Samaria Gorge

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We were up at 5:30 to grab a bite to eat and catch our bus to Samaria Gorge for a long but spectacular day of hiking. We dozed on and off as the bus took us up into the mountains of Crete to the starting point of our hike. Our guide was a jovial Swiss fellow, with a deep tan and long curly hair who (except for his hiking boots) looked like he had been plucked straight from a surfing spot in Southern California. He gave extensive information about the hike from the mountains down through the gorge to seaside village of Agia Roumeli and put us on a schedule to ensure we would not miss the only afternoon boat back home. The hike covered 10 miles and descended from a starting elevation of 4000 feet down to sea level. A significant fraction of the descent occurs during the first 2 miles and as we made the steep and lengthy descent, we wondered aloud whether we would soon reach the center of the Earth. This was the least scenic part of the walk, mostly forested and cool but dry, though still quite beautiful. As we descended further into the gorge and the cliffs started to rise around us and, before long, we were following a dry stream bed. There were resting areas along the way with springwater available for refilling water bottles. We hustled to keep on the schedule our guide had set for us and got to “Samaria”, an ancient settlement now a rest stop on the hike in time to take a much needed 30 minute stop for lunch. We dined on our pastries acquired the night before while wild goats cruised the area looking for picnic leftovers. We decided to move on before we stiffened up too much. This was almost the halfway point, and we now had to trudge along through the river bed navigating the rolling white river rocks under our feet. There was much stumbling as the rocks shifted. Lauren suffered a somewhat significant ankle twist injury that resulted in some swelling by the end of the journey, but she forged on with remarkably little complaining. Andrew stumbled and fell into a hole sandwiching his body like a pringle and was helped out of his predicament by some kindly German hikers. He was largely uninjured. We followed the dry river bed until we found the branch where water still flowed even in Summer, and then hiked our way back and forth across the stream as necessary, either hopping from rock-to-rock or walking across wooden bridges. Ultimately, we passed through the “iron gates” - a place where sheer cliff walls extending hundreds of feet up and the path is only about 10 feet wide. Shortly past the iron gates was the end of the national park and just feet from the exit was a tavern offering us ice cream, coffee and beer (quick quiz: who ordered which?). Easily on schedule to make our boat, we lingered at the tavern which oddly sported two coin-operated massage chairs. Continuing his habit of living large, Andrew convinced us to give him a 2 Euro coin so that he could soothe his aching body after the 10 mile walk. We then made our way slowly the last km into the beach town of Agia Roumeli where we had our first look at the southern shore of Crete and the Libyan sea. The beach there is all black pebbles - hard on the feet and very hot, but strikingly beautiful with crystal clear water. We all now regretted not carrying our swimsuits for the hike, but we waded as much as we could and cooled our aching feet. With an hour left before our boat’s scheduled departure, we opted for some snacks at a tavern and then boarded the ferry. The ferry was jammed with tourists and moved only very slowly, so we all dozed on an off (Andrew almost continuously) for the 90 minute journey to Khora Sfakion. There we boarded our return bus which took us back over the mountains through even more spectacular scenery. Leaving Khora Sfakion, we first made a lengthy series of switchbacks up the side of a very steep mountain where we noted the wreck of at least one car that hadn’t managed to navigate the turns. The views down the mountainside to the beautiful blue Libyan Sea below were particularly stunning, but as the Libyan Sea disappeared we succumbed to allure of sleep and dozed intermittently along the two hour return journey. We arrived back at our hotel hungry and filthy at around 9pm (prime dinner hour in Greece). We cleaned ourselves up and headed out for a nearby tavern. John had strained a tendon and was almost unable to walk up or down steps by this point and all of us were pretty wiped out. It was the night of the world cup final match between Spain and the Netherlands, and most pubs were jammed with people watching. We found a tavern that was not showing the game and had a lovely meal, topped off again with complimentary dessert and Raki. Needless to say, it was rapidly to sleep thereafter.

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Photos

Going down
The early part of the hike was a series of steep switchbacks - very hard on the knees

Cairns
Many small flat rocks shed from the surrounding cliffs make great piles. Here many travellers have built a forest of cairns.

Ancient worship area
Small cave with stone walls was an ancient worship / sacrifice site

Village of Samaria
Andrew and John pose in front of reconstructed buildings in Samaria (mid way through the gorge)

In the gorge
Bright lights and spectacular scenery at this point in the gorge

Sheer cliffs above
A look up from a narrow point in the gorge

Crystal clear stream
Posing on a rock in the stream that runs through the gorge

Ahhhhhhh
Andrew paid 2 Euro to sit in this massage chair just 100 feet from the exit to the park

Black pebble beach
Not easy on the feet but beautiful to behold, the beach at Agia Roumeli

Andrew does HIS personal best to keep his clothes dry
Not very successful, but we all enjoyed cooling off in the Libyan sea

Loutron
Small seaside town of Loutron (midway point on our ferry ride), photographed from the boat