Sweeping views, beautiful pine trees and towering cliffs
Undoubtedly the most famous gorge in Crete, and most probably one of the most famous in the whole of Europe, the Samaria Gorge is a must-do for those that love hiking, and we would say all visitors to the island in general.
Located in the region of Chania, the hike is 16km long- believed to be the longest in Europe, and was formed by a river running between the Mount Volakias and the White Mountains (Lefká Óri).
The gorge can be hiked between May and October, depending on weather conditions and the amount of water flowing through- and is usually busiest in the summer time when there is least water flowing through. The gorge became protected as a National Park in 1962, and became a refuge for the Cretan goats known as Kri-Kri (indeed, we saw many of these whilst hiking, but also in the area more generally). As well as the Kri-Kri, you can find other endangered species, such as the Cephalanthera cucullata, a perrennial orchid which is an EU priority species for conservation.
Getting to the gorge
The hike starts out at Omalos, at an altitude of 1.25km. To get to the start there are several options- you can get a coach from Chania early in the morning, or get a connecting coach from Heraklion/Rethymnon to Chania and then onwards to Omalos. Alternatively, you can do what we did and drive all the way to the start. We looked at various options- but as we had hired a car for our entire trip (if we got the coach to Chania we’d have to drive to Chania anyway) we decided to just drive all the way to Omalos. The drive from Chania to Omalos takes just under an hour and is fairly straight forward, on good, asphalt roads, and the views during the drive in parts are absolutely breathtaking- see the photo below!
When you arive at Omalos, keep driving through the village towards the One Stop Shop- there is free parking on the road. There, you can find a small cafe with a variety of snacks and some drinks for you to buy for the hike- although we’d recommend buying all of these things in advance if possible. There are also restrooms here that you can use before you set off for the hike.
Once parked, you walk over towards the start of the hike- just follow everyone else- otherwise head to “Samaria Reserve Park” on google maps if there is noone to follow. There, you will find a small booth selling tickets for the entry to the gorge (around 5 euros per person). The back of the ticket helpfully has a map of the hike, with the distances between the water and toilet facilities- very useful!
Map of Samaria Gorge
The parking spots, next to the One Stop Shop
Snacks and drinks for sale in the One Stop Shop
The back of the entrance ticket with the map
It is worth noting that the hike can be walked in either direction- so in theory you can also start at the bottom of the gorge at Ayia Roumeli and walk upwards, but to get to Ayia Roumeli you have to get a ferry.
The majority of people we came across on the day were doing the hike from Omalos towards Ayia Roumeli- this is easier and saves you having to ascend, although worth noting that descending is harder on the knees… There is apparently also an option to start the hike at Ayia Roumeli and just walk up to the gates and back- but we’d recommend doing the entire hike given that it is not too difficult and the scenery is more than worth it!
The hike through the gorge
One of many information signs throughout the gorge
Chapel of Agios Nikolaos
Inside the chapel of Agios Nikolaos
The hike itself
As our trip to Crete was towards the end of the season, we found the hike to not be too busy. However, we would recommend arriving at the starting point early- at around 9/10am- to ensure you have enough time to walk through the gorge and also avoid as much of the afternoon sun as possible (and avoid crowds and crowds).
Overall, it took us 5 and a half hours to walk the entire hike. According to guidebooks it should take between 4 and 7 hours- but of course this depends on how quickly you walk, how many times you pause, stop to admire the scenery and take photos etc.
As for the hike itself- both Wally and I exercise regularly and I would say we are in good shape, however the walk at times was a bit challenging- especially as it was still on the slightly hot and sunny side- so do bear this in mind and bring a hat and suncream.
The hike starts off with a rather steep descent via a wooden stairway (with handrails) for the first section, taking you to a small clearing with pine trees and fresh water. We found this first part to be incredible- the views were absolutely amazing so kept stopping to take photo and take in the view.
There were several benches in this clearing, as there were for almost every rest point, and afterwards we found the route to mostly start to level out- so fewer steep descents and a well marked path making its way through the pine trees. Generally, the path is very well marked, with signs indicating which way to go when it may not be completely obvious, and where necessary there are handrails and ropes in place for safety- just stick to the path and you will be fine.
A few kilometers into the hike you come across a small chapel of Agios Nikolaos which is incredible impressive and worth seeing the inside.
Part of the hike, with a rope handrail for safety
Above: the sign for the Samaria Settlement village
Right: abandoned houses
Chapel Ossia Maria
Above: inside the chapel Ossia Maria
Right: the path through the gorge
Samaria Settlement
At around the halfway point you can find the abandoned Samaria Settlement- a well signposted rest point. These days you can find some toilet facilities here, a first aid point (plus warden offices). We stopped here for a lunch break- and it seemed almost everyone else did the same, to rest their legs and top up on fresh water. This place has an unexplainable feeling to it- it would have been very cut off and isolated, surrounded in beautiful scenery, fauna and wildlife, and you can really feel the tranquility (ignoring all the tourists!). It is also really interesting to explore the area, and see the ruins of the settlement.
