Nature

The Balkan whip snake (scient. Hierophis gemonensis or Coluber gemonensis) is a medium sized snake, which is commonly met in the island of Crete. It can reach a length of 1m, but is usually much shorter.

Arkoudospilios (Bear Cave) or the Cave of Panagia Arkoudiotissa is located in Avlaki gorge of Akrotiri (Chania), 2km north of the Gouvernetou monastery, in the gorge connecting Gouvernetou with Katholiko Monastery. The cave is known for the bear-shaped rock that made the cave a place of worship of the ancient goddess Artemis.

The imposing Ida Range has the highest peak of Crete, Timios Stavros at 2546m altitude. For reaching Timios Stavros, there are many ways from both north and south sides. The view for the peak is amazing towards all directions.

The secluded beaches by village Anidri, known as Gialiskari or Dialiskari, are surely some of the most beautiful beaches of Crete. Gialiskari is located 4km east of Paleochora and 80km South of Chania. The beaches are the easternmost beaches of the coasts of Paleochora, having an overall length of 18km.

The village Kerames is located 49km south of Rethymno, close to the village Agalianos. South of the village are many beautiful beaches, with the most famous being the beaches of Akoumiani Gialia, namely Ligres, Triopetra and St. Paul sandhills. The beachfront north of Akoumiani Gialia is called Keramiani Gialia, meaning Keramean Beach, named after the nearby village.

The area of Asprougas could easily be described as an open-air geological museum, full of fossils (one slope of the area is fully covered with fossils from an extinct species of snail). Besides the rich fossils, the morphology of the whole area with the white and stripped rocks scattered everywhere is amazing.

Gournes is a tourist resort located 16km east of Heraklion, between Kokkini Hani and Gouves. The area of Gournes is located in a large fertile plain with many vegetable crops and olive groves. Gournes was in the past a separate village but the rapid development of the region has made it one part of the united beachfront, which now starts in Vathianos Kambos and ends after 23 kilometers, in Malia. Gournes are situated on the 3rd kilometer of this front.

The area is famous for the cave located close to the village, where in 1823 a large number of locals moved in the cave to escape from the Turks, but they massacred many of them after 15 days. Today, Milatos is touristically developed and hosts an important fishing harbor. The surrounding area is full with large olive groves and the coast is full of small rocky coves. Among them there are several beaches where you can swim.