Are you looking for some adventure in Crete? This guide will explain everything you need to know about hiking the Samaria Gorge, the options to get there, and extra info about food, water, and accommodation.
Situated in the Samaria National park, Samaria is the longest gorge in Europe, located southwest of Crete’s island in Greece.
There are several trails to hike in Crete, and Samaria is one of the most famous. It combines ancient history, nature, and wildlife. Be prepared to see some wild goats around it.
The trail starts from the Omalos Plateau and is 16km long. After finishing the hike, there is still 2.5km to hike until the Agia Roumeli village. The National park is open from May until the end of October.
Hiking the Samaria Gorge is a great experience. This guide will provide everything you need to know before preparing for this adventure. Let’s go!!
Table of Contents
Quick facts about this hiking adventure
- Length: 18.4km
- Difficulty: Moderate - Hard
- Elevation gain: 268m
Can I hike the Samaria Gorge without experience?
Samaria Gorge definitely is not an easy hike. Your fitness level is your best guide to tell you if you can do this hike. The first 6-7kms are mostly downhill, descending from 1,236m to around 380m. After that, it will get easier with a minimal elevation gain.
If you decide to hike from Agia Roumeli, the path will be easier with minimal elevation gain on the first 11-12kms. After that, you will face almost 1km of elevation gain going towards Omalos.
Another thing to consider is the distance: The trail in the Samaria National Park is 16km long, and after that, you need to hike 2-3kms more to Agia Roumeli, where you will have a ferry-boat to take you back home (more details on that later).
The last thing to consider is the fact that the trail has a lot of rocks. You have to be extra careful when going down the trail, it contains several rocks, and they can be slippery. Make sure to have proper shoes with a solid grip.
How to get to Samaria Gorge
Transportation options to the Samaria National Park are limited and not flexible. The reason is that the fastest way to return from where you started is hiking back the same way. This way, it would end up on a 36km hiking adventure!!
Starting from Omalos will require getting the ferry boat in Agia Roumeli and going to Soughia or another part of the island operated by Anendik Seaways. You can see the routes and prices of the ferry boat here.
Starting from Agia Roumeli will require to take a bus from Omalos. Two buses are leaving Omalos, one going to Soughia and the other to Chania. You can find the exact time of the buses here.
Getting to Agia Roumeli
You can get to Agia Roumeli using the ferry boat from Anendik Seaways or hike from one of the trails that connect Agia Roumeli with Soughia, Ag. Ioannis or Hora Sfakion. The Soughia – Agia Roumeli trail is difficult. It is recommended only for experienced hikers.
The hike from A. Ioannis is partially through the cost, with great views. The distance to Agios Pavlos beach is about 6 km. After that, 4 km more until Agia Roumeli.
Getting to Omalos
You can get to Omalos by bus, taxi, or rental car. The last option is the least recommended unless you plan to stop by Omalos another day to pick it up. Going by taxi will be expensive.
Taxi drivers were charging us 30 EUR from Soughia to Agia Irini. Since Omalos is double the distance to Agia Irini, I would expect to pay at least 60 EUR from Soughia to Omalos.
The most affordable option is the daily bus leaving Soughia around 7 AM. The bus ticket costs 5 EUR and will bring you straight to the entrance of the National Park.
Accomodation close to Samaria Gorge
You have options for accommodations in Soughia, Omalos, Agia Roumeli, etc. We have decided to stay in Soughia. It was a great choice since Soughia is small and chill, a village with good vibes. There are several hiking trails and places to explore in the area. You can extend your adventure a bit more and continue exploring.
We stayed two nights in Soughia because we planned to explore the secluded Lissos Beach before going to Samaria. To reach Samaria from Soughia was easy. There is a daily bus departing from Soughia around 7 am.
Our accommodation choice was Irtakina. The owner was very kind to us, giving info about the village and suggestions for other places to hike. She told us that Agia Irini Gorge is one of the highlights in the area. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to visit it this time. It is another reason for us to go to Crete again.
Chania, Agia Pelagia, and Heraklion are options for accommodation if you are willing to do this hike with a tour agency. We don’t recommend using your car because after finishing the hike, it’s necessary to go back to the trailhead, pick up the car and drive back to your accommodation. It’s easier to have an agency taking care of the transportation for you in this case.
