Nature

Cretan zelkova (Greek: Anegnoro or Ampelitsa) (scient. Zelkova abelicea) is an endemic bush or small tree of Crete as high as 3-5 meters. It constitutes a unique species of the genre Zelkova, of the family Ulmaceae and is characterized as a living fossil. It took the name "Anegnoro" (i.e. unknown) because when it was discovered, nobody knew its species.

The beautiful beachfront facing east and extending from the northernmost point of Koufonisi to the small well beneath the outpost of the island is called Anemertia. Anemertia's northern part is sandy, while the south is mainly rocky. 

Very few villages in Crete are fortunate to have a waterfall in their space. One of these is Kato Kastelliana south of Heraklion on the foot of Asterousia Range. At the south entrance of Kato Kastelliana we meet Richtra, a beautiful waterfall that is the pride of the place. Richtra that the idiom of Asterousia means waterfall and it is an impressive 8-9m high waterfall with almost triangular shape.

On the west coast of Koufonissi, in the area where we meet the characteristic white clay of the island, the beautiful beach of Akritamos is formed.

False Killer whale (scient. Pseudorca crassidens) is a large dolphin (not whale), which is very rare in the waters of Greece and more frequent in the Eastern Mediterranean (Israel, Cyprus). It is distributed in warm waters worldwide, but has not been studied in depth yet. There has never been reported a pseudorca in Crete, but the occasional visits of this kind in the Aegean Sea, make its existence around Crete almost certain.

The striped dolphin (scient. Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most common species of dolphin in Greek waters. It is usully found far from the coasts, in the open Aegean and Ionian Sea, south of Crete or close to the coasts if the water is very deep. It lives in flocks of 50-100 individuals, and often coexists with other dolphins, such as the Common dolphin and Risso’s dolphin.

Lesser kestrel (scient. Falco naumanni) is one of the most known species of falcon in Crete, but today it is threatened with extinction. The locals call it “windfuc…r” because it has the ability to hover at a fixed point in the air, against the wind, so it seems like making love with the wind!

At Tripiti, you'll meet an imposing passage, an open cave, with 200m high cliffs and amazing views to Lagada and Mesada areas. According to tradition, once the Turks stole the legendary icon of Virgin Mary from Kera monastery, but the icon used to return miraculously every time. Once, the icon flew hill and crashed to the mount, forming this cave.