Fantastic trip, early start but well worth it. Our guide Thomas was full of information on the trip there, ensuring everyone knew how the day would go but also importantly he set expectations correctly that it could be a tough walk. Thoroughly enjoyed it, the views and scenery were amazing! Good shoes are a must, and don’t worry about taking lots of water as there are places to fill up on water throughout from the springs. Highly recommend

If you are located near Chania, don’t miss this out! It was a fantastic experience. The trip was very well organized from start to finish. It started by picking us up from our hotel at 5:50 in the morning. The road to Samariá was beautiful. The first stop it’s a restaurant where you can get some food. You can buy the tickets easily from the website, so you can skip the line. It costs 5 euro per person. Also at the restaurant the guide will collect the tax for the boat (13 euros). We arrived at Samaria around 9 o clock. You have plenty of time to cross the park, until 16:30. The meeting point will be a taverna called Kri-Kri. There you’ll get the tickets for Sugia, the place where the bus awaits you to get you back to the hotel. We arrived around 21:00. So it’s truly a very long day, but I can assure you it’s worth it. Also the guide named Nikos was very friendly and informative. He made good jokes and everything went well with him.

Well organised tour. Picked up on time in a good quality, comfortable bus. Guide Sarah gave a very detailed description of the hike ahead of us and timings for each of the checkpoints to ensure we made it through in time for the ferry trip back. This is not an easy hike, it is long with a very steep descent. Whilst it is not so challenging on your cardio fitness it is very hard on your knees , calves and feet with the constant downhill over the first 3-4kms . Recommend good hiking shoes. We are a couple in our late 50’s and it took us 5 1/2 hours to reach the village. Once at the village the swim in the Libyan sea is very refreshing but be warned the black pebble beach is scorching hot.

Okay this is going to be a long review. Firstly, the company are fantastic! The pickup was super easy and the tour guide was lovely, informative and enthusiastic. They sort out the ferry tickets aswell which is super helpful. How the day works: Pick up around 6am > Travel to a cafe near the gorge for breakfast and to pay for the ferry (13 euros each) > Head to the gorge > Pay 5 euros entry > Start the hike > Once finished there is a beach with cafes, shops etc > Meet the guide at 4:30 in a specified location to collect ferry tickets > Get the ferry at 5:30 > 1 hour > Meet the coach > Drop off > Home about 9pm. As you can see it is an incredibly long day. Now for the hike: Context- Me and my partner are both 21 and we go to the gym about 3 times a week. Neither of us walk particularly far and we don't do cardio or walking training. The first 3km are pretty similar as you begin the descent. There are a lot of stones and steps but this is quite easy if you watch your step and take your time. Lots of nice views. 3km to 6km was long it felt much longer than 3km and was winding all the way. At 6km i thought we must have been at 8km if not more. Around the 4th km there was a section where we had to climb down some rock and climb up another- i think there might be a way around this but im not 100%. This wasn't easy but manageable. 6km to 8km was okay, some nice views, some easier sections some harder. 8km to 9km was flat and easy with pretty views. 9km to 13km was tough very rocky and hard to get footing at times but stunning views. 14km was just a straight line. After the 14th you can get a bus to the beach for 2 euros or you can walk a further 2km. We could not hack the extra 2km. Overall, it was highly worth it and was a brilliant experience but a very difficult one. I have no idea how children managed it to be honest. The views were great and the stream was so nice and cold and drinkable. Another factor that i never thought about before hand was that you have to constantly look down at your feet so to look at the views you have to constantly stop which isn't the best. The hike took us 6 hours to complete we both ended with blisters and my legs/ankles hurt the following days. I would not say this is an easy hike, it was the first one i have done, but it was worthwhile as long as you are prepared for its difficulty. I am sure there are much harder hikes and this may seem easy but for a novice hiker it was hard. My top tips: take light snacks, shoes with ankle support and thick soles, obviously a water bottle, my saving grace was a wet towel which i wore from the 6th km onwards and it made it so much better.

Booked my Samaria gorge walk through Elafonissos travel. Very easy to make the booking, good value, the guide was very nice and helpful. I had a great day out and highly recommend the walk and the company.

Amazing amazing experience. Booking was easy and reliable. Pickup customized to client’s hotel with on time pickup. Our tour guide “Sarah” was extremely clear and informative with a humor that was appreciated by all. The hike is moderate to severe downhill x 5 hours and she gave clarity on injury prevention and hydration - a WOW!! Highly recommend this tour operator and WISH i would have booked my other tours with them over Viator.