As you continue the hike and exit the settlement, a short distance away on the right hand side, you will come across a beautiful little church, almost slotted into the rocks. The Chapel is for Ossia Maria (Saint Maria) founded in the fourteenth century- and it is from this chapel that the village and gorge take their name. It is worth visiting, and then the hike continues on, becoming much flatter, as you meander through the forest on a well-marked path.
The path towards the Iron Gates
Shortly afterwards, you come to a more open area, with the sheer cliffs in the near distance, and pine trees on the sides of the gorge. You soon come to the Sidheresportes (Iron Gates)- where the two walls of the gorge are very close to each other, almost touching distance.
Not only does this make for incredible photos, but you can also really feel the magnitude of nature here. Walking through the Sidheresportes, you find yourself in a more open valley, with many boulders and rocks, a few streams to cross over (sometimes using a small bridge) and soon enough you reach Ayia Roumeli.
In hindsight, reaching the end of the hike was rather anti-climatic: there’s a gate and ticket booth you walk past which signfiies the end of the hike, then you walk past some houses and stalls selling drinks, as well as a bus to the coast, which is the final destination of the hike. Most people seemed to walk instead of getting the bus- the last leg took around 20 minutes and wasn’t too dificult!
Above: the Iron Gates sign
Above: the path leading through the Iron Gates
Left: the Iron Gates
The path coming out of the Iron Gates
The congratulatory sign
The signs outside Ayia Roumeli
The ferries at the jetty
The coach ticket office in Sougia
Reaching Ayia Roumeli and onward travel to Sougia
On reaching the coast, you will find several restaurants, hotels for those staying overnight or longer and incredibly blue water. Whilst plunging into the water was very tempting, we opted for a few cold drinks whilst waiting for the ferry.
The first thing to do once you reach Ayia Roumeli is to buy a ferry ticket though- the cold beer can wait! The ferry from Ayia Roumeli takes you to Sougia, we paid 11 euros per person and you can buy the tickets at a small kiosk near the end of the jetty (look for ANENDYK Agia Roumeli Jetty on google maps if struggling). You can see the timetable for ferries online here– but we found that the only option we really had was a ferry at 5.30pm.
Bear this in mind when planning your day and the hike through the gorge as there may really have no option of getting another, later ferry out, and given Ayia Roumeli can only be reached by foot or ferry- you may end up having to stay at one of the hotels overnight if you set off for the hike too late.
From Ayia Roumeli, the ferry takes around 45 minutes to get the Sougia, where there are coaches waiting a few minutes walk away, and these are timed with the ferries arriving. We were somewhat worried given the ferry was absolutely packed, but there were more than enough seats on the coaches for everyone, and overall it seemed to be a very well organised operation. We got a coach back to the Omalos (an additional fee), but there are options to go to Chania and other places- worth looking this up in advance.
Finally, we got back to our car and drove back to the hotel (stopping for dinner en route)- very much deserved and very much needed!
Views from the ferry between Ayia Roumeli and Sougia
Whilst a very long day, hiking the Samaria gorge remains in our memory as a very beautiful, scenic hike and we would recommend to anyone visiting Crete- without hesitation! To read more about what we would recommend when visiting Crete, click here.
Views at the start of the hike
Hints, tips and suggestions
- Bring a bottle of water– but you don’t necessarily need to bring litres and litres with you as there are regular springs throughout the hike. Try to minimise what you are carrying as this will just weight you down- so only carry essentials.
- Bring some snacks for the hike– such as bannanas, nuts, and something more substantial such as a sandwich. There are no shops or cafes during the hike- so you need to come prepared.
- Wear some layers– the start of the hike may be chilly given the altitude, particulalry if you start the hike early in the morning. We found having a jumper/hoodie to be really useful.
- Wear hiking shoes or good trainers– defintely do not attempt to do the hike in flipflops or sandals! On some of the hikes we have done in Crete (less so this one admittedly) we have seem some people walk in sandals- perhaps not the sturdiest shoe when you’re having to go from boulder to boulder at times!
- Consider timings and transport– almost everyone around us was hiking down towards Ayia Roumeli- if you start at Ayia Roumeli and make your way up towards Omalos, this will be more challenging given the ascent, and will take more time. You also need to bear in mind transport – it seems the majority of transport options are for those hiking down towards Ayia Roumeli.
- Hiking with/without a guide– Whilst this may be an appealing option for some, there is no need to do the hike with a guided tour. The hike is really well signposted, and you can always just follow the other hikers. On the other hand, the upside of going for a guided tour is that transport is included and saves you having to buy tickets seperately.
- Extend the hike– If you are a really keen hiker, you can make the hike longer by adding on one of the various routes along the cost which link Ayia Roumeli to Hora Sfakia and Loutro. We didn’t do these hikes on this trip but will most certainly be back at some point- we passed some of the route whilst getting a ferry to Sougia, and the views were incredible!
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