Begin your adventure with a drive from Chania to Xyloskalo, the starting point of your hike. Set off on a guided hike through the Samaria Gorge, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the White Mountains of Crete.

Follow your guide through the gorge, which is approximately 13 kilometers long, with an additional 3 kilometers to the beach in Agia Roumeli. Pass through the most famous part of the hike, the “Gates” or “Irongates,” where the two sides of the gorge are just 4 meters apart with a height of 500 meters.

As you hike, learn about the history of the gorge, which was named after an old village that was abandoned in 1962 when the area was declared a National Park, mostly as a refuge for the endangered Capra Aegagrus Cretica, also known as Kri Kri.

After 5 to 6 hours of hiking, reach the beach in Agia Roumeli, where you’ll have 1 to 2 hours of free time to swim and eat. At 5:30 PM, leave by boat and reach Hora Sfakion by 6:30 PM. From there, be picked up by a van and return to Chania by 8:30 PM.