Samaria Gorge closed on Monday due to weather

The Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (OFYPEKA), the body responsible for managing Samaria Gorge National Park, decided to suspend operations of the Samaria Gorge for Monday, September 28, 2026. The decision concerns both entrances of the route, both that of Xyloskalo on the Omalos plateau and that of Agia Roumeli on the side of the Libyan Sea, with the result that passage on foot is not possible from either direction for the entire day. The suspension was decided due to the orange weather warning issued for the area, as rainfall forecasts exceed the safety limits set by the competent authority of the Chania Regional Unit for gorge operations.

According to the data taken into account, the amount of expected rainfall in the Xyloskalo area is estimated at 11 millimeters, while in Agia Roumeli the forecast rises to 13 millimeters, values that exceed the operational thresholds that have been set for safe passage of the route. Samaria Gorge is among the most popular hiking destinations in the country and constitutes the core of Samaria Gorge National Park, an area recognized as a biosphere by UNESCO. The traversal of the route lasts several hours and takes place on a riverbed, without any intermediate exit option, an element that makes rainfall particularly dangerous due to the risk of falling rocks and the sudden rise of water level inside the gorge. For this reason, the managing body proceeds with precautionary suspension of access before the occurrence of severe weather phenomena and not during them, a practice that is followed systematically during the park’s operating season, which usually extends from spring to autumn.

The OFYPEKA decision is expected to affect visitors who had planned to traverse the gorge on Monday, September 28, 2026, during a period that is already approaching the end of the hiking season. Gorge visitation is closely linked to the local economy of the wider area, as it drives demand for accommodations, food and drink establishments, and transportation on both the plateau side of Omalos and in the southern Crete coastal villages such as Agia Roumeli, which are highly dependent on hiker traffic. At the same time, the same orange warning that led to the closure of the gorge is accompanied by forecasts of rain and storms in other parts of western Crete, a fact that shows that the weather instability affects the wider Chania Regional Unit and not just the mountainous mass of the park. Visitors and residents of the area can monitor further developments through the Chania news section.

OFYPEKA clarifies that the suspension of operations concerns specifically Monday, September 28, 2026, while the managing body will proceed with the announcement of the gorge’s reopening or any extension of the closure, depending on the development of weather phenomena in the area. Those who had planned to traverse Samaria are advised to seek the official information from the managing body before traveling to either of the two entrances, at Xyloskalo or Agia Roumeli, so as to avoid unnecessary travel in the midst of bad weather.