Samaria Gorge Hiking Tour from Chania with Professional Guide

Crete, Greece

14 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The Samaria Gorge is one of Europe’s longest canyons and a must-see attraction when visiting Crete. This full-day tour takes you on a hike through the gorge to admire its soaring cliffs and narrow passageways. At the end of the gorge, you are rewarded with a refreshing dip in the cool waters of Agia Roumeli Beach. Then, take the ferry to the port before returning to Chania by bus.

Enjoy a dynamic activity during your time in Crete
Hike through the beautiful Samaria Gorge
Swim in the Libyan Sea at the end of the hike
Enjoy round-trip transfers from select areas

What's Included

Air-conditioned-bus transportation
Escort - mountain leader (English, Greek speaking)
Pick up & drop off service [included in the cost for the listed areas]

Gorge's entrance fee: [10€ per adult for over 13 yo]. Pay on the bus in cash.

€10.00 per person
Ferry fare: Agia Roumeli - Sougia: adults: 14€, children[ 0 - 12 yo]: 7€. Pay on the bus in cash.

€15.00 per person
Food & drinks
Pick up & drop off service [there is an additional cost, for areas that are not listed].

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

You will receive notification via email regarding your pick-up details, including the pick-up location and time. We aim to pick up individuals at their hotel or as close as possible to their accommodation based on the address you have provided. (Pick up times will vary from 05:30 - 06:30 depending on your accomodation) Pick-up & drop off service is offered for the listed areas: • Chania town • Chrissi Akti • Kato Daratso • Agioi Apostoloi • Kalamaki • Stalos • Agia Marina • Platanias • Gerani • Maleme • Kamisiana • Tavronitis • Kolimvari 1.There is an additional charge, for any other area that is not listed. 2.Pick-up locations can be hotels, buildings, and squares. 3.Please be aware that you have to be on time at the pick-up location as the bus cannot wait..

Operating hours
.6:00 am

Itinerary

Samaria Gorge National Park

6 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Agia Roumeli

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Sougia Beach

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Chania Town (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Children have a regular seat on the bus. [Children: 4 - 12 years old]
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Anna_S

Overall a great experience! The gorge itself is very beautiful, but please, take some sturdy boots with you. There are often slippery or loose stones and it is quite easy to break your ankle without proper support. The nature and the stops are wonderful. Our guide was amazing, she informed us well on the route. The route is beautiful, and the bus driver very skilled. The gorge ends after 16 km at a place where you need to walk another 2,5-3km to Agia Roumelli. A bus for 2€ is offered for those who do not want to walk anymore. The guide gave us tickets for the ferry in the evening. The ferry ride was also very beautiful. After the ferry the bus picked us up. In total a great, worry free experience. You do not have to worry not to make it to the bus or the last ferry, if you would do it on your own. Special thanks also to the guide who made sure we were well throughout the way.

Reviews

3.8

based on 18 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Gorge hike first

Charlotte_C, Oct 2024

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.

Terrible

Dianna_L, Jun 2024

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

You can do this!

Kevin_D, Jun 2024

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.

Samaria wonder

Eyal_S, Jun 2024

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

Challenging Yet Rewarding Trek in Samaria Gorge!

Marck_G, Jun 2024

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!

Unforgettable views!...

Karen_N, Aug 2023

Unforgettable views! Must do everytime I am in Crete. Make sure to bring suncream and walking shoes.

Samaria Gorge is amazing, the tour experience awful

Ioana_B, Oct 2022

I would start by saying a few words about the attraction, Samaria Gorge is an absolute beauty that, if you have the chance and you don’t mind putting some effort into it, you absolutely need to see it! It has everything, a long course that everyone can enjoy at their own pace, nice scenery and landscapes, stops along the way for rest or water replenish or just to have a snack(no shops of any kind just what you have, it’s about nature after all ) and a nice track that you can follow easily so you don’t have to worry getting off it and just enjoy what’s around you. Now about the tour I would characterise the whole experience as lacklustre and without care for anyone in doing the tour. Let me explain, everything started well with some info about Samaria Gorge but after it started going awry, first because our tour guide only mentioned that the hike is a level of difficulty 3(highest possible) and the easy path is not possible, people had questions regarding the hike if they can make it, if they’re equipped properly, how tough is it really, and to all those concerns our tour guide,Pari, didn’t even bother answering and so a few people just gave up then and there. Another issue was that she didn’t bother with anyone on the hike, we saw her at the beginning and that was it, we talked with people at our meeting point which btw was an absolute joke, we had to come 15 minutes back from the ferry just to meet her so she can give us our ferry tickets in the middle of the restaurant terrace(awkward for everyone as people were trying to enjoy their meal) and then just to hear that you have one hour to do whatever till the ferry leaves, she only mentioned that after the ferry she will be at the coach and thats it. The tour finished the same, in absolute disarray, we thought she will say something about the tour or the hike or anything but no, same as public transport but worse as we had to change unexpectedly into a minivan without knowing who needs to go or why and being rushed to the each ones stop because it was late and I guess they had enough. If you got to here then I hope it was a useful read and I think this gives you at least an idea of how everything went and what to think about the tour or the location,Samaria Gorge.