Chania: Samaria Gorge Guided Hike

Crete, Greece

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

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

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Overview

What's Included

Pick-up/Drop-Off
Hiking Escort
Air-Conditioned Luxury Bus
Full Liability Insurance

Boat Ticket from Agia Roumeli to Sougia 13euros per person
Enrance fee 5 euros per person

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Pickup points

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Pickup details

Kindly contact the tour operator for the exact time and we will inform you upon reservation

Meeting points

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Start time
.5:30 am

Itinerary

Samaria Gorge National Park

12 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Omalos

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Agia Roumeli

4 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 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)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0

based on 7 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Highly recommend hike! 💚

RAQUEL_G, Aug 2026

We did the Samaria Gorge tour, leaving Chania at around 6:00 a.m. The bus stops in Omalos, where there’s a small canteen serving breakfast before the hike. The trail is about 16 km long, but it’s completely manageable if you do some regular exercise. Make sure to wear closed hiking shoes with good grip, as there are many rocky and slippery sections, and the route is a descent of more than 1,000 meters. Before our trip, we considered taking the ferry to Agia Roumeli and only hiking up to the Iron Gates, as we thought the full route might be too long. After doing the entire hike, I can confidently say that would have been a big mistake. Starting from Agia Roumeli means you begin with a steep uphill climb and miss the most spectacular parts of the gorge. The Iron Gates are famous, but they’re only a small section of the hike. The real beauty is walking through the gorge before you reach them, surrounded by towering cliffs, as well as the incredible first part of the trail that starts high up in the White Mountains with stunning scenery and nature. The sun only becomes an issue in the last part of the hike, so bring a hat or cap. There are plenty of natural water springs along the way, so there’s no need to carry a large amount of water. A piece of fruit and a sandwich are enough for the hike, and once you reach Agia Roumeli there are several tavernas serving delicious local food, making it the perfect place to have lunch after your walk. Our guide was fantastic. They rent hiking poles if you want them, gives clear instructions before the hike, and then stays at the back of the group to make sure nobody is left behind and to help anyone who needs it. After finishing the gorge, you can either walk the extra 2 km to Agia Roumeli beach or take the shuttle bus for €2. There are also two small cafés right at the park exit where you can buy cold drinks and ice cream before continuing. The beach at Agia Roumeli is the perfect place for a swim after the hike. I highly recommend bringing water shoes because the beach is very rocky and the stones get extremely hot. The scenery throughout the gorge is absolutely breathtaking and makes every step worth it. I highly recommend this experience. Just be prepared for sore calves and muscle aches over the next couple of days!

Spectacular and well organized, but far far more difficult than expected

Konrad_P, May 2026

The scenery of the gorge is simply spectacular. Tour is very well organized, Nicos is a great guide. BUT !! The hike is far far more difficult than described. I have a feeling that organizers completely under estimate, or maybe hide even, what tourists should expect and how to prepare. This is not a hike for anyone even slightly not at their best. It took us 6.5 hours and we had some elderly in our group whom it took even longer and who were overwhelmed and bit shocked of how difficulty differed from rather easy going description. There was no info to seriously prepare, eg that proper hiking shoes is almost a must (sports shoes are just just just enough, we had them and slipped all the time on the stones). We survived, but at times almost regretted getting ourselves into it (especially that 3rd part of the hike, 7-11km felt most strenuous, with hike on the stones in the gorge in full sun while already tired). It's an amazing experience, but be prepared. If you're fit, you'll have an amazing time. If you have doubts - think twice and read Google reviews for lots of first hand experiences)

13km gate to gate as a crow flies, pity we're not crows 😉

Sylwia_S, Oct 2025

Samaria Gorge is stunning however it is not a 13km walk. Both my husband and I measure our steps and we did 19km and 25km respectively. The whole distance is downhill and over rough ish terrain. I do not consider myself to have issues with knees but about 2/3 into the hike, I begun feeling a bit of an ache in my right knee (dominant side). The rest stops are convenient and quite pretty, with two of them having chapels/churches. Supportive footwear is a must. Gorge is stunning, with astonishing scenery. Lots of photo/video opportunities. At times it felt like we've been in different climate zones due to different humidity. Booking process using Viator was easy and painless.