Travel Guide Gorges De Samaria

Located in one of the wildest places of all Crete, in the heart of the White Mountains, the Samaria Gorge is certainly the most extraordinary natural site of the whole island. It is the deepest gorge in Europe (16 km), which winds through a grandiose setting, protected since 1962 by a national natural park (originally created to protect the kri-kri). The maximum width of the gorge is 150 m and the minimum passage is 2.50 m at the gates.During the summer season, the influx of people is particularly high. They are generally open only from May to October, but everything depends on the weather. The smart ones come the day before and sleep in sleeping bags near the entrance to be the first to leave and really enjoy the beauty of this exceptional site, alone (otherwise, at the height of the summer, up to 2,000 people a day go hiking... sometimes in a queue). Many agencies offer organized excursions: it costs about 25 € for a departure from Hania (but also from most places of Crete), without the entrance ticket to the gorges nor the one of the boat to Agia Roumeli... It is therefore the same price to take the morning public bus from Hania, Sougia or Paleohora, and to go down the gorges so as to reach the beach of Agia Roumeli before 4 pm. At this time the ferries leave either for Hora Sfakion or Paleohora. However, it can be interesting to do the trip with a guide, if you are not very sure of yourself or if your physical condition is not at its best... Because the descent of the gorges is not so easy and requires a minimum of equipment. Finally, the main interest of the organized excursion is that the agency takes care of your bags that you recover at the end of the route. Otherwise, as it is impossible to walk with a big backpack, you will have to leave it at your starting point (Hania, Paleohora or Sougia) and get it back in the evening (or another day) in Paleohora or Sougia, accessible by boat, and at the earliest the next day for Hania. In short, if you are short of time, the agency can simplify your logistics..