Nature

Psalidia means scissors in Greek and this name is taken after the shape of the bay. The surrounding area is very dry and is cover by low sand dunes and shrubs, but in September it turns to a paradise by thousands of white sand lilies. Moreover, if you walk to Lagada, you’ll meet many amazing rocks that are ideal for shooting photos.

Vrontissi monastery is located 49km southwest of Heraklion, near Vorizia Gorge, between the villages of Zaros and Vorizia. The area has panoramic views of Vorizia village and the plain of Messara. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Anthony and is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete.

The gorge of Adrianos starts from the village Adrianos. In some places there are high rocks that impede the free course through the canyon, making walking difficult, but not impossible (the course needs about 3 hours). The river flowing in its bed is Skoulikaris that starts near village Potami and it empties in the town of Agios Nikolaos.

Spiliotissa gorge is located about 24km south of Heraklion. It is a lush ravine that runs from the village Houdetsi, crosses Agios Vasilios, and ends in the valley of Peza. The best part of it is that between Houdetsi and Agios Vasilios (1.5km long).

The ocellated skink (scient. Chalcides ocellatus) (or the eyed skink or gongilo), is an impressive species of skink, which is native to to Italy, Greece and North Africa. In Crete holds the mistaken impression that they are deadly poisonous and people are afraid of them.

Chamoprina wood is a wood with low oak trees, located 4km south of Malia town. It can be accessed very easily from Malia, because it is located on the road connecting the old village of Malia with Krasi village.

Keri grove is located at an altitude of 300 meters, 9km west of Heraklion, near Voulismeno Aloni and south of the gorge Almyros. It can be accessed via a short dirt road that starts about 300m after Voulismeno Aloni.

One of the many parallel canyons of the wider area of Fragokastelo. It is a small canyon (2km long) starting from the beautiful plateau Manikas and ending at the seaside village Skaloti after 1:30 hours hiking with steep slopes.