Alikambos almond wood
At the northeast edge of the White Mountains we meet one of the most beautiful ecosystems of Crete which makes this area very special and important for the natural environment of the island. Specifically the area between the villages Alikambos and Embrosneros to the slopes above the plateau of Askyfou we meet three distinct vegetation zones. In the upper part of this zone we find the cypress forest in the area Skotina (above Ebrosneros and Krapi). The cypress wood of Skotina is the most dense, compared to the rest cypress woods of Crete, i.e. denser than those of Imbros, the Sfakiano gorge, Samaria or Zourva. The name of the area Skotina (means Dark) is taken after the density of wood that doesn't not allow sunlight to enter inside. Beneath the cypress wood and up to Krapi we meet the the oak wood of Zervos, which is the largest in the entire prefecture of Chania.
From 100 meters above sea level to about 400 we come across a forest with maquis vegetation comprising many of wild almonds and bushes. The wood is the largest in Crete wood of wild almonds trees (prunus webbii), which very rarely form woods. The trees grow among other shrubs and reach a height of 2-3 meters. In spring the whole area offers a truly unusual sight as the almond blossom and the slopes of the region look like snow.
