Discover South Rethymno
The gorge of Samaria is situated in the National park of Samaria gorge, in the White Mountains in West Crete. This majesties gorge is considered one of the great attractions of Crete and many tourists want to visit it. But you must realise that it is a long (4 to 5 hours) walk on rough terrain so you will need to have a certain degree of fitness and walking experience in order to enjoy it.
Opening times of the gorge of Samaria
The Samaria National Park has traditionally always opened to the public at the beginning of May. It has often been possible to enter the gorge of Samaria at some point in April from the bottom part but this depends on the weather and the amount of work needed to restore the path after the winter rains.
So the opening dates of the gorge vary: it could open a little before the 1st of May, on the 1st of May or later (if the weather is bad or repair work is late). You can read a little more information about it at this short article When will the gorge of Samaria gorge open this year? It was written in 2012 but it’s always relevant.
In 2016, due to the very low amount of rain during the winter the Samaria gorge will be open from the 15th of April.
The gorge of Samaria closes to the public at the end of October. But may close earlier if autumn rains (not uncommon in October) damage the path or make some cliffs unstable.
The Samaria gorge will also be closed on rainy days (when there is a danger of rock falls).
In winter, high water makes the gorge of Samaria dangerous and impassable.
The park opens daily at daylight (so the exact time will vary depending on the time of the year) and closes in the evening. If you want to enter the park after around 14.00 you will not be allowed past the first quarter of the walk and will need to return to your starting point.
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