It is home to over 450 species of plants and animal, many of them can only … (I think the company was called Elafannosis) Zero problem with the company but take drammamine for the bus rides. Most beautiful is the “Iron Gate,” the narrow section near the bottom. The terrain is rocky which may make it challenging for those not used to those conditions. But lots of stations along the route and possible to drink from the streams. Beaucoup de cailloux, privilégiez les chaussures montantes. Magnifiques paysages, pas une multitude de touristes (visiblement les gens préfèrent la plage) et tant mieux! Samaria Gorge is the longest gorge in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe. If you have a choice, a well-ventilated hiking shoe may be useful to you, especially if it's hot. With your expert guide, you will escape the crow The 300,000 visitors that visit annually the 18 km long gorge are usually not aware of its historical and mythical significance. Samaria Gorge is in the regional unit of Chania, it is 16 km long and since 1962, it is a National Park of Greece and the only one in Crete. Je ne suis pas une grande fan des descentes mais la pente est plutôt douce après les 2 premiers km. Beautiful trail, not too busy on October 22nd. At one of the rest stops I was attacked by a baby Kri-Kri. Very steep and hard on the knees in the beginning, but the 2nd half is much flatter. Le sentier longe une rivière et sa difficulté est évaluée comme difficile. Hike the UNESCO protected gorge of Crete with an expert mountain guide. Water packs for all is essential plus sturdy footwear. Be on lookout! I hiked this alone for my 40th birthday. Samaria Gorge is a major tourist attraction in Crete. Take plenty of snacks and enjoy the walk x. Samaria National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the White Mountains of Crete, draws tens of thousands of visitors per year to hike the spectacular gorge at its center. Bonus to this hike is that it ends at a beach so you can jump in the water to cool down. DeTraci Regula is a freelance writer who has specialized in Greek travel and tours for 18 years. - if you start the trail after 8:30a (ie you take a bus up to the trailhead) you’ll be trekking among hundreds of people almost the whole way through. There are a number of stopping points along the route, where you’ll find toilets and drinking water. The hike itself is doable if you are of reasonable fitness. - the terrain is very rocky almost the whole way through. It’s an experience you will carry with you forever. It was very cold and wet early in the morning when the bus arrived at the park entrance, though the weather quickly warmed up and it ended up being a lovely day! Bonus to this hike is that it ends at a beach so you can jump in the water to cool down. Gygilos with its lunar landscape. The beach is free and renting a chair is 7 euro. There's a €2 van that will take you to the beach if you're just too tired! Don't take the ferry back to Sougia or … A steep stone pathway with wooden rails leads down to the trailhead on the gorge floor; from there, the path continues between sheer limestone canyon walls, known as the Iron Gates at their narrowest point. Catch the earliest bus from Hania to Xyloskalo to beat the heat and midday crowds. The Samaria gorge hike is 16 km (about 10 miles) long and in the summer you will be feeling the power of the sun’s rays with very little in the way of shade. Their corpse-like scent attracts flies who fertilize the flowers like bees. The gorge is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. Length 9.9 miElevation gain 9215 ftRoute type Point to point It was a gift to my self. There are some washrooms along the way, and natural springs where you can fill your water bottle. Regarded by the locals as an almost sacred place and a monument to freedom (partisans found refuge here throughout centuries), … If you have concerns about the weather, call on the day of your Samaria Gorge hike, especially if you're doing it yourself and not as part of a bussed group. Expect to be stepping on/between rocks the whole time. Hiking boots optional. I would recommend proper hiking boots though the majority of walkers wore running shoes. “The Samaria Gorge is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. Une fois la trail complétée, nous avons mangé chez Rousios (Taverne), excellent et ensuite loué un parasol et 2 chaises (7 euros) pour une sieste en attendant le traversier de.17:30. pas besoin de guide:). It’s mostly downhill and this is gonna test your knees. The Samaria Gorge hike is a favorite among walkers and a must-do for adventurers in Crete. The