Greece - Korina Miller [395]
You can hire cars from the following outfits:
Europrent ( 28210 27810; Halidon 87)
Tellus Travel ( 28210 91500; www.tellustravel.gr; Halidon 108) Also sells aeroplane tickets and runs excursions around the island.
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AROUND HANIA
Northeast of Hania, the less visited Akrotiri Peninsula hosts the airport, port and a NATO base. Approximately 1500 British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers died here during the Battle of Crete; they are buried at Souda’s military cemetery. Buses to Souda port leaving from outside the Hania food market pass this solemn place.
Near Akrotiri’s northern tip, sandy Stavros Beach is good for a dip and famous as the dramatic backdrop for the final dancing scene in Zorba the Greek. From Hania, six daily buses serve Stavros beach (€2).
Straight south of Hania, the mountain village of Theriso was the site of a 1905 uprising against Crete’s Royalist administration, through which Eleftherios Venizelos came to fame. Although the occasional taverna ‘Greek night’ with bussed-in package tourists can ruin the ambience, it’s usually a peaceful place, and the drive passes through wonderful wooded territory. The road hugs the Theriso Gorge, good for hiking (check with Hania’s EOS, Click here).
The road from Hania to Crete’s more famous Samaria Gorge (right) is truly spectacular. It heads through orange groves to Fournes, where you fork left to Meskla. The main road reaches Lakki (a total of 24km from Hania), an unspoilt Lefka Ori (White Mountains) village with stunning views. Lakki was a centre of resistance against the Turks and later the Germans.
From Lakki, the road continues to Omalos and Xyloskalo, where the Samaria Gorge starts. Many hikers sleep in Omalos to ensure they’ll get the earliest start possible. Here, the big, stone-built Hotel Exari ( 28210 67180; s/d €20/30) has well-furnished rooms with TV, bathtub and balconies. Owner Yiorgos can drive hikers to Samaria’s trailhead and offers luggage delivery to Sougia for groups. Nearby, the Hotel Gingilos ( 28210 67181; s/d/tr €20/25/35) offers more sparse, but clean and large rooms (the triples are huge), with nice timber furniture and central balcony. Both hotels have tavernas.
The EOS-maintained Kallergi Hut ( 28210 33199; dm members/nonmembers €10/13), in the hills between Omalos and the Samaria Gorge, makes a good base for exploring Mt Gingilos and surrounding peaks.
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SAMARIA GORGE ΦΑΡΑΓΓΙ ΤΗΣ ΣΑΜΑΡΙΑΣ
Although you’ll have company (over 1000 people per day in summer), hiking the Samaria Gorge ( 28210 67179; admission €5; 6am-3pm May–mid-Oct), remains an experience to remember. Also remember to check climatic conditions in advance – many aspiring hikers have been disappointed when park officials close Samaria on exceptionally hot days.
At 16km, the Samaria (sah-mah-rih-ah) Gorge is supposedly Europe’s longest. Beginning just below the Omalos Plateau, it’s carved out by the river that flows between Avlimanakou (1857m) and Volakias (2116m) peaks. Samaria’s width varies from 150m to 3m, and its containing cliffs reach 500m in height. Numerous wild flowers bloom in April and May.
Samaria also shelters endangered species like Crete’s beloved wild goat, the kri-kri. Surviving in the wild only here, the islet of Dia, north of Iraklio, and on the eastern islet of Kri-Kri, near Agios Nikolaos, the kri-kri is shy and seldom seen. To save it from extinction, the gorge became a national park in 1962.
Hiking the Gorge
You can start early (before 8am) to avoid crowds, though even the first morning bus from Hania can be packed; sleeping in Omalos and getting an early lift from there allows you to get your toe on the line for the starting gun. Camping is forbidden, so time your trek (from 4½ to six hours) to finish by closing time (3pm).
Wear good hiking boots, and take sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and water bottle (springs with good water exist, though not the main stream). If it’s too hard within the first hour, donkey-equipped park wardens can take you back. Look