Number of visitors to Crete's main natural attraction soars in April

The number of visitors to take on the trek through Crete's famed Samaria Gorge skyrocketed by over 100 percent in April compared to the same period last year, forestry officials told Skai.gr on Tuesday.

Samaria Gorge is located in Hania on the southern coast of the Aegean island and is 16 kilometers long from its point of entry to its exit. It has been listed for protection and declared a national park since 1962. It is also a sanctuary for the endangered Kri-Kri goat, among other endemic species.

According to the Hania forestry service, 2,154 tourists made the hike from an altitude of 1,250 meters to the sea in April, representing a rise of 104 percent compared with the same month in 2013.

Samaria Gorge is Crete's biggest natural attraction for tourists and has been voted by Dutch travel sites as one of the most important environmental destinations in Europe, according to Skai.