 The starting point of the walk through the gorge of Samaria is
at Xyloskalo, which is also the entrance point into the National
Park. The name Xyloskalo means "wooden staircase" (or ladder)
and originates in the fact that in the past, the inhabitants of the
gorge had built a sort of staircase out of pieces of wood and tree-trunks
in order to get in and out of the gorge. This is because the entrance
of the gorge is a very steep drop which would otherwise have had
to be climbed.
Today, there is a stone path winding down steeply for the first 2 km, with a
wooden parapet to prevent accidents. You still need to step very carefully because
due to the amount of visitors many of the stones are worn smooth and are slippery.
In my experience most accidents tend to happen on these first two km. This part
of the walk is also taxing on the knees.
The altitude at Xyloskalo is 1250 m and most of the walk is in the shade so that
the heat is not an issue at the beginning. In fact, if you get there early in
the morning you might even feel cold.
 After about 1,7 km (the 13 km through the National Park are marked
by milestones every km) you arrive at the first rest place and spring,
Neroutsiko, in the shade of large plane trees.
From then on the walk down becomes a little less steep and eventually you reach
the bottom of the valley. Still walking in the shade you will cross the riverbed
(there probably won't be any water) two or three time until you arrive at another
tributary (with a fair bit of water). A few minutes walk further on is the rest
place of Agios Nikolaos, with water, toilets and a guard post. This is a very
ancient place where there was a temple of Apollo. The cypresses standing there
are slightly over 2000 (!) years old and the tallest in Crete. You have now been
walking about 4 km.
From Agios Nikolaos to
Samaria (3,5 km), you will cross the river
several times and pass two springs where
you can refill your water bottle. This
is an easy part of the walk, in the shade
and the path is pretty smooth. After climbing
up a little and walking a while above
the river, you go down into the riverbed
again and after a few hundred meters walking
in pebbles you reach the village of Samaria,
across the wooden bridge on your left.
Samaria is the main resting place for
most walkers, with shade, benches, water,
a guard post and (generally) a doctor
in attendance. If you are experiencing
any problems do not hesitate to go and
see the doctor, there won't be another
one and it is free.
Take a walk around the ruined village.
If you walk quietly, you are very likely
to see a few "kri-kri" at the
edge of the village, especially young
ones. They get quite used to people and
are not very shy.
My advice is that you do not stop for
more than half an hour, unless you are
a practiced hiker, because otherwise your
legs might start seizing up and you will
find walking again difficult.
The village of Samaria was inhabited
until 1962, at which point the National
Park was created and people where forced
to leave. It had been inhabited for thousands
of years by wood-loggers (there are some
remains of sawmills in the gorge) and
was also a place where the partisans fighting
the Turkish invaders could retreat. During
the winter Agia Roumeli is not accessible
through the gorge because there is far
too much water in the river. There was
only a difficult mountain path leading
from Samaria to the sea. So when you sit
in the (probably crowded) village of Samaria,
have a thought for what life must have
been for these people.
To carry on with the walk you need to
cross the bridge again and turn left.
Less than half an hour later the walk
takes you into the riverbed again. This
is the beginning of the gorge proper.
At the point where you walk down into
the riverbed you will see a sign warning
you about stones falling. The danger of
stones falling (from as high as 500m!)
is very real, especially when a high wind
blows in the mountains or if it has been
raining recently. Of course there is very
little that you could do if a stone fell
on your head (it has happened but it is
rare) but you can minimise it by not stopping
for a rest just below a vertical cliff.
For the next hour (or two depending on
your pace) you walk mainly in the riverbed
(it can be tiring on your feet if the
soles of your shoes are thin), crossing
the river on stones or makeshift bridges
a number of times. The cliffs tower above
you. This is without doubt the most impressive
part of the walk.
At km 11 you arrive at the shaded clearing
of Christos, where you will find the last
spring. A few minutes later you get to
the "Gates", this very famous
and very narrow part of the gorge. It
must be one of the most photographed place
in Crete! I personally find it less impressive
than the gorge between km 8 and 10. You
will often have hold-ups passing this
narrow part, especially if you get there
around midday because people also come
from Agia Roumeli to see it.
Once through the "Gates" the
gorge widens considerably and after another
2 km you reach the guard post (where you
must surrender your ticket stub) and are
out of the National Park and in the old
village of Agia Roumeli. It was destroyed
by a flood in the 50's and consists mainly
of ruined houses which are now slowly
being rebuilt.
From then on, the path is very easy:
flat and no stones but also no shade.
If you get there in the summer at noon
you will often encounter very hot conditions.
But soon you see the sea ahead of you
and get to the new village of Agia
Roumeli and the cooling sea.
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