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Greece: Vacation time, Day 10: Samariá Gorge

Time for annual leave has come and with Nada we decided to have a motorbike trip, starting in Slovenia and ending on Crete in Greece. On our way we decided to spend some time with our friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and in Greece.

For our first full day on Crete Nada took me hiking to Samariá Gorge. Some say it is the longest gorge in Europe, some deny that, but definitely is one of the longest and very beautiful.

We hiked 16 kilometres through the gorge, starting at an elevation of 1230 m just south of Omalos and ending in the coastal village of Agia Roumeli. At the end we also visited a Turkish fortress on the nearby hill and then we had our first gyros on the island. After a refreshment in the sea we boarded the ship to the Sougia from where the bus took us back to our motorbikes.

Previous days of our vacation: Day 9, Day 8, Day 7, Day 6, Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2, Day 1.

Short morning ride to the head of the gorge, called Xyloskalo

 

Entrance fee for Samariá Gorge is 5 € / person

 

Start of the trail at an 1230 m a.s.l.

Photographer Nada

 

After 4 kilometres we reached small church of Agios Nikolaos. This is a very ancient place where there was a temple of Apollo. The cypresses standing here are the tallest in Crete.

 

Samaria is an old village whose inhabitants were relocated in 1962 when the gorge was declared a national park. The old houses still exist and they serve as houses for the guards. The village is a good opportunity to see the traditional architecture.

14th-century church of Osia Maria (Holy Mary), from which the name “Samaria” is derived.

I will run

  

The area of the National Park Of Samaria is 4,848 hectares, its width ranges from 3 to 300 metres and its height from 200 to 1000 metres. The river Tarraios ( named after the ancient city of Tarra that used to be where Agia Roumeli is today) runs the entire length of the gorge.

10 kilometers behind us

 

During the many struggles of Cretans for their freedom, the gorge, was a secure hide-out and the base of operations of the freedom fighters.

 

The very narrow passage near the end of the gorge is often called the "Iron Gates". None of the former inhabitants of Samaria know why the place suddenly got this name. They were always known by the locals as "Portes" which means "doors" or "gates", but certainly no "Iron" anywhere.

 

Along rare kri-kri (Cretan goat) there are several endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.

 

At the exit of the park

 

Beer just before the old village of Agia Roumeli, that was destroyed by a flood in the 1950's and consists mainly of ruined houses which are now slowly being rebuilt.

 

Since we walked mostly downwards, we decided to visit a castle on a nearby hill

View to the new village Agia Roumeli

A Turkish fortress of the 19th century on a hill above the village

 

Exploring the ruins

View to the Libyan Sea

Last meters before the coast

The old stone bridge

 

Time for juice, beer and our first gyros, a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and usually served wrapped in a flatbread, with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

Instead of a shower we jumped into the water

 

Since there is no road to the Agia Roumeli we took the ferry to Sougia

On our way back we went to rescue two tourists

Another magnificent day

Walk through Samaria - See Relive video

Exploring Samariá Gorge

GeoCaches found:
- Samaria Gorge-Agios Nikolaos/Σαμαριά-Άγ. Νικόλαος, GC6MHDR
- Samaria Gorge-Osia Maria/Σαμαριά-Οσία Μαρία, GC6MHQE
- Gorge of Samaria, EarthCache, GC1CZF8
- 100 # JOERPICK'S KASTLE # 100, GC644W2
- Agia Roumeli, GC5VTX4
- Omalos-Xyloskalo/Ομαλός- Ξυλόσκαλο, GC1YDAW