Boat Trip to Agia Roumeli - Samaria Gorge Exit We recommend this tour to our Crete freaks who either don’t like hiking or who physically cannot manage the hike through the Samaria Gorge. The highlight is to admire Europe’s longest (16 km) and narrowest Gorge from its most famous narrowest point.
From Chania you drive in the direction of Kolimbari /Tavronitis. Once you are on the main coastal road, drive through Tavronitis and pick up the signs to Paleochora on the South coast.
Paleochora is a nice, lively place on the Lybian coast. You can park your hire car at the harbour in Paleochora and take the ferry to Agia Roumeli. Ferry tickets are very cheap (4-5 Euros one way) as the Cretans use the ferries like we use buses. When you arrive in Agia Roumeli you can take advantage of refreshments in the lovely, small tavernas and then walk to the exit of the Samaria Gorge. This is a walk of about 40 minutes (there and back about one and a half hours).
The boat trip itself along Crete’s South coast is a fantastic experience – you see high cliffs falling steeply into the turquoise blue sea. This tour is suitable for small children and it will be an unforgettable experience for them too.
My tip for parents: make up a Samaria Gorge certificate when you get home; you could insert a digital photo of your child in the Gorge. We told our son that if he were successful he would receive a certificate when we got home and he was so proud of it that he never forgot the Samaria Gorge. In fact when he was 14, he insisted on walking through the Gorge without us, accompanied by a friend and his young cousin aged 12.
Don’t forget: good shoes and head protection are very important, even for the easy Samaria Gorge tour.
