Hiking the Samaria Gorge

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
67 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
193rd/456
Top 40%
continent
Europe
country
Greece
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$100 (typically $70 - $120)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Canyons Hiking
All Tags
Adventure Boat trip Forests Mountains
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐

Summary

Hiking the Samaria Gorge is one of the best days out in Crete — dramatic canyon walls, shaded pine forests, a simple downhill trail, and at the end-of-day you get to collapse onto a gorgeous beach before the ferry ride along the south coast. Being a touch critical – the hike itself isn’t itself a ‘wow’, but the full day – the walk, the scenery, the beach, the ferry – was brilliant and totally Worth it if you’re in Crete.

 

To see how it fits into a one or two week Greece itinerary – see the 2 week Greece Itinerary post full of the route, things to prioritise and general tips for the trip.

 

Table of Contents

Highlights of the Samaria Gorge

#1 The sensational views all along the Samaria Gorge, but most spectacular towards the beginning when at the highest altitude

#1 The sensational views all along the Samaria Gorge, but most spectacular towards the beginning when at the highest altitude

#2 The beautiful Samaria Gorge valley floor once the steep sides flatten out. Its beautiful

#2 The beautiful Samaria Gorge valley floor once the steep sides flatten out. Its beautiful

#3 The “Iron Gates” - 300-600m tall but only 3m wide at the narrowest point. Samaria Gorge, Crete

#3 The “Iron Gates” - 300-600m tall but only 3m / 10ft wide at the narrowest point

#5 The insanely steep sides of the Gorge. Thankfully didn't need to climb those bad boys. Samaria Gorge, Crete

#5 The insanely steep sides of the Gorge. Thankfully didn't need to climb those bad boys

#5 Stopping at the abandoned village of Samariá, Evacuated in 1962 to allow the area to become a national park. Today, a resting point for hikers. Samaria Gorge

#5 Stopping at the abandoned village of Samariá, Evacuated in 1962 to allow the area to become a national park. Today, a resting point for hikers

#3 Finishing up the long hike at Agia Roumeli, chillin' waiting for the ferry on the pretty black sand beach. Samaria Gorge

#6 Finishing up the long hike at Agia Roumeli, chillin' waiting for the ferry on the pretty black sand beach

#4 Finishing the day with the ferry back to civilisation from Agia Roumeli and getting to see the coast of South West Crete after the Samaria Gorge hike. Stunning

#7 Finishing the day with the ferry back to civilisation and getting to see the coast of South West Crete. Stunning

Practicalities of Hiking the Samaria Gorge

  • Doing the hike has a few bits to it.  Most people are going to try and do this from a stay in Chania, so you’ve got 4 sections to think about:
    • 1. Getting to the start of the hike at Xyloskalo –  1hr drive from Chania.
    • 2. The Hike (4-6 hours depending on pace) which runs through the gorge and ends at Agua Roumeli.
    • 3. The ferry from Agua Roumeli back to civilisation at Sougia (Agia Roumeli isn’t connected by road).
    • 4. Transport back from Sougia to Xyloskalo / Chania.

 

  • Tour option – there are heaps of agencies offering day trips from Chania. This is helpful because it avoids the faff of multiple transport.  I’m typically not a big mass-organised tours, but in this instance it does make sense vs trying to pull the pieces together on your own.

 

  • If have a car – drive to Xyloskalo, easy ✅. Walk the hike easy ✅. Get the ferry from Agia Roumeli back to civilisation (most likely Sougia if staying in Chania, Loutro if staying to the east) – this is straightforward as they sell ferry ticket at the beach ✅. Transport back to Xyloskalo is the bit you need a bit of prep for – if Sougia, buses leave (and are waiting for) the ferry or you can get a taxi (we had dogs so got a taxi) – 1hr; if Loutro it’s a longer drive.  If super busy, it makes sense to buy the bus tickets early, or arrange a taxi (Antonia from Sougia Taxis +30 694 085 9860 was helpful).

 

  • Ferry – you have to get a ferry from Agia Roumeli at the end of the hike back to civilisation.  There aren’t regular ferries, so you’re basically aiming for the end of day one.

 

Waiting spot for the ferry at Agia Roumeli after finishing the Samaria Gorge hike in Crete

The ferry spot at Agia Roumeli – not a bad spot to wait for a ferry

 

Hiking the Samaria Gorge – The Hike Itself

  • It’s a good 4 hour minimum. We went a fairly fast pace and took us 4.5hours, 23k steps, 17km / 10.5miles, 16 flights climbed.
  • But it’s not steep – the hike is 99% downhill. Some of the routes show large inclines, but I think that’s just them losing GPS and the apps assuming they’ve climbed over a mountain. My iPhone showed me as only 16 floor climbed.

 

All Trails route for the Samaria Gorge in Crete

All Trails App Route (see the link https://www.alltrails.com/trail/greece/crete/samaria-gorge) – correct except for the jumps in incline.  They don’t exist.  Its 99% downhill.

 

  • It’s mainly in the shade. The steep sides protect you from the sun a lot, so don’t really need sun screen (but do at the beach after).
  • It has steep spots with slightly moving rocks. Especially at the beginning, but gets much flatter and easier in the second half.
  • How fit do you need to be?  Anyone with moderate fitness and no knee issues will be totally fine. Pace is easy; it’s the rocky surface that slows you down a touch.

 

Hiking the Samaria Gorge – General Tips

  • Time of year – we went mid October and was perfect.  Not hot, but nice for lying on the beach at the end.
  • Time to start – I read a lot online about getting there daft early.  Sure you might avoid a few fellow tourists, but you’re going to be waiting around at the end beach for hours. Bear in mind the last and only ferry (depending on if going east or west) are typically after 1700, and that most of the hike is shaded i.e. not too hot.  We started at 930am and was perfect
  • Cost – we drove. €5 parking. €10 per person entry. €16 ferry. €20 taxi back to the start

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

Other Incredible Gorge Hikes Around the World

Hiking and zip-lining in the Colca Canyon

Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail

Walking Jebel Sham’s Wadi Ghul canyon

Hiking through the Charyn Canyon and staying overnight in yurts

Hiking and swimming Wadi Shab

Driving and hiking the Ardeche Gorge

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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