| |
The gorge of Samaria
(Samarian Gorge)
Samaria Gorge is one of the National
Parks of Greece and the only one in Crete. It starts at an altitude of 1227 m.
at the village of Omalos(70 Km. from Chania) and ends after an 18 km walk to the
beach at the village of Agia Roumeli on the south coast of Crete.
 
TThe best way to reach Omalos is by public bus, or join
an organized group. You can also reach Omalos by private car, but that means
that once you reach the beach at Agia Roumeli, you have to take the other way
round and climb to pick up your car (... not recommended) .
The Gorge is open to visitors from May to October.
This is mainly for safety reasons, since the footpath follows the river bed,
which overflows quite often during winter. The best time is probably early May
and late September. At these times, there are fewer people visiting the gorge.
Walking through the gorge is an
experience that a visitor should enjoy. People have been known to walk through
it in 3-4 hours but a more sedate pace would allow the visitor time to enjoy it
more.
Usually people start their walk at 7-8 in the morning and come out to the beach
at about 6 in the afternoon. Staying overnight in the gorge is not permitted.
The footpath down the gorge is maintained by the park authority.
Park guides constantly patrol the gorge and are always
available for assistance. Smoking is not permitted inside the park, and stopping
for a break is only allowed at certain resting stops every 2-3 kilometers.
Omalos is one of the last shelters of the mountain goat of Crete (kri-kri). The
flora is extensive
Elafonissi
 
Elafonissi is a small islet on the
southwest of Crete. It is connected to the beach with a shallow passage (max.
depth 1 meter) that allows crossing when the sea is calm.
There are only a couple of cantinas on the beach and plenty
of places for camping.
The place can be reached by car from the village of Vathi or
by boat from Paleohora.
There are no permanent inhabitants.
Walking on the beach of Elafonissos the visitor can see
various plants and bushes (Atriplex halmus, crithmum, maritimum, rura clepensis,
ballota pseudodictamum etc.). There is also a small frog (bufo viridis viridis)
endemic to the island and various lizards (podarcis erherdil elaphonisi)
considered a protected species.
There are also reported species of a snake (coluber
gemonensis gemorensis) . According to studies conducted by the Greek Ministry of
the Environment the island serves as a breeding area for the caretta-caretta sea
turtle. Finally local fishermen have reported noticing Mediterranean seals (
monachus monachus) in the open sea.
There are very few indigenous species of birds in the
area, but the area is very important to ornithologists since it is the last stop
from Europe to Africa for migrating birds.
Gramvoussa
On the NW coast of Crete the west coast of the gulf of
Kissamos projects northwards and forms a promontory that the ancients named
Korykos Akran.
West of this band of land are two small rocky islets. The one
north of the promontory is Agriogramvoussa, south of it and to the west is
Gramvoussa .
Due to its strategic location, Gramvoussa was fortified by
the Venetians, who built a well-fortified castle on the top of a steep rock at
an altitude of 137 m.
Construction on the castle of Gramvoussa started in 1579 and
ended in 1582. It was destroyed in 1588, however, when thunder struck on the
powder storage.The castle was rebuilt in 1630.
It was one of the three castles to remain under Venetian
dominion after the Turkish occupation of Crete (the other two were those of
Sitia and Spinalonga).
Even though the castle was impregnable, during the
Venetian-Turkish war the Italian commandant was bribed by the Turks and he gave
over the castle in 1692.
During the Greek uprising against the Turks, Gramvoussa
played an important and decisive role. After many attempts the castle was
finally occupied by the Cretan revolutioners in 1825, when a team of Cretans
disguised as Turks entered the castle. Gramvoussa was the first part of Crete to
be liberated by the Turks.
The rocky island became a shelter for over 3000 people, and a
base of operations for the revolution teams. But it also became a base of
pirates that plundered every ship that passed to the seas around the island, so
with the agreement of the Greek Government a English-French garrison took over
the island of Gramvoussa in 1828.
Today, the high walls of the Gramvoussa are preserved, half
ruined but awe-inspiring.
