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Samaria Gorge Tour: Scenic Adventure
3.5
6 Ratings
Sougia
Discover Samaria Gorge the easy way! Enjoy a scenic drive, boat ride, and leisurely hike to the Iron Gates. Perfect for nature lovers.
Discover Samaria Gorge the easy way! Enjoy a scenic drive, boat ride, and leisurely hike to the Iron Gates. Perfect for nature lovers.
Duration:
15 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Sougia - Sougia is a charming seaside village located in southern Crete, approximately 70 kilometers south of Chania.
- Agia Roumeli - Nestled among the White Mountains, this village is positioned at the seaside entrance to the Samaria Gorge. The remote southern coast of Crete offers numerous walking paths, where seasoned hikers can enjoy…
- Sougia - Sougia is a charming seaside village located in southern Crete, approximately 70 kilometers south of Chania.
- Agia Roumeli - Nestled among the White Mountains, this village is positioned at the seaside entrance to the Samaria Gorge. The remote southern coast of Crete offers numerous walking paths, where seasoned hikers can enjoy narrow trails by the sea, with stunning views of the steep mountains descending into the clear blue waters of the Libyan Sea.
- Samaria Gorge National Park - The Samaria Gorge is situated on the southern side of the Chania prefecture and is a fantastic destination for hikers. Visitors from around the globe come to trek through this gorge. In 1962, it was designated a National Park to protect the endangered kri-kri, a rare Cretan wild goat that inhabits Samaria. Besides the kri-kri, the gorge is home to many other endemic and rare species of flora and fauna.
- Sfakia - The untouched and historic village of Sfakia is perched on the hill slopes, overlooking a natural bay. It is located around the White Mountains range and the renowned Samaria Gorge, approximately 72 km southeast of Chania town.
What's Included
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Local Guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Local Guide
What's Not Included
- Boat: 18€ / children under 12 year old is 9€
- Entrance: 5€ children under 15 year old is free
- Boat: 18€ / children under 12 year old is 9€
- Entrance: 5€ children under 15 year old is free
Additional Information
The tour begins with a pickup from your hotel or a nearby location. After an approximately 1.5-hour drive through stunning landscapes, the journey arrives at the charming village of Sougia. From there, the tour continues by boat along the coastline to the Village of Agia Roumeli! During the visit to the village, there is ample time to explore Samaria…
The tour begins with a pickup from your hotel or a nearby location. After an approximately 1.5-hour drive through stunning landscapes, the journey arrives at the charming village of Sougia. From there, the tour continues by boat along the coastline to the Village of Agia Roumeli! During the visit to the village, there is ample time to explore Samaria Gorge from its exit to the Iron Gates. The walkable distance is 3 km from the village to the gorge entrance and an additional 1.5 km to the Iron Gates, one of the gorge’s most fascinating spots! Late in the afternoon, the same boat will return to the port of Chora Sfakion, where a coach will be ready to drive back to Chania.
- The duration of the hike is at least 5 hours and that’s why you must wear proper footwear with socks, a hat, light-colored clothing and sunscreen. You must have a bottle of water with you (there is drinking spring water along the trail), a light snack, if you wish, and of course a walking mood.
- Camping is not allowed in the gorge, you can’t spend the night there, light a fire, smoke (you can only do so at the special milestones on the trail), you can’t hunt, set traps, bring guns or animals along, you can’t uproot plants and you are of course not allowed to bathe in the river.
- We must keep the lavatories clean for the sake of our own health and we mustn’t throw paper inside the toilets.
- You must hold on to the ticket issued at the entrance of the gorge until the end of the hike, in order to go through control at the exit gate.
- WE KINDLY ASK ALL VISITORS TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES OF THE STATE PARK IN ORDER TO ENSURE A SAFER HIKE, AS WELL AS TO HELP PRESERVE THE UNIQUELY RICH FLAURA AND FAUNA OF OUR COUNTRY.
- Please notice that extra charges may apply per person or in total of the group for pick-ups from hotels- villas- airbnb outside the proximity of our tour selected pick route. In that case we can provide round trip transfer for customer(s) convenience ad-hoc quoted as per location of customer(s)’ property.
Location
Sougia
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.5
(6 Ratings)
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1 star
Rosie
May 23, 2025
Gorge is amazing and swimming at the end was a treat - I probably didn’t read the fine print and was surprised at extras with ferry etc. I wished we had done the whole walk as we walked over 10kms up and back from the bottom.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phoebe_f
Jul 10, 2024
Amazing views! Read for more info on what to expect - We really enjoyed this hike, it was very beautiful and easy if you have hiked before. Make sure to bring some good shoes and water! I wanted to provide more information on how the actual day will go since it was a little confusing. Thankfully me and my husband were able to figure it out with another couple doing the lazy way with us.
