Plateaus

Amari valley is formed between the Mountains Kedros and Psiloritis, at an altitude of 400-500m and is 25km long. It is the natural passage from the north to south Rethymno and Messara Plain. For its central location, it was the theater of several historical events, especially during the Ottoman rule.

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 small plateau of Ziros lies east of Armenohandrades plateau. Here is the "capital" of the area, the village of Ziros. The village is nice and here you will find very basic services, such as gas station and bank. Ziros has faced a modest growth, a key driver of which is the military camp with the radar of the Greek Air Force, standing on a neighboring mountain.

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.

Thripti Plateau is located next to the village of Kavousi, in Ierapetra area, at an altitude of 850m. It's really one of the most beautiful places worth visiting in Crete, which is totally unknown to most Cretans. Its natural beauty is very special and so are the Thripti mountain hiking trails, which are part of the European path E4, which starts from the Iberian Peninsula, passing the Alps down to Crete, where it stops in the mountains of Sitia.

The Small Plateau of Nissimos is located 55km southeast of Heraklion, on the northern side of the Lassithi Plateau, at an altitude of 890m. Access is quite easy as there is a passable uphill road, 2.5km long, starting from the village Tzermiado.

A small plateau perched in the White Mountains and the homonym village with the old church of Panagia. The desolated village is used by some shepherds and their flocks! From here starts the impressive gorge of Kalikratis that ends at the village Patsianos.

The small and elongated plateau of Strouboulas is to be found just south of the Stroumboulas elongated mountain range, which resembles a volcanic cone when seen from Heraklion. The elongated plateau is formed on the carbonate rocks of the “Tripolitsa” group and it lacks tree vegetation due to overgrazing except for some Kermes Oaks (Quercus coccifera).