Faces By KLM

Refill Goat

Samaria Gorge is sixteen kilometres long, thirteen of which stagger down over rugged terrain, through pine forests and fast mountain streams. The last three kilometres are a gentle stroll to the coast on a well paved pathway.

The Canyon starts high up on the Omolos Plateau, atop the mist laden White Mountains that cross central Crete. It is Europe's second longest gorge and falls gently down to the Libyan Sea at Agia Roumeli, on Crete's southern coast.

The landscape and views are spectacular, but there are other reasons to trek through Samaria.

Flora and Fauna

If you love to combine your vacation with nature, then Crete is a wonderful place. There are some of the best beaches in the world here, and the weather is great of course. Tourists from all over the world flock here to avoid the high prices of some other European destinations.

One of Crete's most significant attractions is it's flora and fauna.

There are more than 1,700 different species of plant in Crete and 10% are indigenous to this Island. Many are endemic too (only found here).

Samaria Gorge is packed with wild flowers and herbs, many of which are found nowhere else. It's also home to Crete's most famous inhabitant - the Wild Cretan Goat, or Kri Kri (Capra aegagrus creticus).

This is a stocky little brown goat with spectacular curled horns. Trekking Samaria Gorge, you might see it clambering oround the river bed and has been known to feed from walkers.

The Kri Kri is found here in Samaria, and only one or two other locations in Crete. You won't find it anywhere else in the world.

How to Survive the Hike

To do this hike you need to get to the Omolos Plateau by a reasonable time so that you can do the walk, then be in time to catch the ferry at the end, back to civilisation.

The ferry is the only way out of the beach resort of Agia Roumeli.

You could hire a car to get to the Gorge entrance. But you would have to walk back up the Gorge to collect your car (another 16K -- uphill).

You could get a bus (or taxi) to get to the Gorge entrance, but co-ordinating ferry/bus/taxi transport at the end might be difficult.

Your best way to appreciate this hike is through an organised tour, bookable when you get to Crete. All the resorts have agents who can organise this for you.

This way you will be transported from your hotel by bus, your ferry from Agia Roumelli will be organised, and you will get a transfer back to your hotel in the evening.

This hike is not a walk in the park. It can take between 4 - 6 hours depending on your speed, fitness, and the number of times you stop. There have been some casualties in recent years, and you will need to be fit and keep to the path.

The Gorge can be a dangerous place for those without the necessary experience and physical stamina!

Best Tips

Hiking Samaria Gorge is downhill for the most part but can be rocky and steep making it hard on the knees. If you are not used to walking you should not attempt the trek. It's recommended that children under 8 to 10 not attempt it.

• Don't take lots of water because you can refill your bottle with fresh water in the Gorge.
• Don't look up when walking. Watch your step and if you want to look at the view or take a picture stop.
• Apply some Vaseline to your feet before putting on your good hiking socks and boots or quality training shoes - this will help avoid blisters.
• Don't stray from the main path. It's mostly obvious where the path goes, but if ever you are not sure, stop and wait for someone to follow and show the way.

Getting an early start is the key to a successful day. Organised trips start from all over Crete, so this will determine when you are able to start the hike. Starting near Chania in the west of the Island will give you a head start and will mean that you'll be one of the first groups at the start of the Gorge. This is good, because the path can get busy with hikers vying for a foothold, especially during the height of the summer season.

An early start means cooler temperatures too.

Things to take with you

Remember this is a long hike so don't take anything you don't need -- you don't want a heavy load on your back.

Things to take:

• A little water to get you to the first spring water fountain
• Fruit, nut and/or chocolate snacks to keep you going
• Lunch
• Sun cream
• Hat
• Camera
• Money for entrance fee, ferry ticket, and dinner at the end

All in all, hiking the Samaria Gorge is a memorable experience, and as the aching legs and painful blisters subside in the days following your walk, you'll soon be basking in the glory of a great achievement -- a tough trek through one of Europe's biggest gorges!

Graham Yates is a writer and traveller from the UK. He now lives with his wife Alison on the Greek Island of Crete. Both like to share their insider knowledge and experience about Greece and her islands with others, by publishing articles and websites.

To learn more visit http://www.completely-crete.com/ and http://www.simply-santorini.com/

An independent insider's guide to Greek island life.

my goat vomited this morning and hasn't gotten into anything poisonous?

this morning i went out to feed the goats and took one of my goats to the stansion to grain her. she started eating normally and i went to go refill the water trough. when i came back she wasnt eating and had some creame colored goop around her mouth and was acting really weird. then she vomitted in the feed dish so i put her back in the pen hoping that she would drink water. please help me i have already lost one goat this year to parasite, but the rest are healthy. serious answers only

Are you absolutely positive she didn't chew on a poisonous plant in her pasture? Usually vomiting points to some type of poisoning.

If not poisoning, it sounds like she may have been choking on her grain. If she was acting normally and eating normally before the incident, I would really suspect choking. If she eats her grain quickly, I would suggest putting some big rocks (big enough that she won't try to pick them up with her mouth) in her food bowl/trough. She will have to eat around the rocks and it will slow her down. Unfortunately once they have choked one time, they are more likely to do it again. I would keep her off grain for a few days in case her throat is irritated from the choking, and then watch her very closely every time she has grain.

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