Opposite to the island of Gramvoussa lies the wonderful beach
of Balos.
Fragokastello
 
On the south coast of
Crete, on a magnificent white sandy beach, stands one of the most beautiful
Venetian fortresses, Fragokastello, built in 1371. It is located approximately
170 km from Heraklion, 70 km from Rethimnon, and 70 Km from Chania.
Today, Fragokastello is a small, but developing, community,
with magnificent beaches covered in sand dunes, and limited, but increasing,
tourist facilities.
The visitor coming from Chania, should follow the road to
Sfakia and from approximately the 68th km take the road to Komitades. After
passing the villages of Vraskas, Vouvas and Nomikiana, will end up to the coast,
where Fragokastello is sited.
Fragokastello, together with the neighboring villages of
Kapsodasos, Kalikratis and Patsianos, belong to the municipality of Sfakia.
Fragokastello, is an ideal base of operations for visitors
who want to explore the south west coast of Crete, or the impressive White
Mountains.
From Fragokastello passes the European hiking footpath
(E4).The footpath comes to Fragokastello through the gorge of Imbros and crosses
the gorge of Kalikratis through Fragokastello and the village of Patsianos. A
long magnificent white sandy beach stretches in front of the castle. The water
is crystal clear, shallow and warm.
The sand forms dunes that besides the marvellous sight
they offer, they can also be used for games by the sea side.
Almirida
Almirida, a small fishing village, lies along the east
of the Souda Bay opposite the cape of Akrotiri, within 25 kilometers from the
city of Chania.
The surrounding area, has a lot of picturesque villages, lovely beaches, and
historical sites
The area has been just developed the last eight years, in such a way that the
traditional characteristics which attract the most demanding guests,
remained unspoilt.
VAMOS
Vamos War Memorial
If you take the national road that leads from Chania to
Rethimno and within a distance of
18 kilometers from Chania, a crossroad brings you to KALYVES- KALAMI (8kms).
Turn to the left and you are on your way to Vamos.
You are now at the area of Vamos,
with the pure, authentic landscape, the traditional villages of Tsivara and
Vamos, and the well known Cretan hospitality.
Vamos
Arriving at Vamos, you can discern a nobleness that the
village as an old capital of the county still maintains.
Vamos, built on a hill, is the seat of the municipality with
618 permanent residents . It houses a Police station, Post Office, High School,
Court of Justice and a branch office of Agricultural Bank of Greece.
The main products are olive oil, honey,
and dairy products.
Vamos was first mentioned at the census of Fr. Barozzi in
1577 as "VAMU" and was always inhabited having, early this century, a
population of 1036 inhabitants. The name VAMOS however is considered to be
prehistoric.
Because of its strategic position, the village played a
significant role to the history of Crete, especially during the Turkish
occupation, when it was the seat of the Turkish commander.
Several attempts have been made by the Cretan revolutionists
to capture the village and numerous blood stained battles, have taken place.
After one of those battles in May 1896 the revolutionists
finally achieved to take over the place. This fact had a great effect, even
abroad and gave birth to the General Revolutionary Assembly of Cretan People for
the independence of the island.
Vamos Today
In 1982 a few but highly energetic people from the village
had the idea to organize a cultural festival, with the support of many
significant friends from all over Greece. During that festival, which lasted
three days, a number of the most famous Greek artists had performed their work,
and the village has been visited by 40,000 people. Next year the same festival,
which lasted four days this time, had a greater success while 60,000 people
visited the place. Since then Vamos, taking advantage of
its reputation, started to develop a different kind of tourism, with respect to
the tradition and the environment.
Vamos a Guest House
The visitor to Vamos will
feel the friendly atmosphere of the village, and will enjoy the traditional
hospitality. By walking through the
village’s old narrow paved streets with the flowery yards , which is now
undergoing a restoration phase, the visitr has the impression that, the glorious
past of Vamos will revive. A stop at the square's cafe for a refreshment, a
Greek coffee or a raki will make the visitor one of the "initiated"
friends of Vamos.
A guest house, maintained by the Municipality and made in the
pure Cretan Traditional style is available for the visitors.
