The Samariá Gorge ( or just ''Φάραγγας'') is a
National Park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
of
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
since 1962 on the island of
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
– a major tourist attraction of the island – and a
World's Biosphere Reserve.
The
gorge
A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...
is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of
Chania
Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
. It was created by a small river running between the
White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of
Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of
Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in
Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but one has to walk another two kilometers to
Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 15 km long. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Gates (or, albeit incorrectly, as "Iron Gates"), where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of almost .
The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare
kri-kri (Cretan
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
), which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of
Agia Marina. There are several other
endemic species
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.
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[Leaflet from NPS Tourist Office, 27/4/2008]
* 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
External links
Samaria Gorge Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samaria Gorge
Biosphere reserves of Greece
Landforms of Chania (regional unit)
Gorges of Crete
National parks of Greece
Tourist attractions in Crete