The 15 Best Hikes in Crete

1.Full-Day Samaria Gorge Trek Excursion & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,191 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $41Our pick

Review of the Samaria Gorge trek from Chania, with practical advice on fitness, footwear, ferry timing, costs, and what to expect.

“The tour guide and transportation were great! The gorge itself has too many people. Often, the foot path is only wide enough for one person. With so many people on the paths, some fast, some slow, it kind of sucks. Also, the bathrooms suck. For the amount of money the gorge park takes in, improve the lousy bathrooms.”

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2.Samaria Gorge Full-Day Trek, Pickup & Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,610 reviews · 9 - 12 hours · from $37

Review of the Samaria Gorge trek from Rethymno, with transport, guide, ferry, costs, trail advice, and an honest look at the challenge.

“This was such a wonderful day. Beautiful views and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Pia, our guide, was absolutely amazing. Words can't describe how important she was to us having this great experience. Our group was not experienced at trekking but she gave us tips for how to tackle the challenge, looked out for us and encouraged us in the final stretches. Thank you so much Pia! The journey to and from was well managed and the coach was lovely. Definitely recommend this gorgeous experience”

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3.Samariá Gorge Guided Hike with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,010 reviews · 1 day · from $37

Hike Crete’s Samariá Gorge with hotel pickup, a live guide, mountain springs, the Iron Gates, Agia Roumeli, and a scenic ferry ride.

“It was a good day, and a tour like this is the only practical way to hike Samaria Gorge. The tour handles transportation and the guide makes sure everyone in the group completes the hike.”

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4.Samaria Gorge with Professional Hiking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 720 reviews · 14 hours · from $37

Review the Samaria Gorge hike from Chania, with guide, coach, Libyan Sea swim, boat ride, costs, difficulty, and practical tips.

“Absolutely amazing day. - our guide Nikos was superb and ensured we all had a good day. Pick up was easy as was collecting boat tickets etc. couldn’t have asked for a better day. Top tips - very cold when we started in the morning 6 degrees so make sure you have a jumper - this was October though. Take your time and appreciate the beauty of the natural surroundings”

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5.Authentic Cooking Class in the White Mountains

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 529 reviews · 6 hours · from $129

Cook Cretan dishes in a family home beneath the White Mountains, with garden produce, local wine, history, sheep, and a shared dinner.

“The best excursion I have ever done. The guide was amazing and the family’s farm was absolutely beautiful. Such a perfect time!”

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6.Samaria Gorge & Agia Roumeli Hiking Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 422 reviews · 15.5 - 17.5 hours · from $58

Review of Crete’s Samaria Gorge hike from Heraklion, with White Mountain views, Agia Roumeli beach time, ferry ride, costs, and practical tips.

“It was an unforgettable hiking experience! Something completely different from just laying on a beach. Great tour! Get comfy trainers or hiking shoes and you will be safe 😉”

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7.Samaria Gorge Hiking from Chania with Professional Hiking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 372 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $51

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge from Chania with a guide, mountain views, springs, a Libyan Sea swim, and round-trip transport.

“It was hard but good - left me feeling very satisfied . I hiked 16 kms and it was an eye opener. I loved this hike and hated it all at the same time!!!! Crazy - if you need a reality check this trip is for you”

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8.Imbros Gorge Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 353 reviews · 8 hours · from $30Best value

Hike Crete’s Imbros Gorge on an easy downhill trail, then swim, eat, and relax beside the Libyan Sea in Sfakia.

“Didn’t get much from the guide- he dropped us at the top of the gorge and picked us up at the bottom. It would have been nice to know that it’s possible to buy breakfast and water at the start, and buy more water halfway down. I got some information from other reviews, but think the description could be better. That being said, the gorge is a very nice hike and we are glad we did it. Don’t expect any information about it from the guide. I personally did not get much from going to the beach, others may .”

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9.Samaria Gorge Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 201 reviews · 17 hours · from $56

Review of Crete’s Samaria Gorge hike, with practical advice on the 15 km trek, costs, transport, swimming stop, and who should book.

“It's a long day and drains a lot of energy but so worth it. It's beautiful”

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10.Full-Day Samaria Gorge Hiking Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 162 reviews · from $32

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge with mountain guides, free time in Agia Roumeli, a swim, ferry ride, and hotel-area transfers.

“Everything was perfect and our guide Pari was excellent 👌 Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to get the best experience.”

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11.Explore the White Mountains of Crete

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 150 reviews · from $110Top rated

Explore Crete’s White Mountains by off-road vehicle, visiting villages, a shepherd’s hut, mountain viewpoints, and a traditional tavern.

“Harrison was a great guide and the knowledge about Crete was amazing. If you get a little car sick due to winding roads and high altitudes, you might want to choose another experience.”

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12.Imbros Gorge Guided Hike and Village Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 133 reviews · 8 hours · from $35

Hike Crete’s Imbros Gorge from Chania, then swim and eat by the Libyan Sea in Sfakia on an easy, scenic full-day tour.

“Hiking through Imbros Gorge was lovely. As an avid trekker, I found this to be a very easy downhill trek, taking me less than two hours at a moderate pace. I highly recommend wearing closed shoes, whether trekking or running shoes as the path is filled with stones, making it easy to twist an ankle or stub a toe if you're not careful. The gorge itself is stunning, featuring some beautifully narrow passages that add to the charm of the hike. Although the tavern at the end was decent, I much preferred eating in Sfakia, the village we stopped at afterward. I then enjoyed a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear…”

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13.Samariá Gorge Full-Day Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 129 reviews · 12 hours · from $37

Hike Crete’s Samariá Gorge from Rethymno with a guide, mountain springs, Iron Gates, a Libyan Sea swim, and ferry ride to Sougia.

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14.Samaria Gorge Hiking with transfer and expert Escort

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 125 reviews · 12 - 16 hours · from $47

Hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge, swim at Agia Roumeli, and take a south-coast boat ride with transfers and a first-aid-trained guide.

“Marcos was a great guide. I was traveling alone through Greece and wanted to do this hike but did not want to do it alone for safety reasons. This tour gave me the best of both worlds. The guide follows slowly behind everyone in the group and you can hike alone (or with the people you came with) but if something happens the guide will be able to help you when he catches up to you. The hike itself is beautiful but challenging, mostly because it it downhill most of the way and very rocky. But I loved it. The bus picks you up at a central location and takes…”

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15.Kourtaliotiko Gorge: Guided River Adventure Trek with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 106 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $112

Review of Crete’s Kourtaliotiko Gorge river trek, with waterfall swims, natural pools, a guide, gear, and Cretan lunch.

“Nice guide. Including everyone and very nice Beatifull landscape”

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