Samaria Gorge More Than Just a Hike: An Untouched Crete Experience

Experience the untouched beauty of Crete on a hiking tour of the Samaria Gorge. Traverse unspoiled terrain, swim in crystal waters, and explore traditional villages at your own pace.

Duration: 14 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Omalos - Early in the morning, you will be picked up from designated spots around Chania via a luxurious bus and reach the starting point of your tour in Omalos Plateau around 7am. The panoramic view of the gorge from the plateau is a photophile’s delight, so after short stop for pictures and/or breakfast, you will hop on the bus and depart for…
What's Included
  • Air-Conditioned Luxury Bus
  • All Fees and Taxes Included
  • Full Liability Insurance
  • Guided Hiking Escort
What's Not Included
  • Admission to Samaria (5 € per adult, children free of charge on the spot in cash)
  • Boat ticket (13€ per adult, 5.50 € per child 5-12 years old on the spot in cash)
  • Personal expenses, extra beverages or meals
Additional Information

Immerse yourself in the authentic heart of Crete as you explore its pristine landscapes, bathe in its clear waters, and wander through its quaint villages.
Our Samaria Gorge hiking tour lets you experience all these at your own preferred speed.
You’ll begin your adventure bright and early, with pick-ups arranged from specific locations around Chania in…

Location
Omalos
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(319 Ratings)
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Gianlucal454
Dec 11, 2024
Breathtaking walk, a bit challenging. - Fantastic landscape. About 22 km of walking in all. Walk suitable even in hot periods. The route is perfectly equipped with drinking water and toilets about every 2km. Absolutely recommended hiking shoes. The walk begins downhill to the first gorge. from here continue along the narrow and deep valley of Samaria. Breathtaking landscapes. To be undertaken with a minimum of training on the legs given the length and the negative difference in altitude.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Spritzer66
Nov 11, 2024
Samaria Gorge 🤩 - Great hike through a beautiful Gorge Weather was perfect and plenty of facilities for short breaks if needed The Gorge is definitely worth a visit We had a great day Well organised perfect
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jorge_l
Oct 29, 2024
Amazing experience - Awesome experience and incredible guide and agency. Very recommended. The place is definitely one of our highlights of our trip in Crete.
Review provided by Viator
44hendrikw
Oct 21, 2024
You have to do it!:-) - Highly recommended. A completely different side of Crete. 17km hike steadily downhill (about 1200m). Good physical fitness is mandatory. Schedule the whole day. It took us 4.5h through the gorge. Plus 40min ferry boat, plus 50min bus. Cost of the day: 5€ parking space 5€ admission per person 15€ ticket per person for the ferry 7,40€ Ticket p.P. for the bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathaniel_a
Oct 18, 2024
Wonderful experience - We had a wonderful time on this trip. All of the logistics were really well done and our guide was incredible. It is a really really long day but so worth it. We got to the gorge first of all the tour groups so we really felt like we had it to ourselves for long stretches. Hard to beat for the price.
Review provided by Viator
Ericme3783qr
Oct 11, 2024
Great hike - Long rocky walk down but well worth it. There were 600 people total that did hike yesterday, less than usual. Plenty of water and WCs along the way. Guide Ingred was fantastic, caring, knowledgeable and good sense of humor.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
924francisr
Oct 10, 2024
To do - Very well organized.. You have to be early, but that's the Award for seeing this beautiful gorge. Big day in sight more hike
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevin_b
Oct 11, 2024
Long day, but a hell of an accomplishment! - Like many others have said, the hike through Samaria Gorge is an arduous one, but it's one that we're glad we did. We were picked up from Chania and we were dropped off at the start of the trail in Omalos after about an hour drive from Chania. We opted for renting hiking poles and we're so glad that we did as that helped immensely when descending over rocky terrain. The trail descends rapidly over the first few miles and that is relatively slow going as some of the rocks are slippery (we visited in August and everything was very dusty as it hadn't rained in 4 months). The Old Village of Samaria is about halfway and it's a good place for a bathroom break and to have a snack. There are water stations from mountain springs every few kilometers, so it's easy to keep you water bottle/hydration pack full. The Iron Gates are the narrowest part of the gorge and the walls are 3 meters apart and 100 m tall and that is the last major landmark before you finish the trail. Despite doing lots of research about the hike, we were a bit frustrated to find out that the mileage that's quoted is not correct (it was a bit frustrating when we kept thinking we were at the end as the quoted mileage is much shorter). It's about 11 miles or 17 km to the end of the trail and then just under 2 miles or 3 km to Agia Roumeli and you can walk there or you can grab a bus and schlep to the village for a few euros each. Agia Roumeli has a few little shops with local wares (we grabbed some local honey) and there are a few restaurants, which is fantastic as we were very hungry after our hike. You can catch the ferry from here to the village of Sougia, which is where we were picked up and driven 90 min back to Chania. Make sure to bring properly fitted hiking shoes as the terrain is all rocks and make sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses snacks, and a water bottle/hydration pack. It's definitely a challenging hike, but hiking Samaria is truly an accomplishment! Of note, do be warned that hiking etiquette is pretty much nonexistent and people will come up and walk a few inches behind you without letting you know they're there or excusing themselves to go around you. If it happens a few times it's no big deal, but when it happens for 11 miles, then it's quite annoying. Trail is fun, other hikers here are not.
Review provided by Viator
Snorre
Oct 16, 2024
Nice walk, but loooong wait after - Very nice park, very easy walk for normal fit people without disabilities. Worth it, but the loooong wait made it almost not. When you are done you have to wait for almost 4-5 hours for the boat to take you to the bus. Obviously depending on how quick you do the hike. Meanwhile you are stranded in a place designed to charge money for low quality food and drink. Restaurants at the small village you wait were no good. The guide will tell you to meet up with him at a certain restaurant to deliver boat tickets home, do not let that decide which restaurant you eat at. All of them are no good, so you really have to choose the least sh** one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Denise_w
Oct 13, 2024
Be in very good shape and a avid hiker - * this is hard, don’t do it unless you are an avid hiker. * if you do it rent hiking poles. Very very rocky and step down hill whole way*
Review provided by Viator