White Mountains Forest Preserve — Attraction in Municipality of Sfakia

An Epic Day at Samaria Gorge – Bring Snacks, Patience, and 5€ for Parking

First things first: when you arrive at the parking lot, make sure to cough up 5€ for the whole day. You’ll also want to grab your return bus ticket right away—trust me, Future You will thank you. As for the ferry ticket? That little surprise awaits you at the finish line in Agia Roumeli.

Now, the hike itself starts off like a dream. The descent is beautifully laid out and well-maintained. If you're a seasoned hiker, it’s basically a scenic stroll—sneakers will do just fine on a dry day. But if hiking isn’t your usual jam, beware: while the trail isn't particularly technical, the distance is no joke.

We're talking roughly 7 km of downhill through lovely shaded woods (yay trees!). Then boom—you hit the gorges. Stunning, dramatic, and oh-so-sunny. That's another 7 km with a bit more sun exposure, so sunscreen up unless you want to roast like a Greek tomato.

Just when you think you've conquered it all... surprise! There’s still 3 more km to reach the village once you exit the national park. By this point, your legs will be negotiating with your brain for early retirement.

Good news: there's a local bus for 2€ that'll spare you the final 2 km drag. Take it. It's not cheating, it's strategic survival.

Once in the village, you’ll have the pleasure of waiting for the one and only ferry at 5:30 PM sharp. Not before. Not after. Ferry logic is strict. After about 45 minutes of gliding over the waves, you’ll hop on a bus for another hour to get back to the parking lot. Then, just one more hour to Chania if that's where you're headed.

Yes, the end feels endless. But the views, the vibes, and the victory? Totally worth it. Just bring water, good shoes, and maybe a therapist for...

Spectacular views from the top and the whole Trek down. We booked a day trip through Elafonissos travel, they arranged pickup from hotel, bus drive to the entrance of the gorge, ferry from Agia Roumeli to Sougia where the bus waited to drive us back to the hotel. We would definitely recommend this day trip. But prepare for a long day. The pickup (around Chania) was about 5:40am and the drop off around 8pm. During the summer period you need to be prepared for the heat, it was around 20 degrees Celsius at the top in the morning. When we arrived to Agia Roumeli it was 35 degrees. But you can walk in your own pace and there are plenty of resting stops, roughly one stop every other kilometer and restrooms every third kilometer. Along the way there are frequent places where you can fill your water bottle with spring water. The old town of samaria is located roughly halfway down the trek which was a good place to stop for lunch. There where wild goats that gladly wanted to join for lunch. Almost by every rest stop there were also park rangers that could be of assistance if required. One note would be regarding the rest rooms. Perhaps it was only our experience, but it seemed people didn't know how to use these kind of restrooms as someone had left their fecies without flushing in one. Overall this was a really great experience with absolutely beautiful views along the way. On top of that you arrive to a small cozy village with a stony beach and the water was really perfect to cool down from a hot...

White mountains aka samaria gorge is the largest gorge in Europe, 16km from top to bottom of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen and I would highly recommend anyone who goes to crete to visit this gorge. That being said, this is not an easy hike! The route is across uneven ground mostly downward, but there are sections of incline which actually are a bit of a blessing as they give your calf muscles a little rest. The toilets are squat holes not clean, but they serve their purpose, maybe take a pack of tissues!. I would suggest 2 water bottles there are plenty of water stops and you can fill up from the streams, and snacks.... protein bars, fruit small easy to carry, and high energy!! We had 6 hrs to get to the bottom in order to catch the ferry back to our coach, if you don't make it back in time you will have to stay in the village overnight and get the ferry in the morning. If you go to crete and are able then please please go to the gorge you...