Every day

Tour Highlights
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.
If you wish to explore more options return to the Hiking, Cycling & Outdoor Adventures page.
We keep our group sizes low so you have the freedom to move around and get involved with your surroundings, as well as more personal attention from our local guides. This intimate size ensures that your group will not crowd your experience. You can expect up to 50 travelers on a trip but the average is 30-35. Check individual trip pages for maximum group sizes.
It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to join a tour after it has begun. It is possible to leave a tour early however you will be responsible for your own arrangements from the moment you decide to leave the tour. You would also be responsible for all costs associated with joining a tour late or leaving one early. If you feel this may be necessary please consult a Fabulous Crete Specialist before you book your adventure.
50 seats buses
For privacy reasons we cannot provide you with advance details on your traveling companions. However, our tours appeal to a wide range of travellers, most of whom share an adventurous spirit and a desire to experience these destinations at a grass-roots level. Our tours are conducted in English and so they attract many travellers from North America, UK, Australia and Europe
The availability listed on our website is updated every minute however on some tours we must confirm arrangements with our people on the ground, a process which usually takes no more than 24 hours. When you book online you will receive a follow-up email confirming your arrangements or a timeframe for when they will be confirmed.
The security that comes from knowing your trip is locked-in is a feeling that can’t be topped. We like that feeling – so much, so that we figured everyone should have it.
Every departure is guaranteed to run. Yup, all of them. Once you’ve booked and paid, that’s it, you’re going. Guaranteed. Your trip won’t be cancelled by us for any reason (beyond harsh weather or safety issues). Promise.
All documentation is sent electronically by email. Shortly after we receive your payment we will send you your initial documents. Final documentation will be sent by email no later than two days prior to the departure.
Yes, all of our Tour Managers and Tour Drivers speak English, some speak additional languages as well, but your tour will be conducted in English
You will automatically receive an e-voucher to your email address. Please print your voucher/ticket or keep a picture to your mobile phone which contains your unique reference number. Please remember to bring this with you on the day. You will not be allowed entrance to an attraction without a valid ticket.
If there is any problem with your booking or payment details, we will contact you on the telephone number or email address stated in your booking. Sometimes tours may not operate due to insufficient numbers, and we may need to contact you to advise you of any such changes.
All entrance fees and costs are included in the tour price except unspecified fees.
If you book more than 2 tours with us, then please contact our friendly staff who will be happy to assist you with your inquiry and see what we can arrange for you at info@gstours.gr
You could lose your seat to a walk-up passenger. We encourage you to arrive at the pickup point a minimum of 15 minutes before departure. Once on the tour, your guide or driver will give you a time that the coach will depart each location. You must be at the coach at least five minutes before this time. If you are late and miss the time given, the coach will depart without you in order to not keep the other passengers waiting. If you are in any doubt about a departure time whilst on your tour, you must ask the guide or driver.
5 days before the tour starts –> 50% refund, no refunds after that
35% Deposit on booking time and final payment 7 days before the tour date.
Let's be honest, you're reading these reviews because you've heard it's tough and yet you've seen the reviews where people say they saw people in sandals doing this hike and you don't know who to believe. If you somehow stumble upon my review, I'll tell you my opinion. My husband and I did this hike together early September 2022. I'm 33 and workout roughly 4 days a week and walk the dog daily. Yes, I could still afford to lose some weight. I've also never had any knee issues... which I've read is a concern for this hike. I've hiked various places, but I've done nothing like this before and spending most of my life in the Midwest region of the United States, there's nothing that could have prepared me for this hike. We signed up for the hike with Fabulous Crete Tours (which I totally recommend). They also said this hike was not challenging. They picked us up in Chania and we had one breakfast stop before getting to the trailhead. The tour guide gave us the rundown on the trail and he had walking poles available to rent. These poles made this hike way easier and I don't think I could have done it without them. With that being said, my husband did not have any and felt they weren't necessary. I'm sure by now you've heard that the hike is mostly downhill, which I was prepared for. However, I was not prepared to have my foot flat against the ground for only 5% of the hike. My ankles were killing me at kilometer 6 or 8 because of this ( I wore hiking shoes and my husband hiking boots). I really like that this is a well-traveled on hike, but it did make stopping for photos very difficult at times as you had people both behind and in front of you. We also wanted to be ahead of the guide all the time which made it a bit challenging. Just because you see a water station does not mean you should stop. If you did this it would take forever to get through the hike as well.There's plenty of stops until at least kilometer 10. I truly wanted to be done the last 1-2 kilometers as it's just repetitive and I was exhausted by then. We did this hike in just under 6 hours. This is one of the most mentally ( I psyched myself up our out trying to discern if I could do this hike for days) and physically challenging things I've done in a while. However, I'm glad I did it. The views were spectacular and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience and photos will not do this hike justice. The day was fantastic.. great hike and great lunch afterwards, plus a swim in the sea. This would not have been nearly as enjoyable if we did not get a chance to swim... for us it was the whole day. My husband and I did a lot on our trip of Crete, Santorini and Athens area and this was the top 1 or 2 activities we did on both of our lists. While we're both glad we did it, we would not want to do it again. It was rewarding but very tough. If you think you can do this hike, you probably can do it. However, here are my tips: * wear hiking shoes or boots * get the poles for hiking * bring only a few granola bars... there's plenty of restaurants once you're done and you probably don't want to stop for too long * Don't bring a good camera, just use your phone as it's too easy to get a good camera damaged on this one * bring a sweater.... I wore mine for the first hour of the actual hike and was very pleased to have it * Bring 2-3 water bottles for 2 people and just full them up along the way *Do plan on going for the swim after it will only enhance this experience * If you can, do this towards the end of your trip or plan on doing very little the next few days. We were both sore for 3 days and we did have plans that we just had to stick to.
The whole operation was very efficient, from initial pick-up to return at the end of the day. Most of all, our guide, Lena, was excellent. She looked after everyone without being intrusive; on the walk itself we simply descended at our own pace, which was ideal. Her commentary on the coach on the way there and back was very informative, intelligent and helpful; I learned a lot about Crete from what she said. Thank you, Lena!
Collected promptly at designated pick up time (and dropped off) by mini bus and delivered to meet coach in Chania. English speaking informative guide. Air con and comfortable coach apart from not much leg room. Ok just for my daughter and I but a lot of men around us struggled with this so kept complaining around us.
Pickup was on time. The bus was spotless and modern. Vaso our tour guide was high energy, knowledgeable and an outstanding ambassador for your company.
All went very well with a good informative guide and cheaper than doing it on our own due to the logistics of getting back to the start. We were picked up near our hotel and dropped back. The only negative was the sheer numbers doing it! Very popular.