various terrain that you go through and the scenery is magical. It is a fairly strenuous hike but so worth it. In this complete guide to hike the Samaria Gorge in Crete, you will find all the information needed to walk Samaria as easily as possible. Make sure to pack your bathing suit and take a dip on the Mediterranean Sea! There’s an undeniable raw beauty to the canyon, with its soaring cliffs and needlenose passageways. Would recommend avoiding them if possible. • Ayia Rouméli Ayia Rouméli is a small coastal village that you reach after walking through the Samaria Gorge. Samaria Gorge, Europe’s deepest and longest gorge, is a great gash in the White Mountains of Crete. Walked it a hot summer day, so got pretty hard. The hike isn't too difficult, but it's a long one, so prepare yourself with some tips before you head out. The Samaria Gorge hike was the highlight of our week on Crete! Europe’s largest gorge. I did this hike in my train running shoes, and felt totally fine as a decently active regular hiker. Available EVERY DAY ! There are few tricky sections and one short uphill section, but for the most part it is very manageable, especially when you're prepared for a long hike. Bussed in from Chania. The terrain in the gorge is rough, rocky, and uneven and the hike is not suitable for anyone who has heart problems or is unfit, or for pregnant women. Easy enough walk but you are occasionally sharing the trail with donkeys. The walking tour from one end of Samaria gorge to the other is a challenging 18 kilometers. Hopefully this review is helpful. Would rate as moderate as the trail itself is very easy, just long. The hike begins high in the mountains and for the first few miles it is a winding decent down the slope of the mountain. Welcome to Samaria Gorge Hiking the 16km-long Samaria Gorge, one of Europe's longest canyons, is high on the list of must-dos for many visitors to Crete. Journée longue mais à ne pas rater si vous aimez marcher. It has about a 3,000 foot drop and 10+ mile length. With all the busses dropping off the tour groups it begins very busy but after the first few miles each team sets their own pace and the slack opens up. Un ferry à la fin vous emmène à Sougia pour reprendre un bus où vous avez garé votre voiture au départ de la rando. - be careful driving on the mountain roads on Crete. If you have an opportunity to do this hike, I highly recommend it. Being the largest gorge in Europe and arguably the most spectacular, the Samaria Gorge offers a spectacular 18km walk with a starting point on the plain of Omalos at 1,000 m above sea level. Hardest part was the heat as you arrive in the gorge in the afternoon heat. Thousands of tourists flock here daily in the summer season to walk from the top to the bottom. Overall, I loved this experience and hope to return again someday :), wow, belle randonnée, facile a suivre. There are a lot of drinking water spots to refill, I certainly didn’t need to bring 3L of water like I did. Park authorities might even close the park if it is too hot outside. Well kept and fun to run ! Some are pointy, some are smooth, some are slippery, so keep that in mind as well. Amazing. From Chania, Crete you can take a bus ride that will get you to the trail head in the morning. This hike was stunningly beautiful and the beach at the end while waiting for the ferry absolutely amazing as well. Finished by 1pm. Your home base for this loop trip is Hania, a city on Crete's north coast serviced frequently by the overnight boat from Athens. Would recommend hiking boots due to walking on rocks for a large part of the way. The Samaria Gorge is the most famous trekking gorge in Europe and a part of the European E4 hiking trail. Not too difficult descent. Hidden in the south part of the Chania district, it is the biggest gorge in Europe, covering an area of 18 kilometres in length. As the mountain portion ends, the remainder of the decent is following the path of a dried river bed - so lots of rocks and boulders as the terrain! While it's not the only gorge in the area, Samaria Gorge is by far the biggest—in fact, it's Europe's second-largest canyon overall. Hiking boots are not necessary for most people walking the Samaria Gorge. Le sentier offre plusieurs activités et est accessible toute l'année. The view once you’ve climbed done into the Gorge is incredible. Watch out for goats! Multiple water stations along the way so you really don't need to bring all your water with you. I knocked a star off for the shear number of people. In the gorge, there is a variety of several rare endemic species as well as many species of flowers and birds. The trail