The national park of Samaria Gorge is considered one of the most attractive places in Crete and is known to be one of the most visited spots in the island. This national park is located within the south western area of Crete, in the prefecture of Chania, next to the White Mountains. There are several different attractive spots and beautiful landscapes tourists can meet in this park, as well as some amazing and rare animals, plants, and flowers, being an ideal destination to all those who enjoy being close to the nature.
The Samaria Gorge has a length of about 18 kilometers and is considered to be one of the longest in not only Greece but all Europe as well. Despite of the fact that there are several other gorges located in this area of Crete, this is usually considered the most attractive one and therefore it receives a much higher amount of visitors that the others.
One of the most famous spots in the Samaria Gorge is what is known as the Iron Gates. In this area known as the Iron Gates, both sides of the Gorge (which count with a height of about 500 meters), become as close together as being separated by only 4 meters, turning it into a very attractive and even mysterious passage.
The Samaria Gorge was named a national park in the 1960’s, not only due to its importance but also in order to protect a rare Cretan goat called Kri Kri. Besides this rare goat, this park also protects a variety of other animals as well as some exotic plants and flowers, being the chance to meet them another of the main attractions offered by this spot.
Other attractive place visitors should not miss while being in the Samaria Gorge is the village of Samaria. This village remained inhabited until 1962, around the date when the Gorge became a national park. Besides this, visitors should also try to walk the Gorge towards the Libyan See, since this offers the chance to live a unique experience and enjoy beautiful sights.