How can I find food and water?
You can easily find water while hiking the Samaria Gorge. There are several water sources on the way. One water bottle is enough since you can refill it at several places in the park.
You can’t find food once inside the park. There is a coffee/minimarket at the park’s entrance close to Omalos. The second coffee place is at the park’s entrance close to Agia Roumeli, where you can find drinks and Yogurt with honey.
I tried the refreshing Yogurt with honey after finishing the hike. I recommend you get this sweet reward after finishing hiking from Omalos.
There are several restaurants in Agia Roumeli. If you finish hiking before the ferry boat leaves, you will have time for a nice meal.
What about a guided Excursion?
If you don’t want to think a lot about logistics for this hike, the easiest way to do this adventure is with a tour agency. They will handle all the logistics and transportation then you can focus only on hiking. Tour agencies can be a good option if you are staying in the northern part of the island.
Another good reason is if you only want to go on a day trip to Samaria and come back without exploring the area around it. Most day tours offered by agencies depart from Chania, Agia Pelagia, and Heraklion.
Hiking on the Samaria Gorge from Omalos
Now that you have everything you need to know about the hike, it is time to start this adventure. The trail is covered by rocks most of the time. We emphasize the importance of having proper shoes. There are around eight water spots where you can refill your bottle.
There are also several toilets on the pit stops in the park. Most of the time, the trail is covered by trees and shadows. Sun exposure can be an issue at the end of the route, going towards Agia Roumeli.
Once inside the park, take a few seconds to appreciate the beautiful view from the right side of the trailhead. After that, it’s time to go down the stairs for a few minutes. The first 6-7 km will be mostly downhill. After 0.9km is the first stop where you can refill your water bottle.
Continue for a few km, and you will see the Agios Nikolai chapel. Take a moment to relax and rest your knees a bit. The trial will continue descending until you reach the river streams.
Samaria Gorge settlement
3-4km after the chapel is the Samaria settlement. An interesting fact is that inhabitants of this settlement were relocated from there when the park was founded in 1962. It is one of the most exciting things to see during this hike. Feel free the check the old houses and take some pics, now transformed into forest outposts and medical centers.
The Iron Gates
20 mins after the settlement are the highlight of this adventure: The Iron Gates. In this gate, the sides of the Gorge are close to 4-5 meters with a width of almost 300 meters. I stopped for a few minutes, just looking around. I felt so small and amazed at the same time. It made me realize how this nature’s creation is perfect.
After taking your time to appreciate the Gates, it is time to pass through it. The trail contains plenty of rocks, most of them coming from the sides of the Gorge. The risk of these rocks falling is real, so the recommendation is to pay attention and hike fast.
It can happen that you lose the best path to follow in the trail, it happened to me several times :). Just pay attention to rocks piled on top of each other. The rock pile is a sign to show which part of the trail to follow.
You will cross the river multiple times, sometimes hopping from stone to stone and other times through wood bridges.
I loved hopping stones and crossing bridges, it made the hiking experience more interesting.
Agia Roumeli
After a few km, you will reach the end of the park. At the exit, they will ask you to show your entrance ticket to validate your ticket.
Continue towards Agia Roumeli for another 2-3kms. After leaving the national park, you may be confused by the trail. You will see a small hiking trail on the left and a road on the right side of the exit. I decided to hike on the road on the right after checking my map for the ferry boat departing point. It turned out to be the right choice because the other trail led to a small campground with parked cars.
Once you reach Agia Roumeli, you will start seeing hotels and restaurants. That’s it!! You completed this adventure!
What’s nice about this adventure is that you can chill your legs at the beach and swim a bit. Choose one place to have a nice meal and rest until the ferry boat arrives. I don’t have a restaurant to recommend because I still had my food in my backpack.
Conclusion
This guide presented details of everything that you need to know about hiking on Samaria Gorge. It was a great experience to be there and understand why the Gorge is famous.
The trail is easy to follow and hard to get lost in. Anyways I’m going to leave my Strava route in this section, just in case you want to check it out upfront.
Leave a comment if you have been in Samaria telling us about your experience.
And, if you want to know more about another hiking adventure in Greece, take a look at the Mount Olympus hiking tour.
See you all on the next adventure!! Bye!!
