Nature

Platani is located 7km west of Sitia and 60km east of Agios Nikolaos. To get to this point you should follow the road leading to Faneromeni Monastery, starting at the village Skopi. 2km after Skopi, just before the monastery, two neighboring small pebbly beaches are shaped with crystal clear waters. The first, known as Agii Pantes is formed at the exit of the lush Agii Pantes gorge, that is easily accessed via a hiking trail.

“Tou Meri to Pigadi” is located 8km northwest of Kissamos and 44km west of Chania, on the eastern side of Cape Gramvousa. The name means “Meri’s well”, probably named after the name of someone, who owned a well.

Fratiano Gorge is one of the long canyons of Rethymno Prefecture, running alongside Kourtaliotiko Gorge and crossing Xiro Oros Mount. Its entrance is located 23km southeast of Rethymnon, next to the village Frati, and it mouth is located near the exit of the gorge Kourtaliotiko.

The beautiful canyon Galliano starts southeast of Gallos and ends at the town of Rethymnon. It is 5.5km long and the walk is along a verdant ravine. Along the way we meet the mill of Saounatsides used till the 20th century, with traces of an old chapel next to it. In the gorge there is also the temple of St Anthony.

Tripiti is an untouched beautiful beach with pebbles and deep blue waters. It is surrounded by towering cliffs and on the east side there are some beautiful caves. The steep cliffs make it one of the most isolated beaches of Heraklion. There is no access by car, although you can still see the remains of the road that leaded to the beach until 1995. The road has been completely destroyed by floods and now there is not even a footpath.

The Knosano Gorge (or gorge of Saint Eirini) is the continuation of Mount Giouchta. It extends south of Archanes (Saint Mamas) it runs through Archanes in Kato Milos, where starts the subpart of Knossano gorge known as Sylamos Gorge, after the nearby village. This part is very beautiful with smooth cavernous rocks and huge plane trees, and is easily accessible by car as the road connecting Arhanes to Sylamos runs along the riverbed.

Omalos Plateau of Viannos is located at the southern foot of Mount Dicti, next to Kato Simi and Viannos, 60km southeast of the city of Heraklion. It can be accessed more easily from Kato Simi, but there are also alternative routes that are worth driving on dirt track (such as the road starting from the Lassithi Plateau and another track coming from the smaller plateau of Lapathos).

Eleonora’s Falcon (scient. Falco eleonorae) is one of the most important falcons of Greece with a wingspan of 84-103cm and a body length 36-40cm. It is a migratory species that nests in the spring in small barren islets, where they reproduce. They are also found in Crete, especially in the small islets surrounding Crete, while in winter they return to East Africa and Madagascar.