SAMARIA GORGE (LONG WAY)

Come with us to explore Samaria Gorge. This excursion is one of the longest but also one of the most beautiful.

Our adventure starts very early in the morning and our first stop is in Skaleta for breakfast.

Then we move to Omalos Plateau. There the walk starts from Xiloskalo, where we enter this vast canyon of 18 km.

We usually need 6-7 hours to cross the gorge. The path follows the route of the ancient river Taras. On the way, we can see the caves that formed a natural shelter for the Cretans in war times and now they are natural habitat of the well-known wild goats or kri-kri. Halfway we come across the village of Santa Maria, which is currently abandoned. Three kilometers prior to our exiting this gorge, we reach the Iron Gates (Sideroportes), the narrowest spot of the route, just a few meters wide but 300 meters high.

A bit later, we arrive in the small fishing village of Agia Roumeli, where we have quite a long time to lunch and to get a refreshing swim before boarding the ship that leads us back along the coast to Sfakia. There our coaches wait for us to get us back to hotels.

07:00    Stop in Skaleta for breakfast & WC

07:20   Departure from Skaleta

10:00    Omalos Plateau, 15 min. preparation and beginning of hiking

10:30   Gorge Entrance

17:45    Boat’s departure from AgiaRoumeli to Sfakia

18:45    Arrival at Sfakia and boarding on coaches

20:30    Stop in Skaleta for snack & WC

21:30    Arrival Heraklion

ROUTE:                       500 km

DURATION:              app. 17 hours

STAY IN SAMARIA:             6-7 hours and 18 km of hiking

STAY ON BOAT:       1 hour

EXTRAS:         Entrance of the gorge:  5.00€

Boat ticket from AgiaRoumeli to Sfakia:        13.50€, 6.80€ (chd)

ESSENTIALS:

Hiking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a jacket, swimsuit and an extra pair of socks