The Samaria Gorge, is a totally recommended place to visit with a genuine and raw beauty. However, given the large number of visitors it receives and the difficulty of the hike (if you walk the whole route), may fail to meet the expectations of some visitors. Therefore, this post is intended to provide only objective and useful information.
Objective data:
- It is the largest gorge in Europe, with a total length of approximately 16 km.
The area was made a national park in 1962 , among other reasons, to save the kri-kri from extinction.
It was established as a biosphere reserve in 1981.
- Its vertical walls reach a height of 500m at its highest point and is only 3m wide at its narrowest point.
- Hiking the Samaria Gorge is considered a "must-do" in Crete. In summer there can be up to 3000 people who want to walk through the narrow gorge the same day. Most of these people will have aches and pains the next day ;)
- The walk usually takes about 6 hours.
How to organize the trip:
Option 1: There are organized tours to the Samaria gorge of many Crete cities.
- Pros:
- Easy to organize.
- Easy to organize.
- Cons:
- In summer it is very crowded.
- It's a bit more expensive than arranging the tour ourselves.
- In summer it is very crowded.
Option 2: It is the "recommend option" because is the one we chose. If you are going to make the visit on your own it is interesting to look at the following map:
- You must arrive at Omalos, from which the hike begins. To get there, you can either go by car or you can go by bus from Chania. In general, most people arrive by bus from Chania. The journey time from Chania to Omalos is approximately one hour.
- The Samaria Gorge itself is about 13 km. From the approximately 1,200 meters of height in the entrance of Omalos to the level of the sea. The complete route is about 16 km because you have to walk from the end of the gorge to Agia Roumeli where you will catch the ferry.
- There is a bus on a permanent round trip from the end of the gorge to Agia Roumeli. This is a highly recommended option to avoid additional fatigue.
- Since Agia Roumeli is not connected by road, to leave there the only means is by sea. Therefore, you have to take a ferry from Agia Roumeli to Hora Skafion. The boat leaves at 17:30 and the trip up to Skafion Hora is little more than an hour. The buses back to Chania wait for the ferry to arrive and there are those needed to pick up everyone.
- It is possible to spend the night in Agia Roumeli and enjoy the town once most of the people have left.
- Return from Skafion to the starting point. If you travel to Chania, the return will be by a curvy road and the journey will last for about hour and three quarters.br />
Prices:
- Combined bus ticket Chania-Omalos and Hora Skafion-Chania: 15.70 euros.
- Ferry from Agia Roumeli to Hora Skafion: 12,70 euros.
- Entrance to the park: 5 Euros. <br /> <br />
Option 3: Get to Agia Roumeli by ferry and walk only the last section of the Samara Gorge, which is in fact the most interesting one.
Video :
Tips:
- Hiking the Samaria Gorge is not an easy hike. Being a continuous descent, the twins, quadriceps and ankles suffer.
- Although you will cross with some hero/heroine who hike in sandals, proper footwear is recommended.
- There is water in prepared rest areas and services under acceptable conditions of use along the gorge.
- Since the field is very irregular and rocky the last five kilometers are hard.
- From Chania bus station it is very easy to get all the information necessary to organize the trip.
Thanks for reading the post, I hope you liked it and maybe it might be useful if you visit Greece!