It is worth visiting
Vamos and become one of his friends.
For farther information about VAMOS you can see the page of Vamos
S.A.
The monastery of Preveli
It stands 37 km south of Rethimnon,
in an imposing landscape which is mentioned at the mid-19th century diary of Sir
John Spratt (admiral of the British Royal Navy), as "one of the happiest
places to withdraw from trials and responsibilities of life".
There
are lots of legends concerning the foundation of the monastery, which is
believed to have started during the Venetian occupation of the island. The
monks’ activities made the monastery one of the richest of western Crete.Due
to its isolated position it played an important role in Cretan revolts against
the occupying forces. There are some paths
leading to the Palm beach from the west, but an easier route is to go back to
Kato Monastiri and after 500m take the road to the east which after about 2km
reaches at parking area where a couple of taverns stand. Ten minutes walk away
is the Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach( LIMNI)
The gorge that forms the river "megapotamos"ends at
the Libyan Sea creating a small lake at its delta.
The place which is surrounded by palm trees and rich
vegetation is one of the most attractive places in Crete and once used to be an
ideal place for camping and nature lovers.
The sea is clean with a dazzling range of green and blue colors.
The place is accessible only by foot or by boat. Many
organized cruises start from Plakias or Agia Galini to bring visitors at LIMNI
which can be fairly crowded during the high season. Only a few facilities are
provided to the visitors.
The monastery of Arkadi
. Arkadi become the
island’s most famous monastery due to the holocaust it suffered in 1866. It
lies on a low plateau, 23 kilometers from the town of Rethymno.
Built during the last Venetian period, it consists of a large set of
fortress-like buildings. The main building included the cells, the warehouses
where the agricultural products were stored,
and the stables. In a word, it was a well-equipped little fortress where
people could find refuge in times of trouble.
The elaborate central entrance was restored just four years
after the 1866 explosion. It leads to the interior court, through a vaulted
passage. In the middle of the court, stands the impressive church.
The church is surrounded by a large and roomy precinct and
the vaulted passages with their row of arches have retained their grandeur. The
cells on the three sides of the court and the communal rooms on the north side
are impressively austere.
The history of the monastery goes back to Byzantine times, when a monk, possibly
named Arkadios, founded the monastery .Arkadio gave his name to the monastery.
Already in the 16th century the monastery played an important role in the
cultural life of Crete. There were many copyist monks, a rich library and a
school.
The Turkish invasion reduced its cultural activities for a while, but the Arkadi
Monastery was able to recover promptly and received a unique privilege among
Greek monasteries: the Turks allowed the ringing of its bells.
 
The monastery proved to be not only a remarkable
cultural centre, but also played an important role in the fight against the
Turks: when the Turkish Army (15,000 men) surrounded the monastery in November
1866, 300 fighting men and 600 hundred women and children had taken refuge in
it. When the walls came tumbling down and the Turks began the massacre, one of
the rebels, Kostis Giamboudakis, blew up the powder warehouse and the
explosion reduced the monastery to a pile of rubble. This heroic feat is
considered one of the greatest in Cretan history and has turned the Arkadi
Monastery into one of Europe's Monuments to Freedom.
There's a museum in the monastery with many impressive relics of the 1866
Holocaust and some beautiful icons.
Many efforts have been made for the restoration of the
monastery in the last years.
Two monks live there.
Kournas Lake
Tourists
can visit Koyrnas Lake which is located 40kms out of Chania and 10kms away from
Kalives. It is small and shallow, but it nevertheless makes for an interesting
afternoon's excursion.
The appearance of the lake varies greatly.If you visit to during the day its
colours change remarkably as the sun shifts around the rim of a bowl of hills
and its size alters over the course of the year. In late summer the level drops
to reveal its shores covered with
mud, and a number of popular camping sports. Earlier in the year, the level of
water rises and it's much harder to find anywhere to camp or to swim from. The
Lake and hills around it are also a good place to seek out some of the more
unusual island wildlife .
Kalives Map
Chania Map
CRETE MAPS
|
