Crete is known for its outstanding gorges, but the most impressive is the Samaria Gorge. Contained within the Samaria National Park, it is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The main reason tourists come here is to walk the popular 16-kilometer hike that runs through the gorge.
From Xylóskalo, just outside the mountain village of Omalos, the gorge descends 1,250 meters to arrive at the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli on Crete's sunny south coast.
The river Tarraios, which dries up in summer but floods in winter, runs the length of the gorge with high rocky cliffs to each side. The gorge is open to visitors from May through mid-October.
