The second trip that I decided to take while I was in Chania was a hike through the Samaria Gorge. The gorge is a major tourist attraction on Crete. It is the deepest and longest canyon in Europe.
Very Early Start
I was told that I would be picked up 6.00 a.m. The mini bus arrived spot on time.
What to Expect
We picked-up the other people of the trip very quickly and we headed of town.
As we drove along our guide, Thomas, told us what to expect on the hike.
The gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long,
More importantly, he told us the path is “very rough”. It is not good for people with “problem knees”.
He described the different sections of the walk. The first part is “very steep. If you have a problem going down, you have to make a decision if you want to go on. If you don’t think you can go on, turn back”.
The second part follows the river valley floor. “The path is very rocky”.
At one point you arrive at the Samaria village. “This is a ‘check point’. If you don’t leave there by 13.30 p.m. you are going too slow”.
The next part of the walk is through the narrow part of the gorge. “This is a dangerous part as you may be hit by a falling rocks. This part of the walk also includes a “lot of river crossings with stepping stones”.
The last part of the walk is another three kilometres to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 16 km long. Thomas said that we had to be at the exit ‘check point by 15.30 p.m.
His final piece of advice was “to go as fast as you can while still being comfortable”. The path could be very busy later in the day.
Walking Poles
Thomas said that he could provide walking poles for a fee of EUR 6. He said that “they are very useful on the steep sections and when you are doing the water crossings”.
I decided to hire the poles
Off we Go
We arrived at the entrance to the National Park at 8.40 a.m. Thomas wasted no time in getting us moving.
He led us to the start of the path and reminded us of the check point times. He said that he would start 30 minutes after us and would be around if we needed any assistance
The turns out to be as Described
The walk turned out to be pretty much as Thomas described. The first part was very steep. I was very glad that I had hired the poles. They turned out to be very useful. A lot of the other walkers on the path had poles. Most of those without poles were clearly very experienced walkers and didn’t need them. Others without poles probably wished that they had them.
The village of Samaria is about 11 kilometres through the walk, just inside the main gorge. It was finally abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to make way for the park.
The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Gates (or, albeit incorrectly, as “Iron Gates”), where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of almost 300 meters (980 feet). This part is very spectacular. Check out the Flickr links.
Sometimes Alone
I am not sure how many people were on the path on this day, but there must have been hundreds. Notwithstanding that, there were periods when I found myself walking alone will no one in sight.
Late Lunch
After leaving the park, I headed to the coast and had a late lunch in the Kir Kir restaurant.
Ferry Ride
Late in the afternoon, we caught a ferry from Agia Roumell along the coast to Sougia.
Our mini bus was waiting at the jetty. It was an interesting drive over the maintains back to Chania. The roads has a lots of sharp turns. I would have preferred being on a motorbike rather being in the bus.
Big Step Count
It was after eight when we got back to Chania. I walked from the drop-off point to a restaurant on the beach nearby to apartment.
When I looked at my Fitbit, I found that I had completed 30,000 steps for the day. This is PB since having the device.
Flickr Link (Videos)
Flickr Link (Photos)
About Samaria Gorge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samari%C3%A1_Gorge
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