Mark Nicholls descends into the famous Samaria

HIKING
HIDDEN
CRETE
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Mark Nicholls descends into
the famous Samaria Gorge
in south-western Crete on a
16km hike to the black sand
shoreline of the Libyan Sea
SAMARIA GORGE
At points the
300m deep gorge
narrows to just
4m wide
T
he sky is still semi-dark as
I arrive at the top of the
Samaria Gorge after a predawn winding bus journey
through Crete’s White
Mountains. At some 1,227 metres above
sea level, Xyloskalo on the Omalos
Plateau is the entrance to the Samaria
Gorge National Park – and almost as
importantly a good place for breakfast.
Cue strong, sweet Greek coffee – the
sort that feels gritty between your teeth –
and spanakopita cheese and spinach pies
as found all over the island.
Suitably braced, and soon after seven
in the cool, fresh morning air, I start
my descent into the enormous chasm
that points a sharp finger from the
Mediterranean coast into the heart of
this mountainous Greek island.
Ahead of me lies a rocky, rugged
descent down to the river bed and a route
that will ultimately deposit me 16km
from my start point on a beach of black
sand with the dazzling blue Libyan Sea
stretching out to the horizon.
The route is familiar; it is my fourth
sojourn into the gorge and a path I first
trod as an innocent and enthusiastic
backpacker making my way around
Europe in the summer of 1984 with an
InterRail pass stuffed into my pocket.
Oddly, I seem to have been lured back
at regular intervals since.
Familiar the route may be, but it is one
that requires respect. The ground can
be harsh underfoot and then suddenly
slippery as you put your foot on a
smooth, damp stone. This is no place for
a disrespectful flip-flop.
In the earlier stages the path, while
well-maintained and marked, is steep
as it traverses the edge of the rock side;
one side against the slope of trees and
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TEN
CRETAN
WALKS
The Gorge of Imbros
Second most popular gorge for
walkers in Crete after the Samaria
Gorge and much easier with a
distance of 8km and descent of
600m. The path into the gorge starts
just below Imbros.
The Gorge of Aradena
Located in the region of Sfakia, this
walk runs from the southern slopes
of the White Mountains to the small
beach of Marmara just west of Loutro
and is for more experienced hikers.
Summit of Vryssinas
This walk leaves from the Minoan
Cemetery at Armeni and follows a
15km course with a moderate ascent
of about 490m.
Walking to Lissos
Relatively easy, taking about one-anda-half hours each way with a starting
point at the harbour in Sougia, the
arrival at the hill-top offers beautiful
views of Lissos and a ‘bowl of
vegetation fields and terraces leading
to the sea.’
The Gorge of Agia Irini
The village of Agia Irini sits in a valley
along the winding road from Chania
to Sougia in southwest Crete. The
walk down the gorge is a through a
deep cut along the western edge of
the White Mountains and leads to the
shores of the Libyan Sea at Sougia.
Volika Mountain Refuge
Challenging 10-mile walk and an
ascent of 762m, which starts at
the village of Kambi in the White
Mountains and heads up to the refuge
at an altitude of 1,500m.
Moni Preveli
Moderate 10-mile walk from
Asomatos village along the
Megalopotamos river to its outflow in
the Libyan Sea at Palm Beach.
Walk to Tripiti
Beautiful coastal walk of four hours
leading to the steep hill east of Sougia.
You can also head to Tripiti by boat
and return on foot to Sougia.
Eleftherna
This is a fascinating seven-mile walk
that will especially appeal to antiquity
enthusiasts over moderate and varied
terrain, taking in the spectacular
Hellenistic bridge, the acropolis
of ancient Eleftherna, a preserved
Byzantine fort, Roman cisterns and an
Iron Age burial site.
To the summit of Gingilos
Probably the most popular mountain
walk in western Crete, the walk to the
summit of Gingilos at 1,980m is along
an easily accessible route and offers
impressive views all the way.
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vegetation, the other protected by a
wooden barrier fence that also offers a
handrail to the uncertain and unsteady.
Descending under a rising sun
The light, at some unnoticed point, has
sharpened with the rising sun and the dull
chill of dawn has been replaced by crispness
to the morning air.
It is not by chance that the descent starts
early. Apart from it being a most beautiful
part of the day, it ensures walkers navigate the
rugged, more exposed parts of the Samaria
Gorge, before the heat of the day bites.
Walking downhill through the cypress
and pine trees with the morning sunlight
filtered by green branches, is refreshing and
exhilarating. The subliminal backdrop is the
sound of running water, a rippling melody
from a river bed still unseen from this height.
The terrain seems endlessly downward,
chewing into knees and calf muscles with
every step on the hard ground. Yet it is
invigorating too – the antithesis to the idle
days of the poolside, the marvellous beaches
or the ambience and charm of the Venetian
port city of Chania.
