Orthouni

The mountainous village of Orthouni is located at an altitude of 400 meters, 21 km from the city of Chania. The few residents, who live there permanently, retain the traditional and cultural features of the location.

Orthouni is an area with lush vegetation and natural beauty. Indeed, near the village there are numerous unexplored caves. The most famous one is the “Hole of Voucole” which is located at the location Moutsoudia in the middle of a forest full of oaks and cypresses.

In the same area, there is a spring and a huge plane tree, whose branches and foliage cover an enormous area – some say it covers 1,500 square meters – and that is a rare natural monument in the region.

The entrance of the cave “Hole of Voucole” outside Orthouni is very small and not easily seen because of the lush vegetation that surrounds it. Inside the cave there are many booths with rich decoration.

At Orthouni there are two old churches. The first is dedicated to the Prophet Elias and it was built the Venetian era, and the second is the church of Virgin Mary, which was restored in the 19th century.