Today, the word Samaria is certainly not an unfamiliar concept. There is controversy about whether it is the longest, but it is probably the most beautiful gorge in Europe. You'll love it and you'll hate it, but it's definitely a must-visit. A few words of advice to get you started. Sturdy shoes, preferably bigger. It doesn't hurt to cut your toenails. Hat and sunglasses. You may be surprised by the cold and wind at the start of your trip (especially in spring and autumn). You don't have to worry about water, there are drinking water springs slowly every kilometer.
The most common way to get to this gorge is to purchase a tour from a tour operator. A bus will then take you, usually early in the morning, to the Omalos Plateau. By the way, just driving up the road is an experience. Some tour companies make one last stop at a restaurant about two kilometers before the entrance to the gorge. Samaria National Park is located in the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) - the highest peak of the Panches is 2453 m above sea level. Then you get off the bus, the bus leaves and then there is only one way to go, the way down. The beginning of the ravine, a place called Xiloskalo -Ξιλόσκαλο ("wooden stairs"), may not quite correspond to the first half of its name, but you will enjoy the stairs in abundance. After buying a ticket (approx. €5 per person depending on the season), which must be well stowed away for checking at the exit, you'll set off for the first two kilometres with 800m of elevation gain. The Gingolos mountain with an altitude of 2080 m will be left behind you. The entrance itself is at 1250 m above sea level.
The ravine preserves remnants of the original forest cover. Some cypress and oak trees have trunks more than one metre in diameter. In the shadows of the rock walls there are ideal conditions for the life of various plant species that are not found elsewhere in the world. As far as the fauna is concerned, the most famous animal of the gorge is the Cretan goat, known locally as kri-kri. I think you will find at least one restaurant called Kri-kri in every major village in Crete. This goat is quite shy, but if you don't see it on the rock, you will definitely see it tame on a resting place in the abandoned village of Samaria, after which the gorge gets its name. Other resting places are also named after Cretan settlements. When you arrive at the Samaria rest area, you'll know you're halfway there. The wooden bollards with a number will tell you how the kilometres are ticking away. Further on, the gorge widens and the shade diminishes. You will pass through the riverbed several times. It is not recommended to approach the rock walls because of falling rocks.
At the end of the journey you will reach the narrowest point of the gorge, the Iron Gate. According to different guides, the width of this gate varies. Let's say three metres and leave it at that. By then, dusty, tired but happy, we reach our destination. Almost. The good news is that the gorge is not 18 km long, as some publications claim (that's the distance from Omalos village to Agia Roumeli village), but only 13 km. The bad news is that we have another three kilometres to the village of Agia Roumeli, with no chance to hide from the sun. On the black hot sands of the windy beach of the Libyan Sea, the pilgrimage of most travellers ends. There is no road from this village, only a port. From here the ferry usually leaves for the village of Chora Sfakion or Paleochora, where a bus is waiting for you.

Endnotes:
-in case of injury or overestimation of one's strength, mules or donkeys are used as rescue and collection vehicles.
-a helicopter can land at the Samaria rest area
-when you build a stone "snowman", your wish will come true
-you can only smoke at rest areas equipped with ashtrays
-it is best to go to the gorge early in the morning (it opens at 7.30) or at noon, after the biggest crowds have left
-the journey takes about 4.5 to 8 hours depending on fitness and pace
-another option is to take a rental car to the start of the gorge, walk to the Samaria rest area and return
-three people can walk all the way there and back (I know of only one)
-less fit tourists usually take a boat to Agia Roumeli and walk to the Iron Gate where they obstruct the crowds pouring in from above
-don't argue with your partner, if you do, don't forget to take your ticket from him/her, without a ticket they won't let you out of the ravine at the exit
-It is forbidden to knock in the gorge