The best day trip from Chania: hiking in Samaria gorge

The Samaria Gorge on the island of Crete is one of the longest gorges in Europe, stretching for 16 km. The standard route begins at an altitude of 1,250 meters in the mountains and descends to the shores of the Libyan Sea. The trail is renowned for its wild nature, breathtaking views, and unique landscapes. However, this is far from an easy walk! The descent through the gorge takes 6–8 hours and requires good physical fitness: the path is long and rocky, and under the blazing Cretan sun, it becomes a real challenge. But all the effort is worth it! The landscapes of the Samaria Gorge showcase Crete's untamed beauty: steep cliffs, ancient trees, and the "Iron Gates"— the narrowest part of the gorge, where the width is no more than 4 meters. This hike is not just an opportunity to enjoy nature but also to test your endurance.

In this post, I will tell you about Samaria National Park, why it’s best to book an organised tour for this hike and where you can book one. I’ll also share tips for visiting the gorge so that nothing catches you off guard during your adventure.

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Since 1962, the Samaria Gorge has been designated a national park to preserve the region’s unique flora and fauna. It is home to over 450 species of plants and animals, 70 of which are endemic to Crete. Among these, the Cretan wild goat, known as the kri-kri, stands out and has become a symbol of the island.

The gorge is also rich in historical heritage. In its southern part once stood the ancient city of Tara, founded in the 6th century BCE. This city minted coins featuring the image of the mountain goat. Archaeological discoveries in the gorge include ruins of temples believed to have been dedicated to Apollo and Artemis. Additionally, the abandoned village of Samaria lies in the middle of the gorge. Its residents were relocated in 1962 when the area was declared a national park.

From the moment I started planning, it became clear to me that organising an independent trip to the Samaria Gorge from Chania is quite a logistical challenge. The trail begins high in the mountains at the village of Xyloskalo and ends on the other side of the gorge in Agia Roumeli. After completing the 18-kilometre trek, you need to catch a ferry to Sougia and then find your way back to Chania. This requires meticulous preparation and pre-booked tickets. If you’re travelling by car, it’s even trickier: while you can drive to Xyloskalo, you’ll need to retrieve your car afterwards. This means either hiking back uphill to the park entrance at Xyloskalo or taking a bus or taxi from Sougia back to the starting point.

In my opinion, for this particular trip, an organised tour is the most convenient — and surprisingly cost-effective — option. When booking independently, just the bus and ferry tickets can end up costing more than the price of a tour, and public transport often doesn’t align with the most convenient schedules. Moreover, with a tour, you still have the freedom to complete the route at your own pace. You’re not walking as part of a group, and your timing depends entirely on your ability and preferences. Before the hike, a guide provides a detailed briefing, explaining how to navigate the trail, what to look out for, and the times you need to reach key points along the route. The tour takes care of all the logistical headaches while still allowing you to enjoy the experience on your terms. Everything is thoughtfully arranged, from the transfer to the starting point to the ferry at the end, saving you both energy and unnecessary stress on the trail!

I decided to book the tour through excursion aggregators again, as we had a good experience with GetYourGuide during a wine tasting in the Chianti region. These platforms make it easy to find tours that fit both your budget and interests, and they offer a smoother process for refunds in case of disputes. When we arrived in Chania, we found that there aren't many tourist agencies in the Old Town. We only came across one, and it didn’t leave a great impression. So, I turned to trusted platforms like GetYourGuide and Viator.

To choose the best tour option for Samaria Gorge, I created a table in Google Sheets, gathered all the tours with high ratings and reasonable prices, and compared them. In the end, I narrowed it down to options from Elafonissos Travel, Platanos Tours, and AllCreteTours. All of them had similar routes and great reviews, so I didn’t notice much difference in service quality. Interestingly, throughout the trip, we kept encountering buses from other companies at the same spots and around the same times.

In the end, we chose the tour with Elafonissos Travel, as we had already used them for a trip to Elafonissi Beach and had a great experience. We decided not to take any risks and continued booking with them. We booked the tour through Viator, which offers a 5% cashback on bookings. It’s not much, but it’s a nice bonus. There are plenty of languages available, including English, German, French, Spanish, and more.

