The big day to the Samaria Gorge on CretePretty Packed

Getting ready for Crete’s Samaria Gorge

“The mules are not taxis, they’re ambulances” our guide explains on the way to the Samaria Gorge. It’s a tough audience at seven in the morning. I got up at 5.30AM to see one of Crete’s main attractions: the Samaria Gorge. It was still dark. As I waited for my transport to arrive, I saw the traffic lights activating at 6AM. Shortly after that the van came to pick me up. On the way through Crete’s mountainous landscape we see the sun rise. There is a stop for breakfast and then we arrive at the Samaria Gorge. Beginning at an altitude of 1100 meters you walk down to the sea at Agia Roumeli over 16 rocky kilometers.

Our small van arrived with another big bus from Chania. A few dozen people eagerly start descending the rocky steps. Everyone gets to make their own way down, so I try to pass as many people as I can, but it takes a while before I’m ahead of the biggest crowd. I’m hoping for some quiet time to enjoy the nature, but there are all kinds of noises echoing through the gorge. Mostly they’re manmade but sound like monkeys. It isn’t until the very last kilometers, when I’ve passed pretty much all other walkers, that I can truly enjoy some silence.

Rocks cover the path of Crete’s Samaria Gorge

Luckily they try to keep the big ones in place!

It’s early in the morning, but already quite warm. Luckily the gorge is mostly shaded by trees and it’s pleasant to walk through. At the start we get some beautiful views and then the way goes down over steep steps. The steps become more and more natural until they are very rocky. Some of the rocks are quite slippery from the many people who’ve polished them before me. I zigzag down, looking up from my feet at times to admire the landscape. People have put stones everywhere! There are little piles on big rocks and old hollow trees filled with rocks. This continues all the way to the end of the gorge.

Along the way there are several official rest places, with a water supply and often a toilet. It’s great. You are actually fine with just carrying about a liter of water and refilling it at all the stops. At the bottom is the old village of Samaria. People lived here until the 60s when the gorge became a national park. The people had to move out, but the village is now one of the rest places. At these stops you can also find the park rangers.

One of the rest spots in the Samaria Gorge

After the old village the walk is much flatter, but no less ankle twisting. For a large part you start walking on the river bed. They’ve made a route through the rocky bottom that is fairly easy to follow. In parts of the canyon it’s like a wind tunnel. A warm breeze blows in my face like a hair dryer. There are many signs saying to move quickly because there can be rocks falling into the gorge from above. At a few places it looks like some landslides and rocks came down.

The biggest part of the walk was in the shade. If you start early and pick up a good pace (thereby beating the sun before it heats up the gorge) it’s not too hot at all. The shade with the bright sun coming through the trees did make it very hard to take good photos. I feel like all my photos look a bit pale. They definitely don’t do the gorge justice! But the impressions stick in my head.

After the “iron gates”, the narrowest part of the canyon, I’ve reached the end. As I exit the park I pass by the café, where the owners are still setting up for the day. Then I follow the regular road to the beach of Agia Roumeli. I’ve walked for 4 hours and 20 minutes. Coming out of the gorge I instantly feel the scorching heat. I can’t wait to jump into the water.

I pass several restaurants and a supermarket. Then I find the black sand beach. It’s practically empty, so I walk past the sunbeds and claim my part with my towel. Towards the water the sand changes to little black pebbles. The water it so clear I can see the fish swim around my feet. It’s the most refreshing swim I’ve had on Crete so far. It’s great to have this as a reward for all the walking of the morning.

The Iron Gate, the narrowest part of the gorge.

Agia Roumeli can only be reached by walking through the gorge or by boat and that’s the way I leave. At 5.30PM there is a boat to Sougia and from there we continue back to Chania by van. It’s been a very satisfying day with the best of both worlds. First an active walk through a stunning gorge and then a lazy afternoon at an incredible beach. This is my perfect kind of holiday!