Nature

The common short-beaked dolphin (scient. Delphinus delphis) was once the most common dolphin species in Greece, but unfortunately it is nowadays threatened with extinction. Indeed, the name “common” was firstly given by Aristotle in ancient times, due to its abundance in Greek Seas. Today it lives mainly in the Ionian Sea and is rarely found in Crete.

Half an hour above the archaeological site of Lissos, in a totally secret position called Lichnou Laki there is a small and very beautiful canyon. The gorge is located in the district of Selino, below Prodromi village, south of Chania and its entrance is accessed by a dirt road that runs from the village (to the south). The very small canyon is quite green and is divided into two different sections. The first section is dominated by lentisks, junipers and oaks and the second is covered by pine trees despite the destructive fire that had previously burnt the region.

Adjacent and parallel to the current highway linking Heraklion to Messara plane, between the villages Prinias and Avgeniki, a beautiful canyon is formed. Its descent requires the use of canyoning equipment, as it forms some steep descents.

At the western end of the long beach of Chatzivolakas on the island of Chrissi, we find the beach Avlaki. Avlaki has rocky seabed, like almost the whole island. At the end of the beach there is the second harbour of the island at position Spilios and the only house in Chrissi built in the middle of the 20th century. The name Spilios (cave) is taken after an old house built in the rock.

The position on the southern side of the island of Chryssi where the the boats carrying visitors from Ierapetra stop is called Vougiou Mati. To the west of the quay a small rocky bay is formed with small caves. On the east side of the quay, a long rocky beach is formed, which visitors prefer when the most popular beach of the island, Belegrina or Golden Beach in the north, is wavy.

Many believed that somewhere in Jiouktas lived once the Apostle Paul. Indeed, within walking distance from the church of Christ there are the remains of a very interesting building that is connected to the hermitage of St. Paul.

The hawksbill sea turtle (scient. Eretmochelys imbricata) is an endangered sea turtle species found primarily in tropical seas. Some of them (very few) have been met in the open sea south of Crete and in other Mediterranean areas.

Alikadam or Alikadamis is one of the most unknown and beautiful plateaus of mountainous Crete. It is located at an altitude of 1530 meters between the peaks of Halazokefala and Koudouni, at the southeast part of the range of Psiloritis. Next to Alikadam we meet, at slightly higher altitude, the plateau Mesa Lakos.