Samaria or Imbros

Which gorge is better for hiking, Samaria or Imbros?

Samaria is the bigger and more famous hike; Imbros is the easier one. Neither is better for everyone.

Samaria wins on scale. You start at Xyloskalo at 1,227 m among pines, drop through forest, pass the abandoned village of Samaria and squeeze through the Iron Gates before the sea. It is the walk people fly to Crete for. It also asks a lot: the descent hammers the knees, and you cannot leave halfway.

Imbros is the one most people finish smiling. The path is shorter, the drop is gentler and the narrow section comes in the middle rather than at the end of a long day. If you are unsure about 16 km on loose rock, start here.

How long is the walk through the Samaria Gorge, and how long is Imbros?

Samaria is about 16 km and takes most people 6 to 7 hours with stops. Imbros is about 8 km and takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours.

The Samaria figure includes the last 3 km from the park gate to Agia Roumeli village, where the boats leave. Inside the park the path is about 13 km. ANENDYK, the ferry company, quotes 5 to 8 hours for the whole thing, and that spread is honest: fast walkers do it in 5, groups with photo stops take 7 or more.

Imbros is often listed at 11 km, which is the length of the whole canyon. The part you walk, from Imbros village down to Komitades, is about 8 km (the TourMaster listing rounds it to 9 km). Add half an hour if you stop for coffee or a Sfakian pie in Imbros village first, as the tours do.

Time matters more at Samaria than at Imbros. The full crossing must start by 1 p.m., and the boat out leaves at 5:30 p.m. Imbros has no boat to catch. More on pacing in how hard the Samaria hike is.

How difficult is the Imbros Gorge?

Easy to moderate. It is mostly downhill on a rocky dry stream bed; sturdy shoes matter more than fitness.

Imbros is a walk most reasonably active people can do, children included. The TourMaster listing calls it family-friendly, and the tour's guests agree. The catch is underfoot: the bed is loose, rounded stones for long stretches, and you have to watch every step. Shoes with ankle support help.

Imbros Gorge was a stunning walk, not physically taxing but had to really concentrate at times on footing as the path is loose rocks for a big chunk towards the end.
Fflur, Oct 2026

Samaria is a different scale of effort. The first 2 km are a steep zigzag down from Xyloskalo, then there are hours of scree, boulders and stepping stones across the stream. The park describes it as not an easy walk, though not only for experienced hikers. Knees and calves take the strain, not lungs.

A fair rule: if a 3-hour downhill walk on rough ground sounds like plenty, choose Imbros. If it sounds like a warm-up, Samaria.

Which gorge has the narrower walls and better scenery?

Imbros is narrower at its tightest point; Samaria has more variety, more height and the Iron Gates.

The Iron Gates (Portes) in Samaria are about 3 to 4 m wide with walls about 300 m high, and you reach them near the end, about 2 km before the southern gate. Before that come pine and cypress forest, springs, the deserted village and, with luck, a kri-kri goat on a ledge.

Imbros saves its moment for the middle. At Stenada the walls close to about 1.6 m and rise around 300 m, close enough to touch both sides. The gorge was the old mule road from Askyfou to the south coast before the car road was built, and in 1941 thousands of Allied soldiers walked down it to be evacuated from Sfakia. There is also a rock arch near the lower end that most groups stop to photograph.

How much does each gorge cost to enter?

Samaria costs €10 per adult, plus a boat of €14 to €17. Imbros costs €5 in cash and needs no boat.

On most Samaria tours you pay two things on the day: the park ticket (€10) at Xyloskalo and the boat from Agia Roumeli (about €15 at the group fare the tours quote; ANENDYK's own adult fare to Hora Sfakion is €17). EU citizens under 18 and over 65 enter Samaria free. The all-inclusive tour is the exception: entry and boat are in its $84 price.

Imbros is cheaper all round. The tour listings give the fee as €5 in cash, with children up to 12 free, and NECCA now issues the Imbros ticket through its own site, as it does for Samaria. Full detail on the Samaria side is in our Samaria cost guide.

The Imbros hike with a guide, then free time and a swim in Hora Sfakion on the Libyan Sea.

★ 4.7 · Full day · from $34

Explore the Imbros Gorge hike → Tour details

How do you get to and back from each gorge?

Samaria ends at a village with no road, so everyone leaves by boat. Imbros ends at Komitades, a few kilometres from Hora Sfakion by road.

For Samaria you go up to the Omalos plateau, about an hour by road from Chania, and walk down. At the bottom, boats leave Agia Roumeli at 5:30 p.m. for Hora Sfakion or Sougia, where coaches and KTEL buses wait. Miss it and you sleep in Agia Roumeli. All the options are in how to get to Samaria Gorge.

Imbros sits on the main road from Chania to Hora Sfakion, so the start is easy by car, tour coach or the summer KTEL bus to Sfakia. At the bottom you come out at Komitades, with tavernas by the exit. Tour coaches pick up there and run on to Hora Sfakion for a swim. On your own you take a taxi back up to your car in Imbros, or walk on about 4 km to Hora Sfakion.

When can you walk each gorge?

Samaria opens only in its season, spring to the end of October, and is closed now. Imbros has no fixed season but closes after heavy rain or snow.

The Samaria National Park closed for the winter on 1 November 2026 and NECCA's ticket site shows it closed until at least 9 April 2027. Even in season it shuts for a day at short notice when storms are forecast. Hours and closures are in our opening times guide.

Imbros is walked in more months of the year, which makes it the usual plan B. When Samaria was closed by storms in October 2026, the big Chania operators moved their guests to Imbros:

Samaria was closed due to the recent storms, I was offered Imbros Gorge instead. It was a lovely day trip.
Georgia, Oct 2026

Imbros floods too after big rain, and its ticket is date-based, so check the day on NECCA's Imbros ticket site before you drive down.

Which gorge is better with children or older walkers?

Imbros, in most cases. For a taste of Samaria without the 16 km, the easy way from Agia Roumeli is the other answer.

The park sets no age limit for Samaria but does not recommend it for small children, and there is no way out between the two ends except on foot or by the park's mule rescue. Imbros is half the distance and the TourMaster listing calls it family-friendly.

If someone in the group has their heart set on the Iron Gates, look at Samaria the easy way: the boat takes you to Agia Roumeli and you walk about 2 km up to the Iron Gates and back, then swim. It is not the full crossing and the price leaves the boat and entry to pay, but it is the narrowest part of Samaria for a fraction of the effort.

Fit and with two free days? Do both. Imbros one day, Samaria another, and you will have walked the two best-known gorges in Crete. The rest are in our guide to the best gorges in Crete.

Boat to Agia Roumeli, a walk up to the Iron Gates at your own pace and time for a swim.

★ 4.4 · Full day · from $31

Explore Samaria the easy way → Tour details

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