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Glens & Forests – Welcome to Cretevc


Escape the crowds and get to the core of these magnificent national treasures.



As one of the most scenic places in the Greek Islands, it is home to a number of secluded mountains where you can enjoy the natural surroundings. Here you will find tumbling waterfalls, deep rock pools, caves and incredible scenery.

Want to get even closer to nature? Take a trip down to our nature reserves, the frontiers of Crete’s biodiversity conservation where you can spot wildlife such as playful otters frolicking in their natural habitats. Experience the best that nature has to offer at our green spaces today!

If you love wild places, there are three national, natural parks and geoparks to explore.

Glens with their wildlife, luggage and remains, many plateau and valleys, pristine islets with sand-dunes and cedar trees, plenty of wetlands and forests – all and more go to produce unusual ecosystems all across the island.

You can raft, ride a mule, fly over, or just enjoy the beautiful parks - both natural and created - are places to walk, fishing, explore, practice your photography or doze under a tree in the sunshine. Some are huge - like the White Mountains; others are small but beautifully formed, such as Psiloritis and the Dikti range, a bizarre dinner plate of a landscape surrounded by a lip of high mountains in the Lasithi plateau. Don’t forget to visit, The Diktaean Cave near the village of Psychro, “the reputed birth place of Zeus, king of the gods, which provides a slightly spooky thrill”.so you’re never far from some kind of botanic paradise
Each region of Crete has its own characteristic trees. The region of Apokoronas and Sfakia are covered with cypresses, Thrypti has mainly pines, the lowlands of central Crete host arbutus, and the humid region of Kissamos are covered with chestnuts, while the Diktaean and the White Mountains are home to oaks.

Pines, cedars and local flora decorate the island of Odysseus, Gavdos!
The most important cypress woods are met at the National Reserve of the White Mountains, Kroustas, the lowlands of Apokoronas region and the mountainous area of Kydonia. Enjoy, the greatest oak wood is located at Rouvas at Psiloritis and it is home to rare animals and plants, including the endemic Cretan wildcat and the orchid Cephalanthera cuculata. Extensive pine woods are formed at the mountain of Thripti, at eastern Dikti, Sfakia, Asterousia Range and southern Psiloritis. More specifically, the pine woods of Selakano, Vorizia and Kato Symi are the largest beekeeping regions in Crete.

Woods of special tree species are also formed in various parts of the island, such as the famous groves of the Cretan Date Palm at Vai and Preveli beach. Also, Azilakodasos near Malia is the largest forest of holm oaks in Crete, while the area of Tris Ekklisies hosts the largest native forest of carob trees in Europe. Can you experience the authentic Cretan tradition in Anogia, the major town of the mountainous part of the province Milopotamos. The plateau of Nida and the primitive domed buildings, called mitata, made solely of dry stone are worth visiting. Mitata provided shelter to shepherds and they were used for milking goats and cheese-making.

These protected places are a chance to leave civilization behind for a few hours or days. Explore or discover a park or nature reserve near you now!
There really is something for every level of mountain biker and adventure seeker here.