Samaria Gorge

Samaria Gorge is a protected gorge in the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) of south-west Crete, within a national park in the Chania regional unit of Greece. The walk runs about 16 kilometres from the Omalos plateau trailhead at Xyloskalo down to the coastal village of Agia Roumeli, dropping roughly 1,200 metres. The path begins with a steep wooden-and-stone staircase through pine and cypress forest, then follows a stream bed through the narrowing canyon, passing the abandoned village of Samaria and the small chapel of Agios Nikolaos. The most famous section is the Gates (Portes or Iron Gates), where the walls rise to around 300 metres and the gorge narrows to about three or four metres wide. Wild kri-kri goats, vultures and a range of endemic plants live in the park. Walkers need good footwear and plenty of water, and most complete the route in five to seven hours, followed by a ferry from Agia Roumeli to Sfakia or Paleochora and a bus back to Chania. The gorge is only open in the dry season, usually from May to mid-October, and closes if rain or storms raise flood or rockfall risks. Entrance tickets are checked at the top and the exit, and visitors are expected to leave no litter and not to swim in the streams. Crowds are heaviest from about 8:00 to 11:00 in July and August when organised coach tours arrive, so starting at opening time spreads the day and avoids the afternoon heat. The best views are at the Gates and in the lower shaded section above Agia Roumeli, where the canyon opens to the Libyan Sea.