Chania closes Samaria Gorge on Saturday over extreme wildfire risk
The Samaria National Park will remain closed to visitors on Saturday, August 29, 2026, the Chania Regional Unit announced, citing a category 5 wildfire risk rating, the highest alert level.
According to the Regional Unit, the fire danger category for the Chania area has been set at 5, described as a state of alert. As a result, the park will be shut for the day under a decision issued by the responsible Deputy Regional Governor.
The closure decision (with government gazette reference ADA: Ψ0ΚΖ7ΛΚ-ΧΕΑ, dated 30/04/2026) bans the passage, stay and movement of people and vehicles in high-protection forest ecosystems located in areas at high risk of wildfire, in NATURA-designated zones, and in other forest ecosystems, parks, groves and vulnerable areas across the Chania Regional Unit.
The measure applies specifically to the gorge and the surrounding protected woodland for Saturday, though authorities have not indicated when the site might reopen. It follows a broader pattern this summer of temporary closures at protected natural sites in Crete, including recent restrictions on other gorges in Crete and forested areas under similar high-risk alerts.
Recent visitor numbers
The closure comes after a strong start to the 2026 season for the gorge: Samaria Gorge welcomed more than 64,000 visitors in the first 100 days of the season, according to earlier figures cited by local media.
Chania authorities have periodically closed the site this summer during periods of elevated fire danger, a practice consistent with wider civil-protection measures seen across the island, such as when authorities closed forests, gorges and trails across Crete under a “Red Code” wildfire alert.
