Samaria Gorge Wandeltocht vanuit Chania met professionele gids

This hike is gorgeous, especially starting out early, before the heat of the day sets it. In terms of difficulty, I think it is difficult to have a rating that will apply to all. Whilst the hike is not considered 'difficult ', our experience was that you really need to concentrate on every single step you take to ensure you step on steady rocks as it would be easy to misstep and roll your foot or even stumble and fall. We found it to be a lot of pressure on the knees, calves, thighs and even toes, as you are essentially walking down hill for 7-8 hours. My toes were pushing into the front of my shoes which by the end bruised a couple of my toes. My calves were extremely tight for the next several days, making it almost impossible to walk downhill afterwards. There are springs along tge way, and tge water is probably the nicest spring water I have had. The midday and afternoon sun really starts to intensify as the sun reaches overhead and reflects off the rocks. I found muscle fatigue and heat stress to be the biggest challenges, rather than fitness. Some people had walking sticks, which may have helped, but not sure as we did not have them. As you are looking down all the time, to ensure you are stepping correct, it is easy to miss the surroundings. You need to make sure you stop and take a moment to take it in. Thankfully, stopping for photos reminds you to do so. I think a must do if you are able, but be prepared, and ensure you avoid the shiny rocks as they are slippery due to being stepped on so many times. The guides were fine, although, didn't really receive much guidance through the hike. Info was given beforehand. There are also rangers on site in case you injured yourself and we saw a rescue horse going through the gorgeous with the ranger and saw a helipad. It's a long day, but still loved it.

One must have good physical condition and avoid going when it is too hot. No need to carry water as there are enough water points. Beautiful.

They pretended it would be too hot and postponing the day after although the forecast was identical for the other day. Got the money back but not a credible statement.

A beautiful experience, the views are incredible. All downhill but a little challenging due to the fact that you are hiking on rocks. Would absolutely recommend it.

It is a long hike and if you have never done any gorge hikes this is a good first start.. It is downhill almost most of the way and when you get to the river near the end and walk the bridges it makes it even more fun.

We booked this trip (through the Get Your Guide website, but IO Tours sent all the correspondence) and it was cancelled as the gorge was closed. I was promised a refund, but a week later I still haven’t received it, despite sending two emails to chase it. I have now had to open a dispute with my bank. I’m now left with having to give a bad review to see whether that produces a response. Avoid this company.

Don’t use this tour for the Gorge! No information was given by Dafni our guide on logistics. What time our ferry was, how long in duration, bus after, no restroom breaks!, no information about restaurants after the hike - very bad

Definitely worth doing with this company. Pari was an excellent tour guide and Yannis an excellent bus driver. Advice, definitely get a hiking stick, check your footwear, clothing tightness for chaffing (got some and saw more at the end, take Vaseline on the rubbing parts), water if you don’t want the spring water you find plenty of and food like energy bars and a little fruit. Have a little breakfast before when they stop with a hard boiled egg and banana. Listen to what Pari tells you about safety and the timeline for your decent. Take amazing photos. Swim at the bottom, it will help reduce the inflammation and eat a little something at the restaurant you meet back up at the end. Very delicious food. Pat yourself on the back and talk with other hikers. Met very nice folks who were all very interesting.

A wonderful trip, well organized, the guid, Dafni, was very nice. We are all have muscle pain now, a day after, but very happy 😀

My husband and I, both active hikers had a spectacular experience. The guide rated the hike a level 3/3 in difficulty primarily due to its length (16-18 km), we found the trail to be moderately challenging, probably somewhere around a 2.2/3 difficulty. The descent itself isn't the hard part— it really the distance that tests your endurance. Our guide, Pari, was great! Though she spent much of her time at the back helping the slower walkers, she was always available to answer any questions with a smile and maintained an upbeat demeanor throughout. A word of advice about gear: while other operators might rent out hiking sticks for €1-2 per day, when I called, IO Tours mentioned they provided them for free. However, at the start, we could only find sticks for purchase at the mini-market for €15. They turned out to be a worthy investment, especially beneficial for the downhill sections which can be tough on your joints. To anyone else going on this hike: * Definitely consider bringing trekking poles or hiking sticks to make your journey more comfortable * Book this directly through the operator direct (or viator, expedia, kayak, or whatever platform). Our hotel charged €50 for the same tour, while we only paid €33 when booking with them. There is little difference between the operators, all start in Chania around 6 AM, and all take the ferry back at 5:30 PM. Thanks IO and Pari for making the Greece trip more memorable!