Crete-Samaria gorge
 

Hi there! <BR>Can anybody tell us about the hike into the gorge - how difficult is it? How many stairs before the actual gorge starts. My husband has a bad knee and we hear there is a short trip to the "iron gates". Any info is appreciated. <BR>Thanks, <BR>Ursel

It's not THAT difficult. We did it two years ago. My husband's knees are a bit dodgy and he walked up our local 1000ft hill 3 weekends berfore we left and we did two little gorges before we got to the real thing. He took trekkingpoles which apparently helped. <BR> <BR>There are thousands (a thousand?)steps down-the actual drop down the Xiloskalia is about 900m. You drop 122m from the start to the end. The whole walk is 17km and takes about 5-7 hours. After the Xiloskalia it is very gentle. <BR> <BR>"Samaria the easy way" is whenyou take the boat in to Agia Roumeli, then walk the few kilmotres up to the Iron Gates. My only comment on this is that I HATED the people we met coming up. The path is too narrow in places for people to pass side by side and ll these trippers who had not had to get out of bed at 5 in the morning, were putting us toughies who had, and who had walked for 5 hours already, off our stride by blocking the path!. Who did they think they were???? <BR> <BR>If you can stand the stares, it might be worth doing if your husband reckons he can't manage

Hello Sheila: <BR>Thanks a lot for the reply we needed to make up our minds. Your comments have given us the information we needed to hike the complete gorge - stairs/stares and all - armed with a walking stick. <BR>Cheers, <BR>Ursel <BR>

Hey, all sorts do the whole walk. You won't get stared at for that!! <BR> <BR>I hope you enjoy it. The earlier you start the fewer people you have to negotiate; and the less you are in the sun; although the bit they don't tell you is that the only really exposed bit is the last 2 klicks, which, if you start at 7 means you're there about midday to 2pm, when the sun is at its hottest

We actually started later than all the tour bus hordes and stayed overnight in the restaurant/taverna at the bottom of the gorge. It was absoulutely great! The next day we walked back up. You could continue by boat. I'm not sure,however, how long you would have to wait for the earliest boat.

The last response from Ingrid....I would like to hear more about the inn that you stayed over night at. My husband and I are traveling to Greece in October this year, and this sounds like a great side-trip while on Crete.

I have to admit this was several years ago but there was a little restaurant/hotel at the bottom of the gorge right where the boats leave. <BR>The people in our hotel on the beach had told us about it, and I don't think we made reservations. <BR>

Check out this website: <BR> <BR>It's the little village at the end of the Samaria gorge, including accommodations/restaurants, reservations etc. <BR> <BR>http://www.agiaroumeli.com/

Actually it's fairly dreadful. There was no village at Agia Roumeli and it grew up simply to service the walkers coming off the gorge. <BR> <BR>It's wholly modern, there are about 3 shops and they sell pretty much only tourist tat, dozens of identikit tavernas (after all they have to deal with thousands of tourists at lunchtime. Then they all leave on the afternoon ferries and the place is a shell. There are a number of places which rent rooms. Large empty stony beach and beatuiful blue Libyan Sea (are Americans allowed to swim in it, I wonder?)