Nature

Jiouchtas in the ancient times was considered a sacred mountain, mainly because it resembles a human face that looks to the sky from the northwest. Even today the human like mountain causes awe. According to the legend, this is the face of Zeus and the mountain is his tomb. Indeed the name Jiouchtas is a corruption of the Latin word for Zeus, Jupiter.

Crete hosts an extremely rare and endemic variety of plane trees (Platanus orientalis var. Cretica) with about 50 trees being reported throughout the island. The characteristic feature of this variety is that it is evergreen, unlike the common deciduous plane trees.

Mesonas gorge is located on the northern slopes of the mountains of Thripti, near villages Kavoussi and Avgos. It is a short imposing gorge (4km long), that needs technical equipment for crossing it along its bed. The canyon connects the Plateau of Thripti to the plain of Kavoussi.

The Limnakaro Plateau lies on the northern slopes of Mt Dicte, near the Lassithi Plateau, at an altitude of 1,120 metres above sea level. It is enclosed by the peaks of Lazaros (2,048 m) to the east-southeast, Strovili (1,533 m) to the west and Megali Korfi (1309 m) to the north.

The Gorge of Swallows is located 33km south of town of Rethymno city, next to the famous beach of Preveli with the majestic palm grove and the stunning river. It starts close to the village Drymiskos, runs almost parallel to the canyon of Kourtaliotiko (that of Preveli) and ends at the beach of Drymiskiano Ammoudi. It’s name is taken after the the swallows that arrive in the area every summer.

Agios Antonios (Saint Anthony) is located 30km northwest of Agios Nikolaos, in the well hidden and unexplored northern shores of Mirabello area, 3km north of the village Selles. The area has several small beaches where you can go by driving north from the village Selles mainly in a passable dirt road. In the region you will not find anything else, but some cottages and farms.

Almirida is a very small fishing village, located 38km east of Rethymnon, near the village of Sises. The village is not touristically developed and is mainly known to locals. On the west there is a small pier, which protects the small harbor of Almirida.

Gorge of Embasa starts its course from the village Kato Kera and ends near the village Gonies, being about 2km long. Its upper part is very steep and in winter several waterfalls are formed, with the highest being about 20m high.