Samaria Gorge - Samaria Gorge

Very nice hike. First 3 km are quite steep, but nevertheless on well prepared pathways. The whole hike then is being done on rocky pathways, or at the bottom of the dried out river (the most impressive part for me personally). Also a lot of people are saying that one needs to be quite experienced to do the hike fully, have hiking boots etc.- do not agree, have done the whole hike in running shoes myself, and my wife in sports sandals with sturdy soles- no problems at all! If you are a complete newbie in hiking, then maybe makes sense to have boots, that protect your ankles. But in general, the hike itself is quite easy ( especially if you have been to mountains before). Does not make sense to fly in heavy hiking boots just for this one. What is a bit annoying- the amount of people (were doing it in the beginning of september). As many people said, there are a lot of stations to take a break, refill your bottles. At the end of the hike, there is a last 2 km path to the coast, for which you can use a mini bus for 2 eur per person, but definitely not worth it, path is very very easy, a normal car road, so better save 2 eur for portion of ice cream :) also if you manage to do the hike quite quickly, you will still need to wait for your ferry. (first one to first direction, do not remember which one, leaves at 17:00, there are two more to other directions at around 17:15 and 17:30 . You can buy tickets directly in Agia Roumeli, or, as we did, bought bus and ferry tickets in Chania bus station) So take your time, because nevertheless you would need to wait for the ferry on the coast-quite borring. And be prepared for some muscle ache day after, but a nice day at the beach totally makes the things better :)

A must have for nature friends! Beautiful and amazing, it worth the whole hiking. Try not to make a race of it. Take your time for enjoying the view, because in the end you have to wait a long time for the ferry. You can swim in the end, but the Gorge is much nicer than the little harbor. I did take the tour bus for 40€. I recommend it if you don´t like to get complicated with doing it all self and just safing maybe 10-15€. Also the tour guide will give you important advices in the bus. Note that you will get a lot of sore muscles as a non-professional hiker ; )

AMAZING hike! No doubt a MUST-DO in Crete. Can definitely do in running shoes, hiking shoes a plus. Water available along the way. Food at the top and bottom. Takes 4-6h. We booked a round trip from Heraklion for €45/person (as compared to at least €60 online). Includes only the bus from Heraklion to the start of the hiking trail. Another $16 for boat and entry to the park. Lots of people along the way but the path is narrow, so it won’t feel like Disney Land. Highly recommend coming here. Absolutely stunning.

Pretty beautifull piece of land! Just be carefull if you are not used to hike. Trip has about 15 km and during hot days its pretty difficult.

Amazing hike in the heart of Crete. A must do in the island. Most of the hike is under the shade and you can refill your water every 1h more or less. You also have WC along the way.

Great hike go early to avoid the worst of the heat. Paths and rocky trail most of the way. Some really stunning spots. Bring proper footwear, older people I would advise hiking poles

The entrance ticket to the park costs 5 euros. Nearby there is a parking lot for cars, the cost per day is 5 euros. The whole route is easy and takes about 5 hours. The path runs between trees, so you will be in the shade most of the time. It was cool only for the first kilometer, then it was warm. Approximately every 30 minutes there will be places where you can get drinking water and go to the toilet.

A must-see place in Crete. Don’t underestimate it, though. At the very least wear non-slippery sports or trekking shoes and be prepared for almost 20 kilometres of descending through rocky terrain to get the whole experience.