Samaria Gorge
Ten miles downhill through a canyon that narrows to three metres.
Duration
7 hrs – 8 hrs
Difficulty
●●●○○
Best time
Set off at opening, around 7am
Open
May to October
Entry price
To confirm
The Samaria gorge runs sixteen kilometres and drops from twelve hundred and fifty metres to the Libyan Sea. It crosses the White Mountains national park, created in 1962, and shelters the kri-kri, the wild goat endemic to Crete.
The most famous passage is the Gates: the gorge narrows there to three metres between three-hundred-metre walls. The walk is one-way, top to bottom, and ends at the village of Agia Roumeli, reachable only by boat — there is no road.
Getting there
Bus from Chania to Xyloskalo, the upper gate. At the far end, a boat from Agia Roumeli to Sougia or Chora Sfakion, then a bus back.
Hours
Open May to October only
What the price covers
paid national park entry, rate to be confirmed; the exit boat at Agia Roumeli is extra
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- 1.5 L of water
- Sportswear
Rules on site
The park is only open from May to October, and it closes as soon as flash flooding is forecast. The last boat from Agia Roumeli is final and there is no road: missing it means sleeping there. Walking boots, not sandals, and three litres of water.