Things to do in the Samaria gorge and Agia Roumeli

The Samaria gorge is a one-way descent, not a loop: 16 km downhill from the Xyloskalo, 1,227 m above Omalos, to Agia Roumeli, a village with no road. From there the only way out is by boat to Chora Sfakion, Sougia or Palaiochora, then a coach back over the mountains.

The park runs roughly May to October, shuts for flood or fire risk, and its gates close in the early afternoon, so a late start can mean the walk is refused outright. The narrowest point, the Iron Gates, is about 3-4 m wide beneath walls over 300 m high.

Resorts also sell an 'easy Samaria', a 3-4 km there-and-back stroll from Agia Roumeli that never reaches the gorge proper; the two should not be confused. There is no cable car and no mechanised transport anywhere on this route.