The gorges of West Crete - a photo gallery - Page 1

One of the most visited attractions of Crete is the gorge of Samaria. A walk through the gorge of Samaria has become a must for visitors who are fit enough and over a quarter of a million people trudge through it each year. Needless to say, the natural beauty and the magical atmosphere are somewhat marred by the crowds.
There are over 50 other gorges in the White Mountains, none as long as Samaria (although the gorge of Tripiti comes a very close second) but each with its own "personality" and few or no other people to disturb the peace. Give them a try.
Some of these gorges are short and easy walks, some are very difficult and dangerous. Inform yourself about the level of difficulty before venturing into them. One rule applies to all the gorges: do not walk in a gorge after heavy rains (or whilst it is raining of course), not so much because there is a danger of floods but because of the increased risk of stones falling from the cliffs.

The next couple of pages show photos of the 4 most popular and accessible gorges in the South-West of Crete.
The first page shows photos of the gorge of Samaria as well as a couple of photos of Imbros.

 

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  • The beginning of the descent into the gorge of Samaria at Xyloskala. The modern (50 years or so) path was built into a more or less vertical cliff.
  • The beginning of the descent into the gorge of Samaria at Xyloskala. The modern (50 years or so) path was built into a more or less vertical cliff. This is the part of the walk that probably requires the most care and attention when walking through the gorge of Samaria as it is very easy to slip and fall.
  • The beginning of the descent into the gorge of Samaria at Xyloskala. The modern (50 years or so) path was built into a more or less vertical cliff. This is the part of the walk that probably requires the most care and attention when walking through the gorge of Samaria as it is very easy to slip and fall.
  • The beginning of the descent into the gorge of Samaria at Xyloskala. You are still high up (the descent starts at 1200m) and get great views of the surrounding mountains.
  • Around km 6 you get good views of a large side valley to the East. It ends up in cliffs that rise to a height of 1900m. Incidentally, this photo was taken from the small pointed bump (not that small when you are on it) at around 1900m that you can see in the middle of the ridge.
  • Just past km 6 on the walk and just before the steep descent to the river bed and the village of Samaria.
  • A warning sign as you enter the narrow part of the gorge of Samaria
  • Walkers in the gorge of Samaria. This is a the spot (about 30 minutes walk after the village of Samaria) where you enter the narrow part of the gorge and start walking mainly in the river bed.
  • Walkers in the gorge of Samaria. This is a the spot (about 30 minutes walk after the village of Samaria) where you enter the narrow part of the gorge and start walking mainly in the river bed.
  • Walkers in the the narrow part of the gorge
  • Walkers in the gorge of Samaria. This is a the spot (about 30 minutes walk after the village of Samaria) where you enter the narrow part of the gorge and start walking mainly in the river bed.
  • Walkers in the lower half of the gorge of Samaria
  • Walkers in the the narrow part of the gorge
  • Flowering oleander in the river bed of the gorge of Samaria
  • In the narrow part of the gorge
  • In the narrow part of the gorge (at around km 10.5)
  • In the narrow part of the gorge (at around km 10.5)
  • In the narrow part of the gorge
  • In the narrow part of the gorge
  • The narrowest point in the gorge of Samaria is only about 3.5m wide and is called the "Gates" (and often wrongly referred to as the "Iron Gates"). It is located just past km 11 (from the entrance at Xyloskala).
  • The narrowest point in the gorge of Samaria is only about 3.5m wide and is called the "Gates" (and often wrongly referred to as the "Iron Gates"). It is located just past km 11 (from the entrance at Xyloskala).
  • The gorge of Imbros is much shorter and easier to walkthrough than the gorge of Samaria. It it less spectacular but still has some interesting features that make it worth a visit.
  • The gorge of Imbros is much shorter and easier to walkthrough than the gorge of Samaria. It it less spectacular but still has some interesting features that make it worth a visit.
 

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