‘I went to a famous gorge in Greece and made a major mistake – don’t do the same’ (Image: Getty)
Nestled in the heart of Crete, the Samaria Gorge is s grandest gorge. It offers breathtaking vistas and an enjoyable trek for adventure seekers.
Finding out how to conquer the stunning gorge in the Samaria National Park was relatively straightforward on my recent visit to . Still, it did require scouring TripAdvisor and Google Reviews and reading up on the site’s official website.
More than 50 peaks of the impressive mountain range exceed 2,000 meters in altitude, while the highest, Pachnes, reaches a height of 2,453 meters above the Libyan Sea to the south and the Sea of Crete to the north of the island.
This means the best route for those visiting solo (not part of an organised excursion) is to park at the top of the gorge, journey down (roughly a seven hours’ descent), and then wait for a single ferry from the at the bottom (Agia Roumeli) to Sougia, where you can take a bus back to the car park.
It sounded easy to navigate, and several reviews reassured us that this was the case, so we set off, hopeful of finding our way back to the carpark in good time. But there was one major hiccup that nearly ruined the whole trip.
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The Samaria Gorge is the most famous hiking gorge in Europe, forming part of the European E4 path (Image: Phoebe Cornish)
The ferry travels between Sougia and Agia Roumeli – two remote villages on the southern coast (Image: Getty)
The journey to Samaria Gorge begins with a scenic yet winding drive up the rugged Cretan landscape from Chania to the car park at the top of the gorge.
We went very well equipped – or so we thought – with plenty of water, suncream, sunhats, snacks and swimming attire to enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea at the foot of the 14km trail.
After obtaining two tickets from the office at the start of the gorge trail, which we secured via card payment, we were told that tickets for the ferry and bus, which would return us to the car park, could also be purchased by card payment at the end of the hike.
After 5.5 hours of enjoying the gorge’s breathtaking natural beauty, we finished the gorge trail and found ourselves in Agia Roumeli, where we quickly worked out how to buy ferry and bus tickets. We tapped our cards against the reader with ease and were reassured for a second time that the bus ticket was included in the fare.
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The gorge is located at the southernmost point of the Prefecture of Chania, in Western Crete, which is in the heart of the White Mountains (Image: Phoebe Cornish)
Agia Roumeli village is at the foot of the Samaria Gorge and only accessible by boat (Image: Getty)
Ignorance was bliss as we relaxed on the dark-stone beach in the sunshine to rest our tired legs. Little did we know how the journey would take a turn after we boarded the last ferry of the day at 5.45pm.
After a scenic ferry ride, we arrived at a distant port, only to find ourselves stranded with the wrong tickets and no cash – a daunting prospect with nightfall approaching.
We suddenly realised we couldn’t board any of the buses that take the winding route through several tiny towns between Sougia and the gorge car park—a journey that takes more than an hour.
A very small ticket shack was visible among the mass of visitors surrounding the three huge coaches arriving to collect gorge-goers. But card payments were denied, and the two Euros we had on hand wouldn’t cut it.
A brightly lit ATM was located a five-minute walk away, but with the buses ready to leave, we had a two-minute window to avoid the lengthy nine-hour incline hike back to the car park that Google Maps proposed.
Our hopes of paying by card were crushed twice despite pleas to use the card machine they had on hand. We had overlooked this possible problem after enjoying a cashless holiday in Crete for a week before visiting the gorge.
Miraculously, a last-minute bank transfer saved the day, but our experience is a cautionary tale. When visiting the awe-inspiring Samaria Gorge, always carry cash or double-check your return travel plans to avoid an unexpected adventure.
Another takeaway from my slightly stressful experience is to pack plenty of drinks and snacks for the journey and factor in the time you’ll have to wait for the ferry. There are only a few journeys a day at set times, so you may have to wait for a few hours after you complete the hike.
Understandably, restaurant and cafe prices at the foot of the gorge are inflated to tempt hungry and thirsty hikers. But it’s simply not worth it when you can find plenty of authentic Cretan taverns on the route between Samaria National Park and Chania.