Samaria Gorge

Your walking trek through this fascinating gash in the Cretan terrain will take you from Xyloskala south past ancient ruins in the Lefka Ori (white mountains) and through the Gates of Hell to a quiet seaside village, Agia Roumeli. The Gates are perhaps the most photographed natural scenery in Greece. Be careful if you walk or bathe in the stream that runs through the gorge. The rocks are slippery and there are black leeches in the water. A small church will greet you along the way, a good place to stop, reflect, and open your picnic lunch. The very first travel article I ever had published was about my hike through Samaria, in the Chicago Tribune in 1972.