Nature

Gra Ligia is a seaside village located just 5km west of Ierapetra and 39km south of Agios Nikolaos. It is situated at the exit of a large fertile valley, which is full with greenhouses with early vegetables. Locals were the first to grow vegetables in greenhouses and this was later extended throughout the area of Ierapetra. There are so many greenhouses, that locals call Gra Ligia as “Silicon Valley of Greece”.

The secluded beach of Kokkina Grema (i.e. Red Cliffs) is located 55km west of Chania, 28km southwest of Kissamos and 3km west of Platanos village. The beach is named after the huge reddish peninsula at its north end.

The Cretan least weasel (mustela nivalis galinthias) is an endemic subspecies of the common weasel, which is met all over the island. Other names of the animal is dwarf, pygmy or mouse weasel. Cretans also call it kalogiannou or kalogynekari (meaning nun) due to its white-striped chest, making it look like a nun.

One of the very beautiful caves that characterize this region is the cave near the exit of the wild gorge of Sfakias. The marine cave of Sfakias is not simply a sea cave but a system of holes and rooms. It has 6-7 different entrances and a few meters inside the cave, all the corridors are merged to a common cave.

The canyon of Zoniana is located south of Zoniana village. Starting at an altitude of 950m, it ends at the village at an altitude of 650m. Through the gorge runs the "serpentine" Oaxis river that has water till spring. The gorge is easily accessible and safe for hiking, as its slope is small.

In the area between Ravdoucha and Nopigia several secluded bays with small beaches are formed, mainly with pebbles and rocky bottom. From Nopigia the road runs along the coast through a spectacular seascape till the church of Panagia Myrtidiotissa at position Choni and stops a little further.

Geropotamos, the sacred river of the Minoans, gathers the water of Mesara Plain and exits inside the military airport of Tymbaki, close to Kokkinos Pirgos. The coastline south of Kokkinos Pyrgos has several places where small ponds of foremost ecological importance are formed, with the nicest being at the area of Pahia Ammos (or Afratias), which can be accessed through dirt track.

Agios Pavlos (i.e. St. Paul) is a beautiful secluded beach, located in a picturesque cove at Peninsula Rodopos, 40km northwest of Chania. The easiest way to access the beach is by boat from Ravdoucha or Kissamos.