The guide provides all the key information on the bus before the hike starts. He repeats the important points several times, and you can always ask questions. Our tour was also available in German, which isn’t surprising, as there are many hiking enthusiasts from Germany on Crete.

In terms of cost, the entire tour came to €48 per person: €30 for the tour itself, which we paid on Viator’s website; €13 for the ferry, which we paid in cash to the guide before the tour; and €5 for entry to the national park. Be sure to check what’s included in the tour price on the website and what you’ll need to pay separately on the spot so there are no surprises later.

Before visiting the Samaria Gorge, I had my doubts. I was worried that the route might be too challenging, especially given the heat and the length of the trail. Reviews often mentioned that some people couldn’t make it to the end and had to turn back, which seemed almost impossible after such a strenuous descent. Although I enjoy active hikes and mountain trails, I had never tackled a 16-kilometre trek in hot weather before. However, as it turned out, my fears were unfounded — this hike was one of the best experiences of my life! The key is to not expect it to be an easy stroll, but at the same time, there’s nothing overly extreme about the route either. Let me share all the details to help you prepare and feel confident before your trip.

The day began early: the tour bus usually picks participants up around 6:00 am from their hotel or a nearby meeting point. For example, in Chania, we were picked up at a bus stop near the Agora, just a 10-minute walk from our hotel, My Rooms. The drive winds through mountain roads, so if you’re prone to motion sickness, it’s a good idea to take medication beforehand. Along the way, the bus stopped at a café where we could have breakfast, use the facilities, and buy water or snacks for the hike if needed. We had prepared in advance, bringing breakfast from the hotel and stocking up on water and snacks from a shop in Chania. During the journey, the guide explained the key features of the trail, offered practical advice, and shared fascinating facts about the local flora and fauna.

When we arrived at the village of Xyloskalo — the starting point of the route at 1,250 metres above sea level — we needed to purchase tickets to enter the Samaria National Park. These tickets are not included in the tour price and must be paid for separately in cash. The ticket cost €5, and we were informed about this in advance when booking the tour. We paused briefly at the entrance to take some photos of the stunning views from the top, as this is the highest point of the trail. After that, the 16-kilometre trek began, descending from 1,250 metres all the way to sea level.

We started at 7:00 am, so it was pleasantly cool in the mountains at first. The trail can feel a bit crowded initially, as many groups begin at the same time, but the crowd soon disperses, and everyone finds their own pace. The path takes you through a variety of landscapes: dense forests, rocky stretches, dramatic cliffs, and the famous narrow section of the gorge known as the "Iron Gates". There are ten waystations along the route. Be sure to grab a map at the start to track your progress, as mobile reception is virtually nonexistent in the gorge. The stations provide drinking water and toilets. We brought 1.5 litres of water per person and refilled only once, near the end of the trail at Christos. For snacks, we stopped on rocks away from the stations to avoid the persistent wasps that tend to hover near the bins.

The first section of the trail, with its steep descent, requires caution, especially early in the morning when your body is still waking up. Despite the presence of steps, this part puts significant strain on your knees. Another challenging section for me was the trail near the Iron Gates. By that point, fatigue had set in, and the path was exposed to the blazing sun, making it both very hot and slippery. However, after completing this stretch, I felt a second wind as we entered the forest, which gave me the motivation to push on and reach the finish more quickly.

We arrived at the café at 1:00 pm. When you reach the end of the trail through the Samaria Gorge, you're greeted by a small café where you can take a break, grab a bite to eat, and enjoy a refreshing drink. It’s the first proper stop after the long hike where you can order some food. Most tourists pause here to catch their breath, but it’s important to note that this isn’t the end of the journey.

