Today I took a bus tour to the Samaria Gorge in southern Crete.
“Samaria National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the White Mountains of Crete, draws tens of thousands of visitors per year to hike the spectacular gorge at its center. While it’s not the only gorge in the area, Samaria Gorge is by far the biggest—in fact, it’s Europe’s second-largest canyon overall.
The 16 km trail starts at the top of the gorge, taking visitors past towering cliffs, sweeping views, and uniquely Cretan flora and fauna, eventually ending at the Libyan Sea in the town of Agia Roumeli. At its narrowest (and most dramatic) point, known as “the Gates,” the gorge is only 4 metres wide—and nearly a thousand feet high.”
The 15 km downhill hike was fairly challenging with much of the trail being very rocky.
The little seaside town of Agia Roumeli at trail end is very remote and only accessable by foot or boat. It is probably just one of probably hundreds of similiar small villages scattered along the Greek coast and islands. Visiting some of these villages would be another way to ‘do’ Greece.
…and then there was the incident where a pack donkey travelling in the opposite direction changed course slightly and knocked my phone onto the ground, luckily only sustaining slight damage to the screen.
