Samaria´s Gorge: from the white to the blue

Drink! Live like the Greeks! Eat! Gorge!” Plautus (comic playright at the time of Roman republic)

It was last July when we were in Crete that one day we decided to hike through the Samaria´s gorge. If you’ve never visited Crete before, you definitely should. It’s the largest of the Greek islands and many people, especially Greeks, say it’s also the most diverse and interesting! And if you are looking for more than sand, sea and sun but also for history and wildlife and beautiful scenery, you won’t have far to look in Crete. In South-West lie the stark White Mountains, through which the spectacular Samaria Gorge cuts like a knife through butter. Samariá Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Σαμαριάς) is a National Park since 1962 and is a World’s Biosphere Reserve. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. With 18 km lenght it´s arguably Europe’s longest gorge, competing for that honor with the Gorges du Verdun in France (that are slightly over 20 km in lenght). It starts at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern side of the plateau ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli, which is only accessible on foot through the gorge or by boat. This is what it makes this hike a unique experience, exploring so many different kind of landscapes and so much you will appreciate the crystal clear water of sea at the end of a long tiring day in the hot greek sun!

We were based in Chania, one of the oldest cities in Crete, with a rich and tumultuous history. Today it is the…