Samaria Gorge

We started 7:30 in the morning from Hania's main bus station. Tickets we sold at the station in the morning and the journey to Omalos took about an hour. The air was crisp and fresh on the top. There was a small store where the bus left us and had we forgotten to take water, sun screen or breakfast with us, that store would have supplied us all this.

Samaria gorge is 16km long and the first 7km is very steep down hill. Stairs make the way down a little easier but it is a rough dirt road with a lot of loose stones, so you need to watch were you step all the time. This is why I'd rate Samaria the hardest and most difficult gorge in Crete. Still, it gets very crowded during the summer months and the earlier you start the better. Once you get down to the gorge, the hike gets easy. Depending on the year, there could be more or less big stones that you need to go around. Samaria, or any of the gorges for that matter is not a straight path. During the winter the flowing water transfers stones here and there. Thus you always need to be careful where you step because there are loose stones on the path.

At the end of the gorge is a small fishing village, Agia Roumeli. We headed straight to the pebble beach of the village. Although the water was a little chilly it felt amazing after 4 hours of hiking in Samaria. My entire body, and especially my feet welcomed the refreshing swim in the sea and I can't describe just how fantastic I felt after. HUNGRY! That was the next need to satisfy. Agia Roumeli has little grocery stores and a dozen family owned taverns. I don't remember the name of the tavern we chose but the fresh orange juice was heavenly. While you are lunching at one of the taverns you can watch fellow hikers finishing their trail to Agia Roumeli.

We had about 2,5hrs before there was a boat from Agia Roumeli to Hora Sfakion where a public bus to Hania was waiting for the tired travellers.The whole schedule Hania- Samaria- Hania is planned so that you have a good 6hrs time to finish the trail.