The Unique Tour of Samaria Gorge
*Choose between a shared or private option
Why hike with us?
Value for money
Either you book the shared or the private option the endless beauty of Samaria Gorge will surprise you without breaking your bank.
A unique experience
The breathtaking view Sfakia & the turquoise crystal waters of Lybian Sea proves that paradise exists… You just can’t miss this place!
You can't miss this place
A must-do of a visitor of Chania is the Samaria hiking tour. The unique beauty of the gorge and the spectacular sourounding nature cannot be described with words.
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Private tour overview
Tour Highlights
- Visit the wild south Chania.
- Once in a life-time experience
- Discover the largest gorge in Europe
- Explore the fantastic nature inside the gorge
- Learn everything from a local mountain guide
- Swim at the beautiful beach of Agia Roumeli
- Learn about the plants, herbs and Cretan wildlife
- Experience a unique hike with beautiful surroundings
- Chauffeured private tour ensures a more relaxing and personal experience.
Description
The gorge of Samaria is the gem of the White Mountains! Hidden in the south part of the Chania district, it is the biggest gorge in Europe, covering an area of 18 kilometres in length. The nature park of Samaria was added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 1981, with the aim to give prominence to and to protect valuable habitats for man and the rest of the biosphere.
The gorge of Samaria is counted among the top destinations of the Chania district, and a journey to Chania can never be considered complete unless you visit the gorge. You should therefore attempt a visit there, and its beauty will definitely not disappoint you.
The gorge’s path starts at Xyloskalo (Omalos plateau, 1.227 meters altitude), and after following the river bed, it ends up at the littoral village of Agia Roumeli. The trail of Samaria is the most visited trail in the country. It is perfectly equipped with signals and signs which eliminate the danger of getting lost, it is comfortable and very well cared for, mostly with stones and soil. It is not considered a challenging hike, vivid proof that hundreds of people cross it daily from the opening (in May) till the closing of its visiting season (in October). It is an enjoyable hike, not a strenuous one, with many landscape alternations and a multifaceted environment. However, one should always keep in mind that though the trail as a whole is not tricky, one should be more careful during some parts of the trek.
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Trip Itinerary:
Your escort will pick you up from your hotel’s lobby with one of our comfortable & luxury vans we drive to Omalos plateau. We can have a short stop for breakfast & coffee (optional) before you enter Samaria. Then we start hiking. Inside the gorge, you can walk on your pace-however, your escort follows in a close distance for safety reasons. The gorge ends up at the village of Agia Roumeli. There, you have free time to swim in Agia Roumeli or lunch (optional). At 17:30, the ferry will get you to Sougia or Sfakia (usually Sougia) & the driver will be waiting at the port to drop you off again at your hotel.
Inclusions
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- English speaking driver
- English speaking mountain guide
- Bottled water per person
- Gorge’s entrance fee
- Boat tickets
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Transport by air-conditioned minibus/minivan
- Private tour
Exclusions
- Gratuities (optional)
- Lunch
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PICKUPS
In our small-group and group tours we are picking up our guests from selected meeting points in Chania area and accecible by our vehicles hotels. Please select your pick up point according to your hotel’s location and don’t hesitate to contact us for any further clarification
Shared tour overview
Tour Highlights
- Hike the largest gorge in Europe
- Learn about Crete’s flora & fauna
- Once in a life-time experience
- Explore the amazing nature inside the gorge
- Guaranteed safety inside the gorge by our mountain guide
- Discover the South shores of the Chania region & swim at the Lybian sea
Description
The gorge of Samaria is the gem of the White Mountains! Hidden in the south part of the Chania district, it is the biggest gorge in Europe, covering an area of 18 kilometres in length. The nature park of Samaria was added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 1981, with the aim to give prominence to and to protect valuable habitats for man and the rest of the biosphere. The gorge of Samaria is counted among the top destinations of the Chania district, and a journey to Chania can never be considered complete unless you visit the gorge. You should therefore attempt a visit there, and its beauty will definitely not disappoint you.
The gorge’s path starts at Xyloskalo (Omalos plateau, 1.227 meters altitude), and after following the river bed, it ends up at the littoral village of Agia Roumeli. The trail of Samaria is the most visited trail in the country. It is perfectly equipped with signals and signs which eliminate the danger of getting lost, it is comfortable and very well maintained, mostly with stones and soil. It is not considered a very difficult hike, vivid proof of which is the fact that hundreds of people cross it daily from the opening (in May) till the closing of its visiting season (in October). It is a very pleasant hike, not a strenuous one, with many landscape alternations and a multifaceted environment. One should always keep in mind, however, that though the trail as a whole is not tricky, one should be more careful during some parts of the trek.
Trip Itinerary:
We pick you up from your hotel or a near location early in the morning, and we drive to Omalos plateau. The mountain guide who escorts the trip will collect the money for the entrance fee and the ferry fare on the bus, in order to give you your tickets later. After reaching Omalos, we have a short stop for breakfast & coffee (optional) before you enter Samaria. Then we start hiking. Inside the gorge, you can walk at your own pace. Our escort follows the group at the end, so if anyone needs any sort of help during the hike, he will be there. The gorge ends up at the village of Agia Roumeli. Our escort will have already stipulated a meeting point there to give you the ferry tickets. You have free time to swim in Agia Roumeli or have lunch (optional). At 17:30, the group gets the ferry to Sougia or Sfakia (usually Sougia). The bus will be waiting at the port to drop you off at your hotel or the location you have been picked up from.
Inclusions
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- English speaking mountain guide
- Air-conditioned bus transportation
Exclusions
- Gratuities (optional)
- Entrance of the gorge (5€)
- Boat ticket (13€)
