Οι καλύτερες ορεινές πεζοπορίες στην Περιφερειακή Ενότητα Χανίων

An impressive bridge and a suitable starting point for hiking through the Aradena Gorge to Marmara Beach. The descent through the old village of Aradena, west of the bar, provides access to the gorge. Trail markers on the gorge's rocks guide the way to Marmara Beach to the south. The wooden railing is partially rotten, so trusting the steel chains anchored in the rock and using your own leg muscles is advisable. Sturdy footwear is recommended; climbing equipment is not necessary. Falling rocks are possible. A taverna on the beach offers refreshments. Continuing from Marmara Beach lies Loutro, which can be reached via a pleasant rocky walk. A rocky ascent towards Anopolis completes the hike back to the Aradena Bridge.

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".

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 problem.

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.

It rattles every time a vehicle drives over it

Mountain hut with 5-star viewing terrace; direct view into the Samaria Gorge and the dominant Gigilos. Not open and not managed at the beginning of May 2024.

Nice little chapel here.

view from the bottom of the canyon