Nature beauties
Lake Kournas Kournas lake is the largest natural lake in Crete. It is fed by the waters coming down from the mountains, and from two sources located in the southeastern part of the lake, while drained, through the river of Delfinas, on the beach of Kournas which is 2,5 km further north. The abundant water throughout the year, makes the lake an important wetland area with a variety of flora and fauna, and so it is included in the Natura 2000 protection program. Kournas lake is surrounded by hills, just a few kilometres away from the sea and at the boundaries of Chania and Rethymno. The lake was known as Korisia in antiquity and is nowadays a destination attracting thousands of visitors every year. The lake’s water increases during winter, from adjacent sources in the mountains and decreases in summer revealing a gold sandy strip. The shallow clear waters at…
Samaria Gorge The Samaria Gorge is a National Park of Greece on the island of Crete - a major tourist attraction of the island - and a World's Biosphere Reserve. The gorge is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but one has to walk…
Melidoni Cave The Melidoni Cave is located about 1800 metres northwest of a village with the same name. It has an extremely interesting history and amazing archaeological findings some of which are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno. The Melidoni Cave is also called "Gerondospilios". It was used for religious ceremonies. During the Minoan Civilization, it was a place of worship for Talos the bronze giant guardian of Crete who protected the island of Crete from enemies. It is of archaeological and historical interest. In October 1823, 370 women and children and 30 warriors who hid from Hussein Bey sought refuge in the Melidoni cave. When he found out, the cave was surrounded by his army and he asked Cretan people to surrender. When they refused to do so, Ottomans started to attack them. Three months later they dropped combustible materials into an opening leading to the cave and…
Diktaion Antron On the northern slopes of Mt. Dicte and the southeastern slopes of Mountain Sarakinos, at a height of 1,025 m, lies the Psychro Cave, also known as Diktaion Antron, an ancient site of worship and one of Crete’s most important and impressive Caves. There are two paved paths leading up to the cave, starting from the parking area and passing through a dense forest that creates a green zone in this wild and rocky landscape. The discovery of the cave by villagers in 1883 attracted some of the era’s well-known archaeologists. Thus three years later, Federico Halbherr and Joseph Chatzidakis arrived and excavated a small area in front of its inlet, while at the same time gathering objects found by villagers. In 1894, Arthur Evans purchased objects that had come from the cave; in 1895 he revisited the site and discovered part of an inscribed offering table, while…
