What to do in Agia Roumeli?

 

 

Going towards the West, there are other beaches, seldom visited by anyone. These can only be reached by boat or very strenuous hiking. We sometimes assist our guests with a boat trip, if the circumstances allow it.

You can also walk along the eastern shore, following a coastal path along a deserted beach to the ancient Byzantine chapel of Agios Pavlos. This is the spot where St. Paul is said to have landed on Crete on his voyage to Greece.

Views to the East of the village Clicking on the small pictures will open a larger version in a new window

Further on, this path takes you to the beach of Marmara, the village of Loutro and eventually Hora Sfakion which is about 7 hours walk from Agia Roumeli. You can then take one of the frequent boats back to Agia Roumeli.

With the mountains so close you might also want to walk up to the two ruined castles, situated on the nearest western hillside of the village. The view from the castles is superb.
If you want to explore more of the mountains on foot you will be able to get information from Roussos or his brother Spiros who will willingly share their valuable knowledge of the region with you. They were born here, in the old village, and know the mountains and the surroundings like the palm of their hand.

Last but not least, you will want to have a look at the gorge of Samaria. It is not difficult to walk upwards from Agia Roumeli and if you go in the early morning you will have this beautiful gorge almost to yourself. Walk as long as you want, you can turn back any time. Of course, if you keep walking up you will come across walkers coming down from Omalos and walking to Agia Roumeli.
After about two km walking towards the gorge you will pass the old village of Agia Roumeli. Here you can see the more recent history of the village. It is interesting to see how old it looks but it was a big and lively place until only 40 years ago. The inhabitants of old Agia Roumeli started to leave the village in 1954 when the river flooded and many houses were more or less destroyed. At that time the new Agia Roumeli was slowly built up down by the edge of the seaside.
Right after after Old Agia Roumeli you enter the National Park of Samaria.

For a description of the walk through the gorge of Samaria (which you can work out in reverse) and photographs of it, go to The gorge of Samaria

More views from the area Clicking on the small pictures will open a larger version in a new window

and when the evening comes, return back to a small village with its quiet village life