We did the Samaria Gorge day trip with Elafonissos Travel and it was the best day from our short stay in Crete! The trip was perfectly organised from A to Z. We were the first to arrive at the starting point and the first to leave at the end of the day. Special thanks to our guide Thomas! He took great care, explained everything properly with a sense of humour, and was the main reason for a day perfectly spent in the mountains and on the shore. We did the hike on 4 and a half hours, and had plenty of time to enjoy the crystal cooling water of the Libyan sea. I recommend you to pack a pair of flip-flops or hiking sandals for the beach because the sand is black and literally burns your feet. High five to the whole team, we strongly recommend the tour!

my friend and I had the best time! The experience was very smooth, however we feel as though the money spent was for the transportation. I would definitely recommend booking through this company, the advice and preparation the tour guide offered on the bus was very helpful and allowed us to have a structure to our experience which we wouldn’t have initially. As two young girls, we haven’t done anything like this before and they made us feel very relaxed and comfortable!! Thankyou so much x

Very professional and well organised trip. Picked up from outside the hotel as promised ( but oh so early in the day), taken through eagle soaring mountain roads, stopping for time to get some breakfast and supplies, delivered to the start point in time for 8 am start. Met again at the base at 4 pm, hour’s ferry cruise and the winding coach back, dropping off at the hotel at 8.30pm.

Great hike through the beautiful views of Samaria Gorge. The bus trip was well organized and our guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. The pick up from and the drop off to our hotel were also a big plus. We finished the hike a bit faster compared to the big group so we spent couple hours on the beach.

Sara was very friendly and great guide. You are left to hike at your own pace with Sara at the back of the group, in case someone gets injured or something. We were also one of the first tour groups of the day to arrive so the trail was less crowded. The views are unforgettable. I would HIGHLY recommend (:

This definitely made my Samaria Gorge hike smoother and more accessible. There is a lot of logistics needed for that hike and my tour was smooth and let me focus only on the hike and enjoying myself. I want to shout out our guide Nykos and bus driver Apostolos. Nykos gave clear information and even offered rentals of hiking sticks, you can tell he knows the gorge well and even tells you where you can fill your water up throughout the hike. Our tour was also very timely, we arrived before other tours which I was thankful for as it allowed us to get ahead start and beat and keep pace ahead of many other hikers as the hike can get crowded. I enjoyed my hike mode for this reason as well.

We really wanted to hike Samaria Gorge while in Crete and are so glad we did. The views are amazing and it is definitely a challenge. Our guide (Nicolas) was very good. He gave us lots of information about Crete and the gorge on the way up. The only downside is the wait and travel time after the hike. It was very windy when we arrived in the town, so it was difficult to find things to do for 3 hours. The only ferry leaves at 5:30 and then it is a long, winding bus ride back. Still worth the experience, but good to be aware of up front.

Great hike! Doable unless you have knee issues or are not fairly fit and healthy! Elafonissos Travel did an excellent job! Clearly communicated the pickup spot, got us to the start early so peaceful trip and through the gorge before it was too hot. Thomas was a great guide, explained the trip, had our ferry tickets when we needed them.The bus driver provided a safe trip on a challenging road! Would not use any other provider!

I had been planning to do the Samaria Gorge, but wasn't quite sure how I could complete the linear trip by myself. The tour offered by Elafonissos Travel solved my problem. Was picked up by coach at 5:35am from my hotel in Agia Marina and then we collected other hikers before setting off for the mountains. 47 in the group. Nikos, our guide, explained everything and got us prepared for the day ahead. I especially enjoyed the background history that he provided about Crete's history, the Gorge and the Kri Kri goats. After a short stop for toilets and breakfast we then launched straight into Samaria Gorge. 5 euro entrance feee for the gorge, which provides funds to look after the gorge. Rangers were located along the length of the route to assist, there were regular water springs to refill bottles, and even toilets at several locations. The trail was really well kept and the rangers did a great job of keeping it free of litter. At the end of the walk you have a chance to get something to eat and drink in one of the many taverns at Roumelli, and you also get a chance to cool off with a swim in the sea. Nikos organises the ferry tickets from Roumelli to Sougia (13 euros) and hands these out about 1 hour before the ferry leaves at 5:30pm. Coach was sat waiting in Sougia when we arrived on the ferry and we eventually got back to Chania around 8:00pm, with drop offs finishing around 9:00pm The coach driver was Manoli, and he was obvioulsy a very experienced driver who knew the roads well, which made for a smooth journey. Nikos looked after us throughout the whole day and made us all feel part of the group. I would highly recommend this trip with Elafonissis Travel. Be sure to bring a fully charged camera as you won't stop taking photos throughout the day.