. Before getting to the far side of the river bed, look out to the left for a track that leads into the vegetation of the far bank. Take this track which soon bends sharply around to the left, then after another 100m it will bend to the right to start the climb up the hill. At this point another track leads down to the river bed. Ignore this, and take the ascending route.
11. The track climbs over the hills that form the northern side of the gorge, then descends down back to the river bed. This is a total distance of 0.6 km,
12. Follow the river course. The track does continue briefly alongside the river and is the best way ahead. Once it descends into the river bed it is a case of picking the best route forward which may change given any previous winter rains, During later in the season there may well be stone cairns constructed by previous walkers as a guide to the best way ahead.
13. After some 1.5km the river bed narrows and a series of large boulders litter the river bed. These need to be negotiated by finding the best way through and/or across each one in turn. Once again, stone cairns offer assistance in negotiating the best way forward. This is a challenge but patience and exploring the best options will be rewarded.
14. With the boulders behind, there is another 550m of river bed walking until a track leads away from the river bed on the right. Take this.
15. The track makes for easy walking with an olive grove on the left. This continues ahead for 500m where the first lake lies straight ahead. Straight ahead, to the right of the lake, are two tall cairns either side of a footpath. This is the marker for the usual circular route for the gorge. Ignore this, and follow the track as it bends left to follow the perimeter of the lake.
16. Keep to the main track ignoring all other tracks that lead off. After 350m the second lake is encountered on the left. After anothere 2km the track leads down to the Makaris river.
17. Do not cross the river at this point but take the track that leads alongside it to an area littered with oil drums and a couple of building with a chapel that can be seen a little further away.
18. Take the track across the river that then leads across some scrub and then crosses the river again. Keep following the track for about 2km. This will eventually cross back over the river bed and lead onto a track alongside the riverbank and junction with the Malona to Apollona road.
19. Follow the road straight ahead, with the river on the right, and a football stadium a little further on the left.
20. Turn right and cross the river bridge. Keep to the road for 1.5km. This will lead into Masari village. Whre the road forks there is Cafe Rendezvous shaded by large trees which is an ideal place to take a rest and have lunch.
21. Take the left side of the fork, leading past the church with the lerge bell tower. This will lead back to the Masari Crossroads and the bus back home.

An alternative method to avoid most of the road on the return is to take the track that forks to the right immediately after the road bridge. Then after 1.2km take the track on the left that will join the principle road through the village.

Summary of Document Changes

Last Updated: 2025-11-01

2025-11-01 : Initial publication

Related Walk Links

• Walks around Massari