from hunting. This is accepted by the gorge community, but pure-bred kri-kri leaving the gorge are, unfortunately, still at risk. The recent decline of goat herding as a profession has inevitably increased the population of feral goats in the mountains. Female ferals interbreed with male agrimi so that where once domestic goats were kept out of the gorge, nowadays it is common to see half-breeds tramping about in the lower section. These half-breeds are supposed to be culled in the winter months, but this measure has limited success, as goats live in inaccessible places. However, thanks to the female kri-kri’s habit of refusing to interbreed, it is hoped that pure-breds – being superb rock-climbers – will sustain at least in the higher reaches of the Samaria Gorge (information from Andreas Stavroudakis of Ay. Roumeli, 2005).
Vultures and eagles are officially protected from hunting, but they, too, remain at risk. The hunting season starts in mid-September. The standard prey is chukar (a type of partridge that nests in rocky terrain mostly above 1600m/5250ft) and mountain hare. To the regret of the locals (who hunt), hares are now quite rare. New access roads and off-road vehicles have exacerbated the situation. Shepherds driving up to their work stations after dark may floodlight the road to catch a hare’s eyes in the light. If you are camping in the mountains and hear lots of shooting from the roads this is probably what is going on.
Hunters pause at Roussies cistern
You may be asked if you saw a hare or heard chukars (a chattering chorus in the early morning) on your trek. A threat to chickens, and killed at any time, are stone martins and weasels. Hunting dogs kill badgers. There are various rodents, bats, hedgehogs, frogs and harmless lizards. There are four different snakes but they are not dangerous to humans and it is quite unusual to see one. There are small scorpions but they are not a great threat. Centipedes sometimes get into boots overnight – it is worth checking in the morning.
Getting there
There are two ways of getting to Crete by air:
by direct charter flight to a Cretan airport, and
by scheduled flight (or charter flight) to Athens International Airport, followed by an internal (domestic) flight to Crete, or a ferryboat from Piraeus (the port of Athens) to a Cretan port.
At busy periods you may not be able to book the travel route or method of your choice. The following information should help to simplify arrival procedures and reduce the time it takes to get to the trailhead, but be aware that arrangements can change at any time.
From Athens
By air
Athens Eleutherios Venizelos International Airport, with bus and train connections to Athens city and the port of Piraeus, was fully completed by 2004, the year of the Olympic Games. It is located 20km north of the city. Olympic Airways (and possibly other airline partnerships) will send your luggage right through to destination if you are transferring at Athens onto an ongoing internal flight. Note Internal flights are quite often delayed because of bad weather in the Aegean, causing, for example, strong winds at the destination airport; if you have accommodation booked, telephone ahead to advise of your late arrival. All the Greek islands are served by regular ‘domestic’ flights that tend to be very busy, but seats, if available, can be booked at short notice at the airport.
Heading towards the Eligias Gorge (Walk 48)
Before you travel, visit ‘Arriving in Athens’ websites (see Appendix D) for detailed information about all ongoing transport options, fares, where to buy your tickets and so on. Websites can warn of strikes or maintenance works that might upset your plans, especially if you are aiming for a particular ferryboat from Piraeus, the port of Athens.
Timetable leaflets and maps are also available from racks in the airport’s thoroughfares and the Arrivals Hall, which has an Information Desk (closed at night) near the exit. A pricey but useful Left Luggage store is at the southwest end of the Arrivals-level pavement. A Sofitel Hotel, cheaper if booked on the Internet, is directly opposite. This is a busy workaday airport with only one outside terrace – at Departures level – but seating there attracts smokers. If you have a long wait between flights one solution is to visit Rafina, a nearby coastal resort.
By ferryboat (from Piraeus)
A passenger-and-vehicle ferryboat vessel is, usefully for visitors, understood as ‘ferryboat’ by the Greeks, although they will call it a ka-rar-vee.
Greece has many islands, and many competing shipping lines, so that ferryboat travel is very complex. There are fast, moderate and slow services, and at busy periods all three types may depart for the same destination almost at the same time. Boat travel is time consuming and tiring if the sea is rough. It is preferred by people who do not like flying and, for those who do not take a cabin on overnight trips, it is also much cheaper. That method may only work out if you can sleep well enough in the reclining seats of ‘deck-class’, or on deck, although some ferryboats have very little outside deck space.
Daytime departures to Crete arrive at destination ports in the evening, after dark, which is hardly convenient unless you know your way around and are prepared to compete for nearby accommodation, taxis and buses. It may be easier to arrive in the early morning and then make your way to the town bus station to pick up the first buses to the countryside.
As Crete is a large and busy island there are regular overnight ferryboat sailings, seven days a week, between Piraeus (Inner Harbour) and Heraklion, Rethymnon and Souda (the port of Chania), the towns that give you access to the mountain trailheads. These ferries arrive at destination ports early in the morning, the exact time depending on the weather during the crossing. For Souda (Chania) and Rethymnon, ANEK Line vessels are likely to depart Piraeus between 2000 and 2100, and for Heraklion, Minoan Line departs at 2200. (The return journey has later departure times.) There are also daytime departures, operated by Blue Star Line, or even hydrofoil departures from Rafina port (on the north coast, a 20min bus ride from the airport) to Paros, for connections to Santorini, from where there are frequent connections to Heraklion. Visit the ferryboat websites for latest schedules (Appendix D).
Ruined houses of Aradena (Walk 39)
Essentials to take into account are the early morning public transport timetables (if you have arrived off a night flight) and the journey times to Piraeus either by Metro subway train (one hour on the Express service) or the Piraeus-direct Airport Bus (1hr 30mins). Unless you have bought your ferry tickets online allow another 30mins to buy tickets from a Piraeus ticket agency, and to get to the correct quay. Alternatively, taxis (although they too, have to cope with heavy traffic) take up to four passengers and charge extra for luggage and night work. Ask the expected fare and make sure the meter is switched on.
At Piraeus, the Airport Bus stop is on the main road, just outside the gates of the Inner Harbour, east side. Ticket Agents’ offices are found nearby, beside the Piraeus bus station, just across a small park (or at the train station). ANEK and MINOAN ferries for Crete dock at the west end, Quay 2, of the Inner Harbour but BLUE STAR docks at the New Quays of the Outer Basin – there is a free dockside shuttle bus for this. Inside the harbour gates the dockside is well organised with toilet/shower blocks, refreshment outlets, waiting rooms and pedestrian walkways for safety as the quays are always busy loading vehicles and produce.
For basic journey planning note that most daytime ferries to the Aegean islands (not Crete direct) depart by 0730 and that ‘fast’ boats –
