kfg

My husband and I are planning a trip to Greece next June which will include Crete. We're traveling with another couple who are definitely going to hike the Gorge. I'm in my early 50's and in decent shape as are our friends. My husband is in his early 60's and in good shape. How strenuous is the hike? It sounds extraordinary but I need to know more. Thanks in advance.

111op

I did not do the actual hike -- I cheated and took a bus to Omalos from Chania, looked around and came back.

I think that you can do a partial hike if you don't want to hike the whole thing. I've heard estimates of 4 to 6 hours from one end of the gorge to the other, but the terrain is not supposed to be terribly challenging (that's my understanding). I thought about heading down to the wooden staircase and then coming back up, but the park ranger suggested that I just have coffee in the restaurant overlooking the gorge instead (if that was all I was willing to do). I've also read guidebooks that've advocated a hike to the iron gates (that's the narrowest) part from the other end of the gorge, but I'm not sure how one would go about doing that.

111op

By the way, Imvros Gorge (sp?) supposedly offers similar scenery, but the hike is just about 2 hours, if I remember correctly. I've not hiked this one either. As you can tell, I'm a pretty lazy person. And honestly, I didn't have that much time, so I decided that my time was better spent elsewhere.

cmt

I did PART of it with a walking tour group six years ago. I was in my early 50's, healthy and fairly strong, but definitely not athletic. Our group ranged in age from mid-30s to mid-70s, with most in the 50s. I didn't think it was particularly difficult, EXCEPT that I felt I had to be very careful about footing in order not to slip and get my foot stuck between rocks. I don't know whether the part we didn't do might've been the more difficult part, but the hike on this gorge was not as difficult as other hikes on this tour, which was graded easy-to-moderate by Country Walkers.

sheila

My husband and I did it two years ago; and I'd agree with CMT. The first section, the Xyloskala, is straight down, then the remainder of the downhill bit is where you ahve to watch your footing. After that it's pretty straight forward.

Start early to avoid the crowds; carry a large empty water bottle- there are lots of waterpoints along the way-; wear a hat and make sure you have sun cream all over. We saw one girl who had missed the backs of her legs and you could have fried eggs on them.

It's a great experience and you will enjoy it.

Ouzo

I have walked the Samaria gorge 3 times the third time when I was 50 years old with no problems at all. The route is very straight forward downhill all the way basically, the main descent initially is boulderous this flattens out after the deserted village of Samaria. It is about 12 miles (15Km) and takes about 6 hours excluding any stops, there is no need to rush as at the end is Ag. Roumeli village which has restaurants and rooms for rent. You can start from either Paleochora or Chania both have early morning buses to the head of the gorge (or indeed you could stay in Omalos village for a really early start). You can get a boat back to Paleochora or to Chora Sfakia (bus connects back to Chania).

Only you know whether you have sufficient experience.

jeffergray

My wife and I did the entire Samaria Gorge hike a few years back (we were in our early 40's). We loved it -- it was a high point of our trip and I would strongly recommend it. However, I would warn you that although the distance (12-15 miles) doesn't sound excessive for the time alloted, you can easily burn up a couple of hours going the first couple of miles (off the plateau and then down into the valley). I recall being horrified when I realized how long it had taken us to go the first three miles. From that point on, we had to keep moving, but I think we still got to the town at the southern end with an hour or so to spare.

It's unforgettable. The other thing that I found astonishing was the German tourists, who seemed so determined to make it to the southern end in record time that they gave themselves very little time to actually take in the scenery.

In the lower part of the gorge, you spend a fair amount of time walking on the dry riverbed. Because there are lots of largish, rounded stones, you have to watch carefully where you put your feet. The river actually disappears below ground and then reappears a couple of times, which is cool.

John Freely's guidebook "Crete" (available from Amazon) has a marvelous description of the Samaria Gorge hike, and I'm sure he must have been in his 50's when he did it.

kfg

Many thanks to all who replied. We think we're going to do it.

elina

I walked it ages ago with my son. And my son was 7 years old at that time. So, if a seven year old can do it (easily), you can do it. I also remember a French family who walked it the same time: they had two little girls younger than my son.

Just some things to remember:

Leave early, we started about 6 am before the crowds. If possible, wear hiking boots. Like cmt mentions, your ankles are in danger zone. Take enough water with you. There is a drinking fountain, but you can never drink enough. And spend a night in Agia Roumeili, or take a boat to the next village. It is nice there in the evening when the crowds from the northern coast have left.

PatrickLondon

As I recall, the point is not the terrain, it's the fact that once you've started you have to finish - there's no other way out - and you must start early enough to avoid being in the narrower parts of the gorge once the midday sun can hit directly into them (I did it 25 years ago with a tour party that started us off at 6.30am!). As with any long walk in a hot climate, you will need water, and for this terrain you will need boots that support and protect your ankles.

elina

I forgot. I have also walked the Imbros gorge, which was beautiful, and took only something like three hours. But it doesn't have the dramatic high "walls" of Samaria.

sv16

You might want to have a look at this link:

http://www.west-crete.com/samaria-gorge.htm

I hope it answers some of your questions.