Overview
The path starts at Xyloskalo at about twelve hundred metres and drops steeply for the first two hours, then follows the riverbed between walls that close to a few metres at the Iron Gates. The village of Samariá was evacuated in 1962 when the gorge became a national park, and its houses stand empty along the route. The Cretan ibex lives here and is occasionally seen; the gorge opens around May and closes with the autumn flood risk.
Highlights
Budget five to seven hours and check the boat times from Agia Roumeli to Chora Sfakion or Sougia before you start, because the last boat sets your pace. Boots, not sandals; the riverbed is loose stone the whole way. Buses leave Chania before dawn for the top, and the return by boat and bus takes most of the evening.