Everything about Samaria Gorge totally explained
The
Samariá Gorge is a national park in the island of
Crete, one of the major tourist attractions of the island.
The gorge is in the prefecture of
Chania in the South West of Crete. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mount Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. Some people say that the gorge is 18 km long but this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of
Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of
Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16km long, starting at an altitude of 1250m, at the northern entrance, and taking you all the way down to the shores of the Libyan sea in
Agia Roumeli. The walk through the National Park of Samaria is 13 km but you'll have to walk the extra 3 km to
Agia Roumeli from the exit of the National Park making it 16 km. The most famous part of the gorge is the section known as the 'Iron Gates', where the sides of the gorge close to about 4 meters in and reach up to 500 meters high.
The gorge became a national park in
1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare
Kri-kri (Cretan
goat), which is largely restricted to the park and a small island just off the shore of
Agia Marina. There are several other
endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flower, bird, etc.
The village of Samariá lies just inside the gorge. It was finally abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in
1962 to make way for the park. The village and the gorge take their name from the village's ancient church
Óssia María (St Mary).
One of the "musts" for a tourist to the island is to complete the walk down the gorge from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, at which point tourists sail to the nearby village of
Hora Sfakion and catch a coach back to Chania. The walk takes between four and seven hours and can be strenuous, especially in high summer.
Further Information
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