1. They pick everyone up from the hotels separately and meet at the main bus before 8am, they will text you around 5pm on the day before your actual pick up time to get to the main bus. For us our pick up time was 6:10am
2. Once you’re on the main bus you drive to the first stop and the tour guide goes over some information for the hike (for the regular hike there’s more info than for the lazy way) also if you get motion sickness you should bring medicine. One girl on our bus got sick during the ride up the mountains.
3. Take a picture of the info the guide gives you and of the map, it will tell you the round way tickets you need to buy for the ferry boat
4. Once you are at the first stop you can get off the bus and use the restroom and get a snack or drink for 10min
5. You will return to the bus (the hikers doing the entire trail will start the hike at this point). They transferred us to another bus at that stop that takes you to the boat. This takes 1hr and you’ll get to see more views and goats on the road
6. You will get to the boat around 9:00, there is a ticket line and the boat leaves 9:15. We barely made it on the boat because the ticket line was very long. We were the first couple from our group to buy tickets and the boat was ready to depart so the ticket worker told the rest of the group that they could also buy tickets on the boat.
7. The boat ride is about an hour to get to the island and once you are there you can start the hike or grab food/drink at one of the stores in town or use a restroom. There is also food, drinks and a restroom on the boat.
8. Walk through the town and the trail will be more on the right side of the island there are signs that lead you to the trail
9. The hike to the gorge is about 2.5miles from the first trail sign. You will reach the entrance of the park before the gorge and will pay entry fee there. Keep the ticket since you will need to show them it on the way out of the park
10. You can walk more if you want but we tuned around to eat lunch and enjoy the town some more
11. There is a beach so if you want to relax after the hike bring a swimsuit and towel
12. The whole group will meet up at 4:30 at a designated taverna this place is a little hidden but on the right side of the island near where there trail started with signs to direct you to it
13. You will check in with the tour guide at 4:30 since she has a list of the hikers
14. The actual boat back to Sougia leaves at 5:30 make sure to confirm the name of the boat from your ticket as there may be multiple boats docked on the island
15. You can board before 5:30 to get a good spot on the boat
16. Once you are back on the boat you will find your original bus and your tour guide will make sure you’re on her list again
17. The ride back everyone is tired so you can take a nap but they will take you back to your original pick up spot or hotel. We got back to our hotel around 8:30pm
It’s a very long day for sure but it was definitely worth it and a lot of fun!
Review provided by Viator
Susan_g
May 19, 2022
Changed my mind and hiked the Gorge! - In actuality, I changed my mind while on the bus and instead decided to hike the Gorge! At 66 years of age, I hike frequently but usually only 3-6 miles on moderate terrain. I wore knee compression sleeves and sneakers, not hiking boots, but bought a hiking pole for only 15 euros at the entry station to Samaria Gorge. That proved to be a huge help not only for handling the rocky path, but also for the multiple stream crossings. Since the hike was almost all downhill, it wasn’t so much an aerobic workout as much as one on the knees, ankles and feet. No matter, because the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful throughout, and I’m sure will stand out as one of the most memorable hikes I’ve ever taken.
Review provided by Viator
Dana_f
Jun 15, 2022
Lack of instruction - While it was nice to have transportation to and from the gorge that is about the only positive thing I can say about this tour. I was one of two people doing the “easy way” and we were basically left to our own devices. We weren’t given any instructions on how to walk the gorge in the way we wanted to all the tour guide said was where to meet at the end of the day. I would’ve preferred some sort of tour for the “easy way” but I’m not exactly sure what I paid for.
Review provided by Viator
Kerry_g
Jun 28, 2023
Lacking -
Our “tour guide” Patti wasn’t much of a tour guide when it came to the “Lazy Way” of experiencing Samaria Gorge. On the way to the ferry, she briefed the regular hikers, and then, at the end of her briefing, she checked travel vouchers. At this time she told us “Lazy Way” travelers the details of our trip. She spoke so quickly my family and I were unsure of all but two details each, and only learned the most important information by collaborating with other travelers, who were also hazy on what Patti had said. Hikers were able to take a photo of a paper with important information on it. There was no such helpful document for the “Lazy Way” travelers. My family and I made the best of the trip, but would definitely not recommend the “Lazy Way” tour, or Patti as a guide for it.
Review provided by Viator
