Opening Samaria Gorge in Crete again became a origin for conflict: locals are calling for a start to the play and experts are warning of risks aft winter collapses.
Samaria Gorge Crete erstwhile again recovered itself astatine the halfway of a struggle betwixt the section system and information requirements. One of Greece’s astir celebrated tourist routes did not unfastened arsenic usual connected May 1 owed to harm from winter weather and precocious water levels successful the stream bed.
The determination to postpone the opening caused crisp dissatisfaction among section residents, particularly successful Agia Roumeliwhere a important portion of the income straight depends connected the work of the gorge and the travel of tourists.
Why did the gorge stay closed?
According to ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ (Organization of Natural Environment and Climate Change)responsible for managing Samaria National Parkthe opening of the way is imaginable lone aft completion of restoration work, inspection by specialists and receipt of authoritative permission.
Main reasons for the delay:
- serious harm aft winter rains;
- damage to trail sections;
- landslides and crushed removal;
- increased water level successful the country successful beforehand of the Portes site;
- the request for a caller adept appraisal of the information of the route.
According to preliminary data, the opening whitethorn beryllium postponed to astir May 15if the work and inspections are completed.
Experts’ position
Professor of Natural Disasters Efthimios Lekkaswho is supposed to behaviour an inspection of the gorge, tried to visit the way during the May Day weekend, but weather conditions did not let this.
According to him, there was hail successful the country for astir an hr and a half, and introduction into the gorge was impossible.
The adept emphasizes that aft the utmost precipitation this winter, it was intolerable to unfastened the gorge connected May 1. In some places the water, helium said, reached a extent of astir two metersand portion of the slopes and trails were damaged.
Efthimios Lekkas notes that the Samaria Gorge by its quality remains a high-risk country owed to precocious slopes, imaginable rockfalls and dynamically changing conditions.
“Only the weather and the conditions it creates tin determine when the gorge should unfastened and when it should close.”,” the prof emphasizes.
The tragic acquisition of caller years
Security contented successful Samaria Gorge became particularly acute aft two superior incidents.
- In September 2024 35-year-old tourist from Germany died aft a stone broke disconnected successful the gorge during dense rain.
- Previously, successful August 2023, spanish tourist suffered superior injuries aft a falling stone caused by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake. The consequences were highly terrible and led to the amputation of some limbs.
After these cases, an adept radical work was commissioned Efthimios Lekkas V National Kapodistrian University of Athens to place hazardous areas and find the indispensable protective measures.
Later, work was carried retired successful the gorge to strengthen the slopes, instal fences, further markings and different information measures. Also purchased were astir 3000 information helmets for visitors, though their use remains voluntary.
Local residents are unhappy with the delay
Residents of the country judge that ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ He began restoration work too precocious and that is why the opening of the gorge was postponed.
The enactment responds that the contractor has been successful the nationalist parkland since April 15however, further terrible weather events followed, including atrocious weather connected May Day.
Pressure from section residents and the tourism manufacture is mounting as… Agia Roumeli The Samaria Gorge is really the main economical resource.
Mayor of Sfakia: you cannot beryllium lone connected the gorge
Mayor Sfakia Yiannis Zervos acknowledges that the section system mostly depends connected the Samaria Gorge, but considers excessive dependence connected 1 tourist ιστοσελίδα dangerous.
According to him, the country should make different attractions, including sites of archaeological interest.
At the aforesaid time, the politician emphasizes that the information of visitors should beryllium the main information for opening the route. He admits that since the 2024 tragedy, the governing assemblage has go progressively cautious, sometimes to the constituent of being overly cautious.
However, according to him, the work of the gorge remains a analyzable equation, where neither the interests of residents nor the opinions of experts tin beryllium ignored.
Co-management dispute
Amid changeless contention ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ two years agone she projected a exemplary for co-management of the Samaria Gorge with the information of municipalities Sfakia And Plataniasand besides Regional Unit of Chania.
The essence of the connection is that technical and organizational issues – visitors, tickets, routes and operational details – should beryllium taken implicit by section structures, and ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ focused connected quality conservation and biology management.
In this case, section authorities would person 70% income from tickets, and ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ — 30%.
There is nary last reply from section structures yet.
Example of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge
A akin exemplary is already being used successful the gorge Kurtaliotikolocated successful the municipality Agios Vasilios.
Mayor Yiannis Tatarakis stated that practice with ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ turned retired to beryllium successful.
According to him, the gorge was antecedently visited by astir 5000 people per year, and the travel was poorly organized and created problems, including garbage. After the instauration of the organized exemplary successful 2025, the fig of visitors reached 145,000.
This adjacent exceeded the Samaria Gorge, which was visited by astir 121,000 people.
From May, a akin authorities should statesman to use for gorges. Imbros And Aradena successful the municipality Sfakia.
Who is acceptable to take responsibility
In practice, the contented of absorption Samaria Gorge turns retired to beryllium much hard than disapproval of ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ.
Mayor Sfakia acknowledges that the municipality cannot take implicit the full process connected its own, since Samaria is governed jointly with the municipality Platanias And Regional Unit Chania.
Antiperipheral of Chania Nikolaos Kalogeris besides stated that the portion would lone see the contented if ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ officially recognizes the nonaccomplishment to negociate the gorge.
At the aforesaid time, helium emphasized that the conclusions of experts should beryllium accepted by the section community, since the information of visitors remains the main thing.
Editorial comment
History with Samaria Gorgeis not conscionable a quality astir the opening day of the tourist route.
This is simply a struggle betwixt the economical dependence of section residents and the existent work for the information of people. For Agia Roumeli each time the gorge is closed means mislaid revenue. For experts and absorption structures, a premature opening could mean different accident.
After the tragedies of 2023 and 2024, it is nary longer imaginable to disregard the risks. Rockfalls, sudden precipitation, destroyed sections of the trail and precocious water levels are not bureaucratic excuses, but factors that tin outgo lives.
At the aforesaid time, section discontent cannot simply beryllium attributed to emotions. When an full assemblage is economically babelike connected 1 earthy feature, immoderate hold is perceived arsenic a menace to the survival of the season.
The main occupation is that everyone wants an unfastened gorge, but not everyone is acceptable to carnivore work for the consequences.
Samaria again shows the aged Greek dilemma: everyone needs tourism, but information is truly remembered lone aft a tragedy.
Help from Athens News
Samaria Gorge – 1 of the astir celebrated earthy routes Crete and an important landmark Greece.
It is located successful the determination unit Chaniain the mountains Lefka Orion the territory Samaria National Park.
The classical hiking way starts from the plateau Omalos to the village Agia Roumeli astatine Libyan Sea and is astir 16 km.
The astir celebrated spot connected the way is the transition “Portes”where the walls of the gorge constrictive sharply, creating 1 of the astir awesome sections of the route.
At the aforesaid clip Samaria Gorge remains a earthy hazard zone: there are imaginable rockfallssudden changes successful weather, floods and harm to trails aft dense rains.
For the section economy, particularly the country Agia Roumelithe gorge is an important source of tourist income, so the issues of its opening each play pull accrued attention.
Greek (GR) · 
English (US) ·