SAMARIA GORGE TO BE CLOSED TOMORROW

ATHENS, JULY 29 /SRNA/ - Samaria Gorge, the main hiking destination on the Greek island of Crete, will be closed to visitors tomorrow due to the high risk of wildfires, authorities said.

The decision came after strong winds were forecast in the area.

The whole of Crete, as well as the wider Athens area, the island of Evia, the eastern Peloponnese, the Cyclades and the eastern Aegean islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Ikaria, are also facing a level-four wildfire risk tomorrow, Kathimerini reported.

The 18-kilometre-long Samaria Gorge stretches across southwestern Crete to the Libyan Sea near Agia Roumeli and is part of a national park.

The gorge is located in the White Mountains /Lefka Ori/. Hiking through this national park takes around five to six hours.