Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Mountain hikes & routes

Greece

Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Χανίων

Kleidiako Restaurant – Samaria Gorge loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

Routes

Mountain hikes & routes

Greece

Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Χανίων

Kleidiako Restaurant – Samaria Gorge loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

Hard

3.8

(5)

hikers

Kleidiako Restaurant – Samaria Gorge loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

07:48

22.1km

1,210m

Mountaineering

Hard mountaineering route. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 18, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Εθνικός Δρυμός Σαμαριάς

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

18 m

Café at the Entrance to Samaria Gorge

Highlight • Cafe

The landscape is very impressive... start early in the morning because of the heat and because it is very busy

Translated by Google •

Tip by

68 m

Hike to Kallergi Mountain Refuge

Highlight • Mountain Hut

Great place with a gigantic view.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

102 m

Samaria National Park Entrance

Highlight • Gorge

If you are in Crete and you are on your feet well, the Samaria Gorge is a must. It is one of the most beautiful gorges.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

211 m

Kleidiako Restaurant

Highlight • Restaurant

Small restaurant with a shop for souvenirs.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

231 m

Free parking at the Samaria Gorge entrance

Highlight • Parking

Please remember not to damage nature and not to hinder the coaches.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3.64 km

Saint Nicholas Chapel in Samaria Gorge

Highlight • Religious Site

Small beautiful chapel on the wayside of the Samaria Gorge.
Is one of the rest points in the gorge.
In the immediate vicinity there is a water source with drinking water.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

11.1 km

Iron Gates (Portes) — Narrowest point of the Samaria Gorge

Highlight • Gorge

The gorge is lined by vertical rock walls up to 600 m high, which allow a passage of only three to four meters at the narrowest point of the gorge, at the so-called "iron gate".

Translated by Google •

Tip by

12.2 km

August 2024. I don't know why the trail is described as difficult. It took us 5 hours to complete it from the entrance to the beach lounger at a normal walking pace. My sports band described the workout as very easy - 95% of the time my heart rate did not exceed 120bpm. So what difficulty are we talking about? Unless you can't walk downhill for 5 hours... The route is easy. No big gradients or technical difficulties. The route on AllTrials is incorrect - it indicates 700m of elevation gain, which is nonsense, because there are no significant climbs there, as the diagram suggests in red. This is misleading and should be corrected. The most interesting part of the trip starts around 10 km when we actually reach the bottom of the gorge and giant rock walls surround us. That's why many people choose to explore this part of the gorge by going "against the flow". I strongly advise against arriving late. Starting before 8 gives you a chance for a parking space, shade for 90% of the route and a pleasant temperature. Additionally, the trail was practically empty. We overtook maybe 30 people in total. The last 2-3 km were already in the sun but not as hot as in the afternoon. People who arrived at the beach after 14:00 looked like they were dying of exhaustion from the heat ;), while we were cooling down under the sunbeds (10 euros for 2 sunbeds and 2 drinks - a very nice change after sunbeds for 40 euros on Vai beach...) and enjoying the very pleasant sea and ultra hot dark sand on the beach. At 17:30 the ferries will take you to the chosen port, where buses are already waiting. Just don't confuse the ferry or the bus ;) Take comfortable shoes for a long walk through the forest and stones - this is the only condition for a successful route. There are water and toilets on the trail every few km. 1.5 l of water that I had with me was enough for me. To sum up - anyone who is able to cover a distance of 17km is able to cross the Samaria Gorge, as it does not pose any effort or technical challenge.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

22.1 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

12.8 km

9.11 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

12.8 km

9.11 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Monday 27 July

32°C

21°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 9.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

Want to know more?

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Hard

4.6

Junction to Gigilos Summit – View of Gigilos Peak loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

05:07h

8.82km

830m

Hard

3.8

Kleidiako Restaurant – Samaria Gorge loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

07:35h

22.0km

1,140m

Hard

5.0

Aradena Gorge – Marmara Beach loop from Anopoli

06:53h

16.0km

1,000m

Hard

4.5

Aradena Gorge – Marmara Beach loop from Loutro

06:32h

16.0km

920m

Moderate

4.0

Samaria Gorge Entrance loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

02:30h

7.24km

380m

Hard

Pachnes Summit Cross – View of Pachnes loop from Gonia

11:05h

25.5km

1,690m

Moderate

4.5

Kallergi Hut – Turnoff to Kallergi Refuge loop from Omalos

04:23h

13.0km

610m

Moderate

Pachnes Summit Cross – View of Pachnes loop from End of Pachnes Track

02:44h

5.81km

410m

Hard

5.0

Taverna Porofargo – Bridge loop from Agia Irini

02:43h

5.24km

340m

Hard

Loutro – Holy Cross Chapel loop from Hora Sfakion

06:09h

16.2km

750m

Moderate

Holy Cross Chapel loop from Hora Sfakion

03:22h

10.00km

190m

Kleidiako Restaurant – Samaria Gorge loop from ΞΥΛΟΣΚΑΛΟ

Café at the Entrance to Samaria Gorge

Hike to Kallergi Mountain Refuge

Samaria National Park Entrance

Kleidiako Restaurant

Free parking at the Samaria Gorge entrance

Saint Nicholas Chapel in Samaria Gorge

Iron Gates (Portes) — Narrowest point of the Samaria Gorge

Samaria Gorge

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️