As I submerge myself into the gorge, I reflect
on the appeal of Crete with its natural diversity,
fabulous Mediterranean cuisine, history,
culture and shoreline. It is one of the cradles
of civilization with the Minoan remains of
Knossos one of the island’s must-see sights.
To me, Western Crete always seems a little
more relaxed than other parts of the island.
The coast is quiet with beaches and small
inlets or harbours and there are little gems
such as Elafonisi beach with the pinkish hue
of the shoreline created by millions of crushed
shell fragments, the sandy arc at Falasarna
or a boat trip out to Gramvousa Island for
snorkelling, swimming and exploring Venetian
ruins, and many fabulous restaurants.
A favourite of mine is the small waterside
tavern at Sfinari where the speciality at the
family-run restaurant is the irresistible
Kakavia (fish soup). Crete has some amazing
traditional dishes such as beef stifado or
souvlaki, stuffed tomatoes and peppers and
superb salads, dressed in olive oil produced
from the 45 million olive trees dotted across
the island – all washed down with good local
wine. Forget the clichéd, acquired taste of
Retsina, Crete has some fabulous wines and
seems to keep the best of them on the island
rather than export.
They say the Cretan Mediterranean diet
is the healthiest on earth. It’s easy to believe,
though their good health might also have
something to do with the relaxed pace of life.
While those beaches are a big part of the
appeal of western Crete, it is also the diversity
the island offers; one day you can be reading
a book on a sun bed beneath a parasol and the
next, hiking down a deep and challenging gorge.
I allow my mind to meander a little – solo
SAMARIA GORGE
‘The subliminal backdrop is the
sound of running water;
a rippling melody’
walking down the Samaria Gorge is perfect
thinking time, a few hours of contemplation
combined with outdoor exercise.
Sturdy walking boots are essential to
negotiate the rugged downward path through
the trees and there is a sense of relief when it
finally levels out onto the river bed with the
water flowing close by.
Drinking water ripples out of a fountain too,
supplied from the heights of the surrounding
White Mountains (Lefka Ori); it is fresh, pure
and actually sweet. In fact, the sweetest water I
have ever tasted.
I’m now a couple of hours along what
is widely-regarded as the longest gorge in
Europe and I can feel the rising temperature
of the sun. It will take me five hours to walk
the whole way. Some will do it in less time
and others will take significantly longer. I
overtake people on the route, small chatting
groups slowed by numbers and conversation,
but others armed with poles and pace stride
by with a purpose. In the Samaria Gorge,
everybody finds their own tempo.
But you always walk with care. No-one
wants a twisted ankle and humiliating ride
out on the trudging rescue donkeys that sway
past from time to time.
Cretans refer to the Samaria Gorge as the
“Farangas” or “Great Gorge.” It is an area of
outstanding natural beauty and the Samaria
National Park on the south-west of the island
is rich in plant and animal life with upwards
IN NUMBERS
450
species in the Park
45m
olive trees on Crete
2456m
height of Mount Ida
Local climbers
A ‘kri-kri’, one of Crete’s wild
goats on the path says hello
of 450 different species surviving in a delicate
ecosystem. While pine and cypress trees abound,
the gorge is also home to Crete’s wild goats, krikri, which are visible along the route.
You’re certainly free to look around as
much as you like as, with signposts along its
length, there’s no need for navigation and little
danger of getting lost on what is said to be the
most-walked path in the whole of Greece –
more so even than the Mount Olympus path.
Bridging
the gap
Crossing the
river to Samaria
before resting
for a well earned
lunch break
Halfway houses
At about half way, loom the remains of the
village of Samaria and the abandoned 14th
century church of Ossia Maria, which gives
the gorge its name. It was finally abandoned
by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to
make way for the park.
A bridge crosses from the main route of
the path to a collection of old houses which
still stand. It is a perfect location to rest
awhile and eat a light lunch. I pause for a
snack of a roll of cold meats and a chocolate
bar, brought in my pack as there are no
refreshments available on route.
Kri-kri wander among the trees, water
spills from fountains which replenish drink
bottles and there is welcome shade from the
rising heat of late morning.
Setting off again, the gorge takes on a
new character over the kilometres ahead;
sheer walls soar almost vertically upwards,
pressing in closer and closer and channelling
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‘Here the rugged beauty and
magnificent scale of the gorge
is breathtaking’
the river out to the Libyan Sea. Here, the
rugged beauty and scale of the gorge is
breathtaking, but there are dangers too.
Signs, to be heeded, warn of falling rocks
and loose stones, and the terrain becomes
hard underfoot as it follows the river bed.
In times of rain, flash floods make these
stretches dangerous and impassable and can
result in the gorge being closed to visitors.
