One of the nicest villages in Crete is the forested village of Kato Simi by Viannos in Heraklion Prefecture. Together with the ruined village of Pano Simi, they lie in the heart of the largest pine forest of Crete, with the neighboring Selakano and Malles woods included.
The Peak Sanctuary that was dedicated to Hermes and Aphrodite is located at position Krya Vrissi, 5 km northeast of Kato Simi, and is the most important archaeological site in the province of Viannos.
The position of Meliana by village Amiras hosts one of the many memorials of the German atrocities experienced by the Cretans during the Second World War and a small museum next to it. This commemorated one of the most violent massacres of German Occupation in Greece, the holocaust of Viannos district.
Kavousi Canyon is located near Keratokambos (near Ano Viannos, south Heraklion) in Dikti Mountain. The total length is 1km and the altitudinal difference between entrance and exit is 170m.
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).
The canyon of Panagia (Virgin Mary), also known as Kalami I is parallel to the gorge Xerofarago or Kalami II and takes its name after the former monastery of Panagia Keralimeniotissa located at its exit.
The gorge of the Holy Apostles in Lapathos is located south of Mount Dicti, 28km west of Ierapetra, 72km south of Heraklion, in the area of Kato Simi. This is a very rough canyon, which is a perfect challenge for very experienced canyoners. Its length is about 4km and the elevation difference between the starting and the ending point is about 900m.
The Plateau of Lapathos is located about 77km southeast of Heraklion and 36km west of Ierapetra, near Kato Symi village. It is a small but beautiful plateau. The background of the plateau is the wild beauty of the Lasithi mountains and the slopes of Selakano. The vegetation in the Plateau is not dense and there are many rocky places.
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