end on the southern part of the island and you take a ferry and a bus to get back to Chania in the evening. Def recommend, but it is a long one! The hike was a straight descent. The E4 European Path: Palaiochora to Lissos, The E4 European Path: Lissos to Poikilassos, The E4 European Path: Poikilassos to Domata, The E4 European Path: Domata to Agios Pavlos, The E4 European Path: Agios Pavlos to Chora Sfakion, The E4 European Trail: Chora Sfakion to Frangokastello, The E4 European Path: Chora Sfakion to Petres, The E4 European Path: Petres to Argyroupoli. There are some washrooms along the way, and Didn’t have another way to get to the trailhead and shot myself in the foot with this one. You can bring your own snacks or buy a sandwich from the lunchroom at the top of the Samaria Gorge. Great hike with great views and such a unique landscape. When you finish the walk at Agia Roumeli you then have to get the ferry to Hora Sfakia where you pick up a bus back to Chania. While tens of thousands of people trek down the Samaria Gorge each season, it is not danger-free and fatalities have occurred in the past. It was created by a small river running through mountains, and today it is by no means small anymore. Sheer cliffs and mighty peaks surround the fertile highland plain of Omalos where ancient olive trees still grow. If you are not up for the hike, but still want to see the famous Iron Gate, where the pathway enters an opening only about nine feet wide, many tour companies offer the option of bussing to Skafia and taking the ferry to Agia Roumeli. Walk through a deep ravine that’s bathed in sun yet shaded by trees. This trail is not difficult, but it is very long. The first section of the walk is by far the most difficult one because it descends steeply. That said, scenery is spectacular and I don’t regret walking down. Someone in my group had standard running shoes (Nike) and her feet were painful by the end. At 16 kilometers, Samaria Gorge is one of the longest gorges in Europe (some sources say the longest, others the second longest), is located in Crete’s only national … This is theoretically quite easy in the gorge of Samaria as you are going down most of the time but the path requires some care and attention and the walk will take you a minimum of 4 hours of walking time. The gorge has a length of 16 km, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m., in Xyloskalo and ending on the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/HappyTravellerYT This is our video from our hiking in Samaria Gorge. You will not have to carry more than a liter bottle of water, which you will refill at the springs along the way. You really don’t need more than 1 L. I would recommend carrying empty bottles to fill at the end though if your trip home is long. The hike is all downhill, so if you need to turn back for any reason, your best bet is to keep going until you reach the ranger or medical station at the otherwise-abandoned village of Samaria and ask to be taken out by donkey. Everything we wanted and more. - there is significant water gathering opportunities along the way. Listen to your body. Because of popularity it is a very busy trail (at least when I hiked mid-August). Samaria Gorge is a paradise for biodiversity — home to 450 species of Cretan flora out of which 70 are endemic meaning that they grown only in a gorge. Bottoms of your feet may hurt tomorrow if you do! The Samaria Gorge is a favorite trail for hikers on Greece's Island of Crete, which can be completed in 6-8 hours. Even on a weekday in the end of September, it’s tough to get away from the crowds. A rocky and crowded trail with any inexperienced hikers. Our guide Linda was so enthusiastic and informative we learned a lot about the region and its history. Certainly a bucket-list-worthy hike. An absolute must-do if you are a hiker and want to experience Crete in it's mountainous glory. Especially getting to the seaside and diving into crystal clear water. If I came back I would hike one of the other less crowded gorges. Ended at Agia Roumeli with a few hours to spare before a ferry would be taking us back to the bus. The 16km walk through the gorge of Samaria can be broken down into four sections of roughly similar length (if you want to be very accurate Part 1 is 3.8 km / 580 of descent, Part 2 is 3.7 km / 310m of descent, Part 3 is 3.6 km /170m of descent and Part 4 is 4.8 km / 170m of descent to sea level). Leave all the rest to us! It’s a gong show the crowd trying to get on the 5.30 ferry! For many visitors, it is the sole purpose of their visit to Crete. 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