We were surprised to discover that the exit from the Samaria National Park doesn’t lead directly to the centre of Agia Roumeli. This meant we faced one final challenge — an additional two-kilometre walk to the village. These two kilometres can be covered by a shuttle bus that runs regularly between the park exit and the village. However, we arrived just as the bus had left, so we decided not to wait and walked the remaining distance on foot. When we finally reached Agia Roumeli, it felt like returning to civilisation, though the village itself is quite small, with a population of about 100 people. Situated right by the sea, it’s a cosy, lively spot perfect for relaxation. Agia Roumeli has rental cottages, small hotels, tavernas, cafés, and shops where you can buy souvenirs or beach essentials. It’s an easy place to spend the night if you want to explore this picturesque area further or take the opportunity to visit the "Iron Gates" from the opposite side.

The final stop for our group was the Kri Kri café, where we met our guide. This café isn't listed on Google Maps, but it was easy to find. We had a quick bite there to recharge. The food was simple, nothing special, but at that moment it didn’t matter at all — the most important thing was that we could take a well-needed rest.

We had about three hours until the ferry departure at 5:30 pm, so we decided to spend this time at the local beach. The beach at Agia Roumeli is covered in black volcanic sand that shimmers with incredible shades under the sun. The sea water was crystal clear. The beach left such a strong impression on us that we both agreed it was one of the best we’d visited during the entire trip.

If we had more time, I would have stayed in Agia Roumeli for at least one night. Next time, I’ll definitely return by ferry to take a leisurely stroll through the village, explore nearby trails, and perhaps walk to the Iron Gates again, but from this side.

— Make sure you’re wearing the right footwear: trainers or hiking boots. It's also important to wear a hat and lightweight clothing, as even in September, it was very hot on Crete. I wore shorts and a t-shirt, and brought a light jacket in case it got cooler.

— Don’t forget sunscreen!

— Take water and snacks with you. We prepared in advance: we brought breakfast from our hotel (sandwiches and fruit) and had a little snack before leaving. We also bought extra water and snacks from a shop in Chania. You could also bring some pita with you, which I think would be a great snack for the trail. I recommended a good fast food spot in Chania in this post.

— Bring cash with you. You’ll need it to buy your entrance ticket for the National Park (5€ per person) or pay for the shuttle bus to Agia Roumeli.

— Don’t overestimate your strength. If you’ve never hiked in the mountains before, consider choosing an easier tour, like the Imbros Gorge tour.

— If you realise within the first hour that you won’t be able to make it to the end, head back up. Remember, the bus will be waiting for you at the top for several hours. Otherwise, you'll have to walk (or crawl) the full 16 km to the finish.

— Take breaks at the stations and don’t rush! There’s plenty of time built in for rests.

— Pay attention to the guide’s advice! The guide provides detailed information about the gorge and offers tips for comfortably completing the hike. Listen carefully to ensure your trip is both safe and enjoyable.

The gorge is open to tourists from 1 May to 31 October, when the weather conditions are most favourable. During this period, Crete enjoys dry and warm weather. In winter and early spring, rain makes the gorge impassable. The river crossing the route fills with water, turning into a fast-flowing stream that washes away paths and creates hazards for hikers. Additionally, the risk of landslides increases in the colder season due to rain and strong winds, especially in the narrow parts of the gorge, such as the "Iron Gates". Despite Crete's mild Mediterranean climate, the mountainous areas where the trail begins can drop to freezing temperatures, and paths may be covered in ice. For these reasons, most tourists visit Crete during the summer months.

For those visiting Crete in the off-season, there are a few alternatives:

• Shorter routes in the gorge: During good weather in winter, it's possible to walk small sections of the gorge starting from the entrance near Agia Roumeli.
• Other natural attractions in Crete: Imbros Gorge is open to tourists year-round.

If you're planning to visit Samaria Gorge, it's a good idea to check its status before your trip, as the gorge may close even in summer due to weather conditions.

If you'd like to hike the entire gorge with a guide by your side, it's worth booking a private tour. In group tours, the guide doesn’t accompany participants along the trail: they stay at the top initially to assist those who decide to turn back and then quickly descend to meet the group at the end of the trail. However, if you want more in-depth information or are concerned about managing difficulties on your own, opting for a private tour is highly recommended. While it will cost more, you’ll have reliable support throughout the journey. Here are a few options:

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