Samaria Gorge — Local services in Municipality of Sfakia

We had heard many times about the beauty of the Samaria Gorge so, during our holiday in Crete, we booked a trip with one of the many tour operators around Chania. Almost all of them offer a package that includes:

travel by bus to the entrance of the gorges, with pick-up at a time varying between 05:30 and 06:30 in the morning depending on the picking area (Chania zone). The price varies between 30€ and 38€ per person depending on the agency. entrance to the Samaria Gorges at a cost of 5€ (children free), to be paid on site. Ferry trip from Aghia Roumeli to Soughia, also to be paid locally at a cost of 13€ per person. bus back home, which takes place at dinner time. multilingual guide to follow during the descent into the gorges, who provides adequate explanations on the bus.

Entry into the gorges always takes place around 08:00, opening time of the gorges, to allow everyone to arrive at Aghia Roumeli in time to catch the last ferry, which is at 17:30. Entrance is at an altitude of about 1250 meters and descends in about 13 / 14 km to the sea. At a leisurely pace and stopping to take photos, it takes an average of 6 hours. The route is practically all downhill, except perhaps the last 4 km, which are on a false level. It is almost all in the shade under the shelter of trees. The ground is rocky and earthy. The first section consists of a wide flight of steps and then one enters the forest to come out at the end and walk on the stream bed among large stones. Because of the altitude and the shade, one does not suffer from the heat even though the average daily temperature on the shore is very high. Only in the last section do you feel the presence of the sun also because of the time you will face it. All along the route, at predetermined distances, which are fairly frequent and indicated on a map provided by the guide, there are drinking fountains and toilets.

The route is not impossible and is suitable for everyone, including children. You must always take into account the clothing to be worn, the length to be covered and the terrain.

The experience was remarkable, with the possibility of seeing and photographing beautiful landscapes, as well as seeing the famous and rare Kri-Kri goat, related to the mountain ibex.

Arriving at the exit of the gorges, we recommend taking the small bus at a cost of 2€ each that avoids the last 2 / 3 km on asphalt on the outskirts of Aghia Roumeli.

Taking 6 hours, which is a reasonable amount of time, you have time for a quick lunch and a swim at the nearby black sand beach (which has an incredible temperature if you have been in the sun...

If you want to go by car, follow my advice and: Travel to these coordinates: 35.307946,23.918363 Park a little below the destination because it's free. The tidy car park is paid. Put some stones in front and behind the wheel and make sure your handbrake is on 😄. The hike is now 10 euros for each adult. I'd have arrived earlier if I had known how many stops for photos and relax time I would have had. I'd say to arrive as early as you can. They open at sunrise (~7am). At least 8 am. I'd advise you to be there. They open the season each year a different day, but this year, they opened on the 1st of May. There are plenty of toilets and places to fill your water bottle. There are plenty of spots with picnic tables and rangers who can help you if you're injured. I stopped for photos and videos a lot and had running shoes, so I was sliding a lot. I'd very much advise you to bring hiking boots, but I managed with running shoes but took much longer. I took 6 hours from the ticket office to the booth at the end. Keep your tickets till the end because they check if you have them. It's very straightforward, and you just have to look out for the = signs painted on rocks to guide you. It's all downhill, and I'm relatively fit and don't feel sore at all. Super easy hike. After the booth, you go through some houses and then reach a bus stop where, for 2€ a mini van can take you down the road. Don't bother. Just keep walking and you will reach the main street. Bring a bathing suit because there's a lovely beach there. Turn right next to where the ferry is moored and look for the sign for the ferry tickets. You want to go to Sogia. It leaves at 5:30 pm. After that, only the next day. Then, once you arrive, keep going down the road, and there will be a ticket booth for the Samaria Gorge entrance bus ( aka Omalos). Ask any of the drivers before entering the bus, to be sure, but there are 3 for Omalos and 1 back to Chania. The drive takes a good while, and so does the ferry. Expect to be back on your car by 7:30pm. The ferry costs 16€ and the bus 7€.

It's an amazing hike and only wished I had arrived earlier to be able to stop more and enjoy the view. A lot of people will go past you. Everyone there seemed in a rush but don't feel rushed. Enjoy the hike and look up and around you. It's breathtaking, and no photos or videos will do justice. You have to be steady on your feet because you will slide a lot. If you have hiking sticks even better. I just grabbed a massive...

Just finished the gorge in 4 hours. Here is my rant below and also some good information:

Rant: Many people here in the comments say that the trip is very easy and anyone can do it etc... Be cautios, the trip is not easy for everyone. We did it in 4 hours and we are very sporty couple, but this is tourist attraction and many people go their and struggle a lot allready midway through. We saw multiple people turning back and having issues with their feet and there was multiple kilometers still to go. So no.. it is not easy trip for everyone and certainly is not a place for kids etc... I would say it is even dangerous to bring kids. If you are in good shape, you will still have sore feet after, but the views are breathtaking.

Good info: -Im not listing the gear you need, but! Take headphones with you and have something like LOTR soundtrack available offline for u and start playing it when you reach the first bottom from the beginning(few km). Views are very much magical!

-If you go by car you can park before the entrance and it costs 5euros. From the cafe you can buy bus tickets back to the entrance from Sougia for 5e per person.

-When you enter the gorge you get the ticket and you need to show it once you leave, so do not throw it away.

-The hike is 18km plus 2.5km to the ferry but there is also a bus that takes you to the ferry for 2 euros from the end point.

-Ferry tickets u can buy close to the sea and taverns and it costs 13 euros per person. Ferry schedules are 7 am, 11:30 am and 17:30 pm. So they do not go often and u cannot miss the last one. This is the reason why people suggest to go early to the hike, not the amount of people (there is lots anyway).

-Ferry ticket seller also sells bus tickets.

-Once you reach Sougia there is multiple busses without any signs or anything waiting near the dock. They make their life very hard since everyone asks from each bus that is this my bus... very poorly executed. But since there is only few busses you will find yours. In the ticket there is a seat number but in the actual bus there is no numbers.

-Bus back to the Gorge entrance takes about 1.5 hours.

-During the night drive carefully since there is a lot of animals on the...