Conquer Samaria Gorge: Ultimate Crete Hiking Adventure from Chania

A long, tough hike (for a 69 year old), but thoroughly worth it. Astonishingly beautiful gorge and remarkably quiet in lake October. Our guide, Nikos was professional, friendly and communicative.

Very slick and efficiently organised. It was a long day but well worth the effort as the views were awesome. I would recommend hiring walking poles from the guide if you don’t have your own. Dimitris our guide was excellent providing helpful information and sorting boat tickets etc. The sense of achievement when the hike is completed is amazing

This hike was amazing. We ended up going with a very large group, however, went at our own pace. Highly recommend Hiking shoes. Bring snacks. Water fills along the way. Multiple checkpoints and if you finish early enough, time for a meal and swim at the end before boarding the ferry. Our calves are sore today. Its just about all downhill, so can be tough on the knees. It was beautiful and SO glad we did it. Recommend doing it towards the end of your stay in Crete due to muscle soreness and just being tired. Its a 10 mile/15 km hike with little flat. Enjoy!

Incredible experience but hard. The scenery and terrain is spectacular it don’t underestimate the length and the focus it takes. Wear good hiking shoes and it will be a worthwhile experience.

The tour was well organised and our guide, Niko, was first class. The hike starts at about 1,200m above sea level and ends at the beach over about 16km, although my phone suggested it was longer. The first stage is a deep decent over stone steps and slopes. We had walking shoes and found this worked well for the terrain. Do read up before you go to be prepared for the distance and difficulty. I’d suggest the use of walking poles. This is the day after and we both have sore legs! Some rest, stretching and swimming……then a beer! For context, we’re late 50’s and relatively fit, with a little history of knee pain, we walk regularly and hike, and are accustomed to distances of up to 15km across varied terrain. We use walking poles on the more testing hikes (Dolomites for example) but didn’t have them for this trip.

Great guide, great nature, a bit crowded due to rain closures for several days before. Sylvia with Kyriakakis was a great guide, who did a great job of explaining the long journey from mountain to sea. I wish I would have know they rent hiking poles - what a knee saver! Recommendations: rent hiking poles, eat breakfast at the taverna on the way (but move fast), bring swim suit for the hours between finish of hike and ferry, and bring some Euros of beers at Agios Roumeli. Also, schedule a massage for the day after your hike. Have fun!

For context we are 70&68 year old hikers with 50yrs of hiking experience. This is what we observed. Hiker ability: we saw all levels from what appeared to be seasoned to weekend & occasional hikers. Equipment: well equipped with daypacks (smart) to simple carry on style bags, sandals (only 2), light trail boots (good idea), trail running shoes, and common everyday street/running shoes. Poles only a few came with them lots rented on the advice of the guide (smart). TRAIL: The trail is all downhill so don’t think it will be easy. This adds a whole different dimension to hiking if you’re not use to it. The first section is a bit steep, and covered in flat rocks that make it more challenging as it’s easy to slip, add the 50 plus people who are excited and thinking they have to get to the front because they’re going to miss something and you have a frustrating start. The trail overall has plenty of boulders (small & big), uneven loose rock & gravel, and lengthy step downs that can test your balance and lower leg strength (nothing overly difficult, but the repetitive nature of the movements adds up after 6 hrs), add in a few timely flat sections to relax . What to see: being a gorge you always look up, rather than out or down. There are plenty of interesting details worth viewing. Various geological formations, & vegetation, historic sites, unusual creek beds, and of course the canyon walls. Last Thoughts: As a hike it’s unique for sure, seldom do you get a lengthy gorge hike and it’s worth considering. We’re are not particularly fond of an all downhill hike. It’s nice to have variety in your hike. The large number of people (900) and some with no etiquette, made it feel like walking in a busy tourist street at times. So we came away less awestruck than what others have said. Our guide was Ingrid, and we loved her attitude, & organization skills. She’s experienced and well prepared to deal with any situation. (5/5). The trail 4/5. The number of hikers 2.5/5. Limit hikers!

Amazing experience! Our tour guide Ingrid was very informative, friendly and safe conscious. Would highly recommend! Note: If you have any questions, CALL Viator or Tour directly.

We had a very good guide for this experience. She prepared us well right from the start of the trip to the end. The hike itself was very challenging and there are a lot of people doing the same trail you are. Some are faster so you need to be prepared for people wanting to pass you. We did our own timing and let the speedy ones zoom by. It is an experience you should do as the scenery and the challenge are unique.

It was hard but good - left me feeling very satisfied . I hiked 16 kms and it was an eye opener. I loved this hike and hated it all at the same time!!!! Crazy - if you need a reality check this trip is for you