German

Getting there/Coming back:
The Samaria Gorge is situated app 45 km south of Chania. Busses are going from the bus stop there to Omalos and the start of the trail. Hotels offer bus services which are not expensive. You should ask people or at the bus stop, busses might be full booked in high season, so buy a ticket in advance.
The fare was 10 Euro (roundtrip without boat). From Agia Roumeli at the end of the gorge, where are no roads, one or two boats are going to Chora Skafion in the evening. From Chora Skafion you catch the bus to back to Chania. Don`t miss the boat, but there is no necessity for haste.

Begin of the trail  click on to enlarge

Walking Time/ Opposite Direction? :
The 16 km long trail can be mastered easily in 4-5 hours, the path is leading downwards. You can walk the trail up in opposite direction, this is much more strenunous, but it's feasible. A total of 1.250 m of difference in altitude is to descend/ascend.

Entrance Fee and opening times
The Samaria Gorge is a National park and is open from early May (that should be changend to earlier) to late September. The entrance fee was 3,50 Euro per Person, children under 15 were free and there was a discount for students.

Crowds of people
are doing the walk in the high season. If you want to stay in Agia Roumeli you should walk from noon and you should go otherwise early in the morning, before the many busses are arriving. There is also cheaper accomodation in Omalos.

Haste?
Some are speeding down for not missing the boat at the end of the trail. Those are down at noon and have hours time of waiting downwards, but didn't enjoy the trail and beautiful scenery. But also you shouldn't dawdle too much, for you have time to eat something in one of the many restaurants at Agia Roumeli or have a cool off bath in the sea. There is a nice beach there.

End of the trail in Agia Roumeli click on to enlarge

Fitness/Health:
You need no special hiking experience for this trail. The trail is for the most part in the shade, but it could be very hot in summer. If you are healthy and not in week fitness, you can walk the gorge downwards. You bust be fitter to walk in opposite direction upwards. Only the descend at the beginning is strenuous for the knees, walk slowly and don't twist your ankles.You can walk the gorge also with children, not the trail itself, but the distance might be a problem.

Food, Equipment?
Sturdy shoes are sensibly, sneakers or trainers are worse, because of the debris, you might go with them, but you have to be more careful walking on scree and between boulders. Food is not necessary for five hours; in summer a hat for sunburn and a bottle of water is sensible, but there are also small streams, from where you can scoop some. Halfway in Samaria something to drink is sold. Don't forget your towel and bathing suit, because a cooling off bath in the sea at the end of your trip is very recommendable.

Trail description:

scenery of boulders and scree  click on to enlarge

First the trail descends steep on outlined stoned steps in serpentines down the gorge. It is strenuous, so walk slowly for taking care of your knees and ankles. After an hour walk you come to the chapel Agios Nikolaos. Now it is going smoothly up and downwards through a forest.
Then you come to the abandoned village Samaria with another chapels. There are toilets; snacks and refrehments are sold, too. You now have managed the half way.
After Samaria the gorge now is getting more and more narrow, the slopes of the mountains were getting closer together until the narrow pass named "Iron Gap" is reached. This gap is only three meters. After the gap the gorge is getting wide and you walk through fields and gardens until you reach Agia Roumeli, a settlement that has a living from tourism.

Agia Roumeli
There is some accomodation there, restaurants and a beach. if you go to the east, crossing the Samaria river there should be a nude beach, ( I wasn't there). The long distant trail Trans Crete E4 pass through Agia Roumeli, you can walk further on to Chora Skafion (east) or Paleochora (west), which is the beginning of the Trans-Crete Trail E4 ( the whole trek takes 22 days).

Links:  west-crete.com

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