Samaria Gorge is a 13.3 km downhill hike, with the steepest part at the top 4 km. I am 27F, in good health, and managed the hike in just under 5 hrs with athletic shoes. Hiking boots would have been better, as some of the rocks were quite slippery, but regular athletic shoes will work in a pinch if you do not have room in your suitcase. The tour is not fully guided, as our guide hung back with the slowest hikers to make sure no one got lost. The guide gave out detailed information in four languages at the beginning of tour on how to catch the boat back to the bus, and what times we should be hitting certain landmarks to stay on track. There were plenty of water fill stations along the trail, and as long as you know what you’re getting into from the beginning, it should be a great time. We highly recommend this experience - the gorge was beautiful!

The hike was fantastic! We loved it. It's tough if you're not in good physical shape and highly recommend hiking boots to feel secure on the rocks. Our guide was not very accurate when delivering information about the day. We knew we were responsible for park entry fee and ferry ticket, but the guide came around on the bus asking for cash up front (26 euro) so she could take care of those things for us. We did not have the cash for this, and she made us extremely stressed saying that it was cash only, no ATMs and we would be on our own to find a ferry ticket back. That was not the case. When we finished the hike, we found an ATM in town, used our credit card to purchase the ferry ticket no problem, and had no issues reconnecting with our group. The guide also didn't accurately explain the number of stops we would be making along the bus ride to the gorge. It was a 4hr bus ride, we stopped twice at weird places that were cash only and VERY limited food/drink options. So bring your own!