Partira Dam Lake
The dam of Partira is situated 32km south of the city of Heraklion and west of the village Partira at an altitude of 300m. Its construction was completed in 2000 and today the capacity reaches 380000 sq.m. of water. The dam gathers the water from Patsideros river, a tributary of Anapodaris river.
The dam can be accessed from Partira, following the road to Mikri Episkopi (i.e. Small Diocese) and then a dirt track to the lake. Mikri Episkopi is a small abandoned village with panoramic views of the lake. Here you will see the Byzantine chapel of Christ the Saviour. The same track leads to the nearby dam of Amourgeles.
A very old Byzantine church with old frescoes dedicated to Virgin Mary (Panagia) is located near the banks of the lake, build on a small hill. Around the dam, the local government has placed benches and playgrounds, as the lake is ideal for daily excursions and bird watching. In Partira more than 120 species of birds, especially migratory, have been observed. There are also frogs and tortoises, while the dead trees appearing when the water level is low are also imposing.
