Samaria Gorge Trek: Full-Day Excursion from Chania with Guide

Amazing adventure! Our guide Nikos and our driver added to the adventure-historical and cultural overviews in the drive, and our guide was on the trail for anything if needed. Weather was perfect! NO CROWDS!! This park will close until strong at the end of the month!!

The bus ride was comfortable, easy, and felt safe. Thomas was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. There was slight confusion about where to pick us up in the morning, but surprisingly the company called me, waited, and help facilitate a different pick up. We still arrived early before the crowds!

This was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. First: my husband and I are not hikers. We’re moderately fit, but we’ve never done a hike of more than two hours. We finished in just under six, and it felt like a huge accomplishment—and what a BEAUTIFUL location. This is doable, but a long day—come with water, snacks, and good shoes, and rent the hiking poles when offered. Be prepared for the long day, and recognize that it is well worth it.

Fabulous experience and wonderful scenery. It’s not a casual walk so be prepared! Hiking shoes or good trainers needed along with good fitness levels, ground is uneven and rocky all the way starting with a steep 3km climb down. This is a beautiful walk if taken at the recommended pace. There seems to be various reports on how far it is but I had my Garmin watch on and from the very top to the sea port it was 13.3 miles. Water is available on route from the fresh streams but take snacks with you, there are places to eat at the finish but not on route. Oh, and your calf muscles will ache for several days after, but I enjoyed every step, just remember to stop and take your photos and admire your surroundings, I saw many people just striding through but not looking around them at the views which is such a shame as it’s so beautiful. Enjoy !

A stunning gorge walk, worth every ache and pain I am now feeling! A long day, take plenty to eat and drink and take frequent stops to admire the beautiful landscape.

Having been to Crete several times, we decided that this was the year to hike through the Samaria Gorge. It was everything that we expected and more. Anyone doing this hike needs to take on board the warnings and advice given by the tour operators. This is not a walk in the park. It’s strenuous, exhausting but totally worth it. I strongly recommend proper hiking boots and before booking think carefully about your level of fitness! We took the tour offered by Platanos Tours. Nickos, our guide, was amazingly helpful and informative. Further explanations were given on the coach journey on the way to the start and he was the back marker for our group ensuring no one was left behind by mistake. He provided a great deal of insight and reminded the group that the hike was not suitable for people with certain medical conditions. He was an exceptional guide. A slight omission was that we weren’t told to look out for the yellow and black directional markers painted on some boulders along the way but this became quickly obvious. All the details regarding meeting points and arrangements for the return journey back to Chania were made very clear. Our coach driver, Manolis, was also excellent. The mountain roads can be very twisty and at all times Manolis’s driving was calm and safe. The arrangements provided by Platanos Tours were clear, booking was easy, and the pick up time was punctual. I certainly would recommend this operator and their price was excellent. Great value in all respects. Tip: if you intend to swim at the end of the hike, pack some sandals / flip flops! The beach is pebbled and very very hot so walking barefoot to get into the sea requires sandals but the cool clear water is great for tired legs!

A very well organised tour from pick up to drop off. The tour guide Thomas was a very experienced hiker, gave good advice and hiked the gorge with the group. Early start was excellent as we avoided the crowds and the midday sun. We walked the entire gorge in just under 5 hours including a couple of rest stops.

Pick up was well organized and we arrived fairly early. Renting the trekking poles (extra cost) helped a lot. The view was spectacular. The weather was quite hot and there was little shade in the last ~3 km. Definitely worth going and good value for money.

Punctual pickup, clear instructions, easy payment and a very nice, knowledgeable and caring tour guide (Nikos).

Wonderful tour and, in deed, it is not one of the easiest tours, but Elena, the tour leader, was very nice and helpful, she told us all the information and mentally prepared us for the tour. Everything happened as agreed, the bus arrived on time in the morning and Elena was waiting for us at the check point in time to go home. Thanks for the wonderful experience and the administration for transferring my reservation