In places, slightly raised platforms take
walkers alongside the sheer walls above the
water line and bridges criss-cross the flowing
river as the route nears a stretch referred to as
The Gates. This is the narrowest point where
the sides of the gorge close in to a width of
only four meters and soar up to a height of
almost 300 meters, just short of 1,000 feet.
Once through, the terrain opens out a little
and before long, I arrive at the exit point of the
Samaria National Park, after walking for some
13km. It is at this point that you meet walkers
heading in the opposite direction, deposited
at Agia Roumeli on excursions for the shorter
hike to The Gates and back.
However, for those like me, heading down,
there is still another 3km on to the shores of
the Libyan Sea and the village of Agia Roumeli.
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But before long, the coastal settlement
falls into view. It is a grid of streets lined with
tavernas, small apartments and rooms to let,
a few souvenir shops and a promenade that
opens out on to the black sandy beach.
There are no roads to and from Agia Roumeli;
the options are to walk the 16km back along the
gorge, stay overnight or catch the late afternoon
boat out to Chora Sfakion (eastbound) or to
Sougia and Paleochora (westbound).
It is just after 1pm when I arrive; I take a
refreshing dip in the sea and laze a while on
the dark sand and then seek the shelter of
the taverna and lunch of grilled fish, a Greek
salad with feta cheese and olives, and a cool
beer as I await the boat for Sougia.
Time passes suitably slowly but hey, I’m in
Greece, what’s the hurry?
When the boats come in, I make my
choice. I’ve always headed east to Chora
Skafion but this time I decide to take the
westbound boat to Sougia, past the resort
of Loutro which looks pure blue and white
Cretan perfection, nestled in a cove. I make a
mental note to visit and stay a while on some
future visit to Crete.
As the vessel fills with passengers, I settle
SAMARIA GORGE
Footnotes
NEED TO KNOW
CRETE
Samaria
National
Park
• samaria gorge
Country Crete
Capital Heraklion
Population 620,000
Climate Mediterranean, with
average summer temperatures
from high 20s to low 30s C.
The highest mountains are
snowcapped all year long.
Time zone UTC +1
Money Euro
Comms 3G phone reception and
WiFi internet widely available
TRAVEL INFO
Health & safety
for the journey to Sougia and the bus back to
my room at Maleme just along the coast from
Chania with my muscles now beginning to
ache after the 16km walk.
On board, the warm sea breeze is
reinvigorating but nothing matches the
immense satisfaction of conquering this
natural fissure in the barren landscape of
western Crete. It is a long, long day but you
always have the rest of the holiday to relax.
After a couple of pool days, ahead of me lies a
further hike in the stunning White Mountains.
As the largest of the Greek islands, Crete
has so much to offer. In recent years, western
Crete has become one of my favourite
destinations with rugged scenery reaching
down to fabulous beaches, picturesque
harbours with shoreline tavernas, small
inlets where colourful fishing boats bob
on the tide, food and drink that is as good
as you will find anywhere, and a warm and
welcoming people.
This is what I love about Crete; it can
be exactly what you want it to be – hearty
exercise, chilled relaxation, fine food and a
magical landscape.
Perhaps this is why I keep coming back.
Island
adventure
After the gorge
walk, why not
take a boat trip
to explore the
Venetian ruins
of Gramvousa
Island?
Mid-day, mid-summer
temperatures in the gorge can rise
above 30 C so the usual advice
applies – hats, glasses and sunblock,
with a water bottle or hydration
pack a must – although there are
plenty of places to fill it along the
way. You will also need proper
walking boots or shoes.
Our trip
The gorge is open from mid-April
to the end of October but can be
weather dependent, as rain can
see it closed to avoid accidents
due to rock falls or flooding of
the stream. The park is open from
7am-3pm daily and there is a 5 Euro
admission fee. At Agia Roumeli
at the end of the gorge there are
restaurants, accommodation and
boats to Chora Sfakion or Sougia
for about 10-12 Euro.
via the National Highway. See
e-ktel.com for timetables and
routes in English.
For information on ferries along
the south west coast, where there
are no roads: sfakia-crete.com
Where to stay
Mark Nicholls stayed at the 33room Mistral Hotel at Maleme near
Chania, which opens from April to
October. Specialising in hosting
solo travellers, guests book the
hotel independently and arrange
their own flights, though the Mistral
arranges transfers. A typical week’s
stay, half-board, starts from £525
per person. Themed holidays are
available, from Greek Easter, Spring
& Flowers week, Walking, and
Photography with prices starting
from £682. singlesincrete.com
Getting there
Direct flights from UK airports
to Chania are available. We flew
Ryanair from Stansted to Chania.
ryanair.com
Getting around
There is a bus service from
Heraklion, Rethimnon and Chanioa
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