From the pine forest at Xyloskalo, 1,227 m up in the White Mountains, down through the Iron Gates to the
Libyan Sea at Agia Roumeli. A full day on foot, with a coach to the start and a boat at the end.
Entry and boat, spelled outEvery tour says what you still pay on the day
2026 fees checkedAgainst the national park's own ticket site
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
A season, not all yearSpring to October, weather permitting
Tours
Choose your Samaria tour
In the centre, the tour most hikers book from Chania. On the left, the same walk with a hiking guide at the
lowest price; on the right, the one that already includes the entry ticket and the boat. Every card opens a full page.
The classic day: coach from Chania to Xyloskalo, the full 16 km down to Agia Roumeli with a guide, the boat along the coast and the coach home. The most booked Samaria tour.
The full crossing with nothing to pay on the day: the park entry ticket and the boat from Agia Roumeli are in the price, with a hiking guide and the coach.
Two questions sort most of them: do you walk the whole gorge, and is the €10 entry and the boat in the price?
Only one tour here includes both; on the others you pay them on the day.
Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before. The entry ticket is €10 for adults; EU citizens under 18 and over 65 enter free.
Before you book
A 16 km walk to the sea.
The Samaria Gorge cuts through the White Mountains of western Crete, from the Omalos plateau to the south coast. The
path starts at Xyloskalo, at 1,227 m, drops steeply through pine forest, then follows a stream bed past the abandoned
village of Samaria to the Iron Gates, where the walls close in to a few metres apart. It ends at Agia Roumeli, a village
with no road, so everyone leaves by boat.
The gorge has been a national park since 1962, partly to protect the kri-kri, Crete's wild goat. It is open
from spring to October, only along the main path, and only by day: you must start the full crossing by 1 p.m. and be
out of the park by 6 p.m.
1,227 m
From the gate at Xyloskalo down to the Libyan Sea, on foot, in one day.
XyloskaloSamaria villageIron GatesAgia Roumeli
The middle of the gorge, below the old village.
01
Entry €10
Paid online or at the gate; EU citizens under 18 and over 65 go free.
02
The boat back
No road at the end: boats leave Agia Roumeli in the late afternoon.
03
Start by 1 p.m.
The full crossing must begin by 1 p.m.; the park closes at 6 p.m.
04
Spring to October
Closed in winter and on days of heavy rain, heat or storm damage.
Your day
From the mountains to the sea
A tour day from Chania, start to finish. Plan 6 to 7 hours of walking with stops.
01
Early pickup
The coach climbs to the Omalos plateau, with a short stop for coffee and snacks on the way.
About 1 hour from Chania
02
Down from Xyloskalo
Show your ticket at the gate and start down the steep zigzag path through the pines. Take it slowly.
The steepest stretch
03
Samaria village
Halfway, the old stone village has a rest area, water and toilets. Springs along the path let you refill.
About halfway
04
Iron Gates and the sea
Through the narrows, out of the park, and on to Agia Roumeli for a swim and lunch before the boat.
Entry€10Per adult; free under 18 and over 65 for EU citizens.
DistanceAbout 16 kmXyloskalo to Agia Roumeli.
Walking time6 to 7 hoursWith stops; fast walkers about 5.
Start window7 a.m. to 1 p.m.For the full crossing; out by 6 p.m.
Boat5:30 p.m.From Agia Roumeli to Hora Sfakion or Sougia.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation on every tour here.
Where it starts
Getting to Xyloskalo
Xyloskalo, Omalos plateau, Chania region
The northern entrance is at the edge of the Omalos plateau, about 40 km south of Chania.
Tours pick you up at your hotel or a nearby stop and drive about an hour to the gate. At the end, the boat from Agia
Roumeli takes you to Hora Sfakion or Sougia, where the coach waits. Driving yourself is possible, but the car stays at
the top while you finish at the sea.
4.6★★★★★ 3,552 reviews · Samaria trek from Chania GetYourGuide rating
★★★★★
Excellent service from the guide and the driver! Samariá Gorge is exceptional. The sun makes the hike more difficult, but it is still manageable for people in normal health.
★★★★★
Excellent organization. Everything was well explained. Enough time for the activity. The boat at the end has beautiful views.
★★★★★
The tour was very well organized. Great guide, comfortable bus. On the part of the organizer, everything was at the highest level. However, the hiking tour is not the easiest. Good shoes and decent fitness are necessary, especially in the heat we experienced.
★★★★★
The views are simply incredible. If you love mountains and hiking, this is for you. But consider the difficulty of the route and your physical fitness.
★★★★★
Very demanding but also rewarding. You should bring good mountain walking shoes. Luka is a great guide.
★★★★★
Very nice and scenic 2kms route inside Samaria Gorge, perfect to have a taste of it without straining yourself. Very nice guide Babis.
★★★★★
I absolutely loved the hike. It’s much more challenging than one would think. Very important to have an appropriate shoes as the path is constant downhill with a lot of stones. The guide and drive were great.
★★★★★
Great activity for a very long day, about 14 hours from Heraklion. The hike takes 5 hours and has a lot of pebbles. The view is superb, and the organization is very well done.
★★★★★
The tour fully met our expectations. Nikos was a great storyteller, and our driver turned out to be a master on the road. I recommend it.
Above the gorge
The White Mountains by 4x4
The same mountains without the 16 km walk: shepherds' huts, high roads and a long Cretan lunch.
