Samariá Gorge
The Samariá Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Σαμαριάς or just Φάραγγας) is a
The
The village of Samariá lies just inside the gorge. It was finally abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to make way for the park. The village and the gorge take their names from the village's ancient church, Óssia María.
Visitors to Crete can complete the walk down the gorge from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, at which point tourists sail to the nearby village of Sougia or Hora Sfakion, where they could spend a night there, or they could catch a coach back to Chania. The walk takes five to seven hours and can be strenuous, especially at the peak of summer.
Local tourist operators provide organized tours to the Gorge. These include bus transportation from one's hotel to the entrance (near Omalos village), and a bus connection that will be waiting for hikers after they disembark the ferry in Sougia or Sfakia (Chora Sfakion). If you are on your own, you can make a one-day round trip from Chania (see below) or from Sougia or Paleochora. Note that the morning buses from Sougia and Paleochora do not operate on Sunday. The ferries leave Agia Roumeli to Chora Sfakion (eastbound) and to Sougia/Paleochora (westbound) at 17:30.
There also exists a way from Agia Roumeli to the Gates and back.
Information provided by the Chania Forest Protection Service[1]
- Visits to the National park are allowed from May 1 to October 31.
- Park visiting hours are 07:00 to 15:00 daily. From 15:00 to sunset, visitors are allowed to walk a distance of only two kilometers within the park, either from Xyloskalo or from Agia Roumeli.
- Within the park it is strictly prohibited to camp, stay overnight, light fires, or swim in the streams of the gorge.
Other gorges in Crete
- Agia Eirini Gorge
- Gorge of the Dead
- Ha Gorge
- Imbros Gorge
- Kotsifos Gorge
- Kourtaliotiko Gorge
- Richtis Gorge
- Sarakina Gorge
References
- ^ Leaflet from NPS Tourist Office, 27/4/2008