There is no better way to experience the real side of Crete, than to traverse the island's unspoiled soil, swim in its crystal waters and stroll down its traditional villages.
This hiking tour of the Samaria Gorge will give you the opportunity to do all 3 and at your own pace.
Early in the morning, you will be picked up from designated spots around Chania via a luxurious bus and reach the starting point of your tour in Omalos Plateau around 7 am.
Shadowed by the adjacent White Mountains and with plenty of drinking water to be found along the way in many natural springs, this self-paced hike will create unique memories for every traveler. Behind your group, there will always be a hiking escort to ensure everyone's safety and provide assistance if needed. At around 17:00 you will start your trip back to the place where you were picked up from.
Posted By : Alexander_D
Great day trip to the gorge! Thanasis was an excellent guide and made sure that we all finished the hike. Would recommend to anyone looking to hike the gorge!
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Posted On : 2024-06-30 13:05:50 
Posted By : StellaM1724
My experience was extremely distressing due to misleading information provided by trip advisor and fantasy travel and the lack of adequate assistance during the hike.
When booking the excursion, there was no clear warning that Samaria Gorge is suitable only for experienced hikers. Instead, trip advisor website misleadingly states that only a moderate fitness level is required. This is far from accurate.
The first 4-5 miles are steep and rocky, requiring a 3-4 hour descent down the mountain, followed by another 10 miles of uphill and downhill trekking. This challenging terrain makes it unsuitable for individuals with medical conditions such as heart or liver problems, back or knee issues, pregnant women, young children, people with learning disabilities, those who have had recent surgeries, or anyone with serious medical conditions.
My personal experience was harrowing. After 4 hours of navigating the steep and rocky path, my knees became extremely swollen and painful, making it impossible for me to continue. I sought assistance at one of the stations, where staff merely provided a painkiller and instructed me to continue to the next station to see the doctor. Despite my best efforts, the pain became unbearable, and I struggled to reach the doctor.
Upon finally reaching the doctor, my son explained my condition. To my shock, the doctor accused me of pretending and dismissed my severe pain, stating that if I had walked up to that point, I was fine. She provided me with some ice but insisted that I had to continue walking or stay overnight and leave in the morning, offering no further help. When I explained that I receive knee injections and was physically unable to continue, she callously replied that it was my fault for entering the gorge, and therefore, no assistance would be provided. At one point, the doctor even said, "Here in Greece, there is no 'I cannot,' there is only 'I don't want to.' Do you have anything similar in England?"
My son was in distress when he was seeing me in this condition and he was unable to do anything to help. He kept asking for help and enquiring about the donkey that could transfer me to the exit but the doctor kept shouting at him.
The lack of empathy and professional assistance was appalling. I was left stranded in excruciating pain, unable to continue and denied the help I desperately needed. It is unacceptable for TripAdvisor to advertise this excursion without clearly stating the physical demands and potential risks, and it is equally unacceptable to leave customers in distress without adequate support.
Our holiday was ruined, and my knees are now in worse condition having a torn ligament due to this experience. I requested a full refund for this excursion and urged them to take immediate measures to ensure this does not happen to anyone else. My request for a refund was refused and my recommendations were ignored. Specifically, I recommended:
Clearly indicating on their website that the Samaria Gorge hike is suitable only for experienced hikers.
Including detailed warnings about the physical demands and potential risks for individuals with specific medical conditions.
Ensuring adequate medical support and professional assistance are available on the trail.
I wouldn’t recommend this experience to anyone!
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Posted On : 2024-06-25 17:34:42 
Posted By : KereninBrisbane
Pick up and transfers were efficient. No issues or concerns either end. We had a brief stop on route for a pastry, coffee, fresh OJ and toilet. The initial part of the walk is down hill. When you get to the bottom the walk has some inclines and declines but is relatively flat. There is some walking across wet rocks and stick bridges - if you take your time and are careful this shouldn't cause any issues. There are plenty of water sources to refill a water bottle along the track. There were also plenty of toilets along the route (at least 4 areas). It will take an average level of fitness person i.e. someone who walks their dog for 30+minutes a day, about 4hrs. If you are not a regular walker then likely around 5 hrs. The path is not suited to trailer runners. Once you get to the end of the trail and exit the park, you still have a small hike (I think it was about 2km) to the seaside village. There are plenty of options for lunch here. You will visibly be able to see the ferries coming and going - they are of a decent size. The scenery throughout the walk was beautiful. The track is well managed and maintained. The coast is also quite beautiful.
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Posted On : 2024-06-25 03:18:14
Posted By : J9412ODjuliet
What a great day! The tour company Fantasy Travel were really good, punctual, friendly and gave lots of useful information. The walk was amazing. I was most worried about exposure to the sun during the walk but thankfully there was a lot of shade from trees along the way. Would advise a hat for the exposed parts as the sun gets very intense. You can walk at your own pace and stop and look around as much as you want. I would recommend the walk and the tour operator 100%.
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Posted On : 2024-06-23 03:01:46
Posted By : Isabet_G
It really worth it! If you love Nature Beauties you ll fall in love with Samaria Gorge. Firs, it was very well organized like usually. The gorge Itself is doable . For me it was a bit difficult. I’m 56 with not so good knees. I made it in 6 hours. You can stop at the rest areas. Uneven ground with small medium and large stones make it hard. That’s the difficult part the constant uneven ground. After the hike you can have a dip in the Libyan sea. Enjoy!
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Posted On : 2024-06-19 23:37:42
Posted By : William_M
Very disappointing end. We were told to pick up boat tickets from Samaria restaurant at 4.30. Had no option but to do so. When we arrived there we were verbally abused by restaurant manager/owner as we had not eaten there after our hike. He would not let us in to meet with tour guide. Really upsetting - do not make obligatory meeting place to get pre paid boat tickets at a restaurant unless owner is aware and ok with it. Tour guide did not manage this situation well, said it was up to the office not her.
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Posted On : 2024-06-18 13:44:04
Posted By : Mike_S
This hike is generally all down hill which seems easy, right? That said, pretty rocky trail so DO bring hiking poles OR rent them from your guide - well worth it for your knees. And do wear some kind of hiking shoes and NOT flip flops or slides. The gorge is beautiful as you walk through what looks like it used to be a roaring river gorge with huge boulders. Crystal clear water too. And the sides of the gorge are an eye opening mix of rock layers going vertical, horizontal and everything in between. It's like rock layers from thousands of years ago have been pushed up into the air to form the gorge. Loved the periodic clear mountain water refill stations. The bathrooms - not so great but - you gotta have them. Wish the overall trip was shorter. Chania pickup was 6am, started hike at 8am and I finished around 2pm. I'm a pretty normal speed hiker. The ferry from town didn't depart till 5 / 5:30pm and then at the next town, a bus ride back to Chania area got us home at 8:30 - 9pm. Thus, a 14 -15 hour trip.
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Posted On : 2024-06-18 13:39:10
Posted By : Nathan_L
Great experience everyone on time and everything went smoothly. They were right about it being chilly in the morning and took care of all the details.
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Posted On : 2024-06-16 09:49:42
Posted By : Nichole_G
This will stay in my top three favorite hikes forever. Absolutely stunning. The village at the end has beautiful beaches and great restaurants. All the travel between the bus and ferry were super easy. The company was so helpful and quick to reschedule after the park was closed due to dangerous temperatures. I will definitely be using them again for any other trips in Crete.
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 13:49:40
Posted By : Sarah_C
Ingrid, Our guide was very good. This trip really is only the coach journey to and from - the rest is up to you!
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Posted On : 2024-06-15 08:17:28