The mountains around the gorge without the 16 km walk: a 4x4 day through the villages and up to a shepherd's hut at about 1,350 m, with coffee and a Cretan lunch. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
One long path, one way out by boat, and a few rules that shape the whole day. Here is how a crossing works.
How hard it really is
Samaria is not a climb. It is about 16 km, nearly all downhill, from Xyloskalo at 1,227 m to the beach at Agia Roumeli.
What tires people is the ground: loose stones for hours, a steep first stretch through the pines, and stream crossings on
stepping stones. Fit walkers finish in about 5 hours; most take 6 to 7 with stops. Calves and knees feel it the next day.
Children can go, as there is no age limit, but the park itself does not recommend the full walk for small children. For
them, and for anyone with bad knees, the easy way from Agia Roumeli up to the Iron Gates gives you the narrowest, most
dramatic part in about 2 km.
Loose stone and river crossings, most of the way.
What you pay, and when
Most tours sell you the coach and the guide. The €10 entry ticket and the boat from Agia Roumeli, about
€15 on a tour, are paid on the day. EU citizens under 18 and over 65 enter free, and a family ticket costs €6 per
person. If you would rather pay once, the all-inclusive tour puts both in
the price.
Keep your entry ticket. It is checked again at the exit: the rangers count everyone in and out of the
park, and the full crossing must start by 1 p.m. so that nobody is still on the path at dark.
Getting there and back
Xyloskalo is about an hour by road from Chania, longer from Rethymno and a very long drive from Heraklion. There is no
road at the bottom, so the day always ends on a boat: ANENDYK sails from Agia Roumeli at 5:30 p.m. to Hora Sfakion or
Sougia, and the coach or the KTEL bus takes you home from there. That is why most people book a tour: it joins the two ends.
The boat is the only way out of Agia Roumeli.
When you can go
The park opens in spring, usually from late April or May, and closes at the end of October; the dates are set each year.
In 2026 winter damage delayed the start to 19 May, and October storms closed it early. It is shut now until at least
9 April 2027. During the season, rain, heat waves or fire risk can close it for a day, decided the day before, and many
tours then switch to Imbros.
Straight answers to what people ask most about the Samaria Gorge.
How difficult is the Samaria Gorge hike?
It is a long, steady walk rather than a climb: about 16 km, almost all downhill from 1,227 m to the sea, on loose stones and river crossings. The first stretch below Xyloskalo is steep. The park calls it "not an easy walk" but not only for experienced hikers. Good shoes and normal fitness are what you need. More in how hard is Samaria.
How long does a Samaria Gorge walk take?
Most people take 6 to 7 hours from Xyloskalo to Agia Roumeli, with stops; fast walkers do it in about 5. On a tour from Chania the whole day, with the coach and the boat, runs from early morning to the evening.
How much does it cost to enter the Samaria Gorge?
The entry ticket is €10 for an adult, with a family rate of €6 per person. Under-18s and over-65s from the EU enter free. Most tours do not include it: you pay on the day, plus about €15 for the boat. The details are in what Samaria really costs.
What time does the Samaria Gorge open for hiking?
For the full crossing you must enter between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. After 1 p.m. only short walks of 2 km from each entrance are allowed, and everyone has to be out of the park by 6 p.m.
Is the Samaria Gorge open now?
No. The national park closed for the winter on 1 November 2026 and stays shut until at least 9 April 2027. The gorge usually opens in spring and runs to the end of October, and it can close on single days for rain, heat or storm damage. See season and closures.
Why is the Samaria Gorge closed?
In winter it is closed every year: the river rises and rockfalls are common. During the season it closes on days with heavy rain, heat waves or fire risk, and after storm damage until the path is inspected. In 2026 it opened late, on 19 May, after winter landslides.
Is there a day trip from Chania to the Samaria Gorge?
Yes, it is the most common way to do it. A coach picks you up early, drops you at Xyloskalo, and meets you after the boat from Agia Roumeli. The most booked tour from Chania starts from $45.
How can I get a bus from Chania to Samaria Gorge?
KTEL buses run from Chania bus station up to Omalos and Xyloskalo in about an hour during the season. At the end you take the boat to Hora Sfakion or Sougia, where the bus back to Chania waits for the boat. Step by step in getting to Samaria.
How do you get back from Agia Roumeli?
Only by boat: there is no road. ANENDYK boats leave Agia Roumeli at 5:30 p.m. for Hora Sfakion and Sougia, and the buses and tour coaches wait at the other end. In strong wind the boats can be cancelled.
Which gorge is better for hiking, Samaria or Imbros?
Samaria is the bigger day: 16 km, a national park and the Iron Gates. Imbros is about half the length, easier and a good choice in heat or for families. The comparison is in Samaria vs Imbros.
What are some easy alternatives to hiking the Samaria Gorge?
Do it the easy way: take the boat to Agia Roumeli and walk up about 2 km to the Iron Gates and back. Or choose the shorter Imbros Gorge, or see the mountains from a 4x4.
Is there an official website for the Samaria Gorge?
Yes. The park is run by NECCA, the Greek Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency, and its ticket site sells the entry tickets and posts the closures. The older samaria.gr pages are an archive and show out-of-date prices.
Ready to book
Choose your day, walk to the sea.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every tour.
Hiking guide
★ 4.7Full dayFree cancellation
