Samaria Gorge Trek: Full-Day Excursion from Chania with Guide

The trek was much more difficult than expected but much worth the scenery. Our guide, Luka, was always around to help and the day was very well organized. My friend fell on rocks and required stitches. A doctor was available at the village mid-way and stitched her up. The doctor available at the end also cleaned up the wound to make sure she left in good shape. A great (but exhausting and physically painful) experience!

Definitely wear good shoes, a hat, lots of sunscreen, and a water bottle and snacks. Plenty of places to refill your water bottle along the way, but no food available. It’s a long but wonderful day hiking the gorge and the. 2-3 hours in Agia Romeli to eat and recharge your body before the ferry ride to head back.

The hike is around 10 miles mostly downhill so it’s not too strenuous, but it’s still a long way and you should be in reasonably good physical condition to make this hike. It does get kind of crowded, and I kept getting passed by people who seemed to be in a hurry. I recommend you slow down and take the sites along the way because it is a very beautiful hike. The trail is rough enough that you have to watch where you’re going while you hike so it’s difficult to sightsee and walk at the same time. If you hurry through the gorge, you’ll get to the end and then wonder why you came all that way, but if you take your time and stop on the ground and take some pictures, you will have a wonderful time. They start you early in the morning and you need to finish by 4:30 or five in order to catch the 530 ferry back to the road system. That is not difficult to do. I finished at three because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t cutting it close and I wish I would have slowed down even a little bit more and tried to finish about four. That would still give plenty of time to take a nice dip at the beach before getting on the boat.

Comfortable hiker footwear is a must. Once in a lifetime experience. Beautiful 😍 . A long day. Well spent.

Amazing trip through the Gorge NOT for people that dont like walking. You need to be fit. We are big walkers and even we found it hard. I'd recommend stretching before hand as it's a downhill for almost 1o miles there is no up hill warm up like your usual hike. Th swim at the end was incredible. Sara was amazing and her driver. Definitely recommend them for the trip.

Thankyou tour guide Christina and bus driver Costas! Bus to the start of the trail was smooth and on time. The views down through other gorge was incredible and topped off with time to swim and unwind before heading back to the ferry and bus to Chania. A long but enjoyable day and experience to recommend!

Samaria Gorge! So, you think you want to hike it. Excellent idea! It is quite, quite beautiful. But should you hike it and how should you hike it? Well, you clearly have an adventurous spirit so, assuming you have the oomph to back up your spirit, the only question left is should you arrange it yourself or go with a guide? We pondered this and decided on going with Sara from Platanos Tours / Elafonissos Travel and what an absolutely fabulous decision it was. Firstly, Sara hikes the gorge three or four times a week, so she most assuredly knows it and loves it…!! And she will share all of that with you on the bus to the gorge and whenever she comes across you as you hike down. Secondly, no, you don’t hike in a group. Everyone hikes separately at their own pace with Sara following later to offer her insights into the gorge if she comes across you and to help anyone who needs it. Thirdly, having an early morning pickup arranged beforehand, having Sara make sure there are tickets for the boat so you can spend your post-hike time in the sea not trying to get onto it in a boat, and having a bus back waiting for you after you get off the ferry? Precious! Hiking Samaria is a wonderful experience, but why not make it even better by going with the delightful Sara?!

Awesome awesome awesome excursion! This was a big must do for us and i am so glad we did. It’s a long day but so so so worth it! Christina was such a great guide and didn’t hover. She was there when you needed her and she was very encouraging and informative. At first, we thought we would rent a car and drive to the gorge but I’m so glad we took this self paced tour!

Great journey BUT it has been very difficult to catch the bus. Indeed they never came to the meeting point Amphitrite Hotel (we have selected it online among a Viator list). Fortunately we have called the person in charge of the pick-up but the communication was complicated, she informed us that the bus will come but it didn't in reality ! We called her again and again. Finaly we walked 700m to meet the bus in a street while it has under driving. The woman inside never apologize for this. Few minutes more and we miss the bus because of this bad organization/communication between Viator & the excursion company.

I walk hard but very rewarding. Fresh water all the way. Great setting and majestic nature. Very professional guide and comfortable transportation. The beach ultimately disappoints. And the food at the tavern we were advised, (Kri Kri) expensive and lousy. The only bad thing about the tour. Go to another or bring food.