Book your stay in Rethymno
Booking.com

Rethymno - Nature

Nature of the Rethymno prefecture is a synonym to indescribable beauty, in a landscape of high rocks changing into lacy beaches and the legendary caves meeting wide gorges with dense flora, waterfalls and ancient trees. The Ideon Andron cave and the Sfentoni cave are not only great caves, but also ancient history keepers.

The wealth of county’s nature is very well presented by Psiloritis with its landscapes changing one another. Psiloritis is located in the East part of the prefecture, which is the most mountainous parts of Crete. Next to Psiloritis you will find Vrisinas, the mountain with numerous founts.

The Nida plateau with its famous “mitata” (structures in countryside used by shepherds), in winter, offers the possibility to indulge in winter sports thanks to the available infrastructure.

Rivers penetrating deep into the mountains and flowing to the Libyan Sea, such as Kourtaliotis and Platis River, fertile valleys, such as the Amari valley, are areas of protected fauna and flora, where, rarely seen elsewhere, nature thrives.

The River Dam is expected to become an important reserved wetland of the Mediterranean. It is where Sifis, the famous crocodile found in the area in 2014 and big headline news in the media, already lives.

Lots of small mammals are surviving in the wild nature of Rethymno, such as the Cretan badger, weasel and marten, while the reappearance of the wildcat, species considered extinct, in recent years, makes the area very attractive to the scientists.

The viper and the Balkan wood snake, which are usually found in the trees and between the stones, along with Green lizard, a rare lizard, a tiny Cretan Tree Frogs and toads, complete the fauna that thrives in the mountains.

The north sandy beaches are currently protected and repeatedly awarded. It is where the famous sea turtle Careta-careta appears and gives birth

Sparrows, goldfinches, swallows, finches, robins, jackdaws, blackbirds and crows can be frequently seen in the fields, while on higher grounds kestrels and buzzards, lammergeyers and vultures open their wings.

Cretan marjoram is another kind of herb in Cretan nature, known since antiquity, from the Greek mythology. It was a plant dedicated to the goddess of hunting, Artemis, and had been associated with easing of birth pains. According to the myth, the goddess would shoot a bow with poison arrows and then healed the wounds, just like the marjoram. Since ancient times, the plant was a panacea for many sicknesses. It was used to heal stomach and general digestive system illnesses, spleen, rheumatism, arthritis, diseases of the uterus and difficult births.

  • Kourtaliotis

    Kourtaliotis is a river that flows out at an altitude of 500 meters in Rethymno prefecture , near the village Koksare , and forms Preveli Lake

  • Helidonion Gorge

    The Helidonion gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno is located 33 km south of the city of Rethymno and is a good suggestion for hikers.

  • Frati Gorge

    The Frati gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno, 23 km southeast of the city of Rethymno, near Frati and is considered one of the great gorges of the island

  • Gorge of Platania

    The gorge of Platania in Rethymno prefecture is located in Platania village on the western slopes of Psiloritis, 38 km southeastern of the city of Rethymno

  • Petre Gorge

    The Petre gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno is located among the hills of Mandaro and Tsouni Viglas 13 km west of Rethymno, near the Karoti village

  • Patsou Gorge

    The Patsou gorge is located 30 kilometers from the city of Rethymno and is one of the most beautiful gorges in Rethymno prefecture and throughout Crete.

  • The gorge of the Mills

    The gorge of the Mills in Rethymno prefecture near the village of Neoi Miloi, 8 km far from Rethymno, is a complex of watermills, water-power network

  • Kourtaliotis Gorge

    The Kourtaliotis gorge is located in the southern part of the prefecture of Rethymno, approximately 22 km from Rethymno, and is a unique natural attraction.

  • Kotsifou Gorge

    The Kotsifou gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno is located several kilometers north of Sellia, starting at the village Kanevos and ending up at Plakias.

  • Kakoperatos Gorge

    The Kakoperatos gorge, a non-walkable gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno lies at the village of Agios Vasileios, 22 km south of the city of Rethymno

  • Gorge of Zoniana

    The Gorge of Zoniana in the prefecture of Rethymno is located south of the village Zoniana and considered one of the most accessible gorges.

  • Vederon gorge

    The Vederon gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno begins at the Frantzeskiana Metohia , a small picturesque village, 12 km southwest of the city of Rethymno

  • Agia Fotia gorge

    The Agia Fotia gorge is a small verdant gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno , near the Spili village, 30 km far from the city of Rethymno .

  • Smiliano gorge

    The Smiliano gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno is located north of the village Ano Meros and approximately 45 km southeast of the city of Rethymno

  • Prassano Gorge

    The Prassano gorge in Rethymno prefecture lies near the village Prasses, 10 km southeast of the city of Rethymno near the hills of Gargana.

  • Mesa gorge of the Platis River

    Mesa gorge of the Platis River in the prefecture of Rethymno is one of the two gorges formed by the narrowing of the Platis river

  • Margaritsano Gorge

    The Margaritsano gorge in Rethymno prefecture is located near the village Margarites , 30 kilometers from the city of Rethymno .

  • Kollita Gorges

    The Kollita Gorges in the prefecture of Rethymno are located near Argyroypoli , 22 kilometers southwest of the city of Rethymno .

  • Kissano Gorge

    The Kissano gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno lies approximately 1 km north of the village Kissos and 34 km southeast of the city of Rethymno .

  • Karantaliotiko Gorge

    Karantaliotiko gorge is located in the center of Rethymno prefecture and begins near the village of Agios Ioannis and ends up in Saitoures .

  • Galliano Gorge

    The Galliano gorge of the Rethymno area begins southeast of the Gallou settlement, 5 km far from the city of Rethymno and ends up inside the city borders.

  • Arkadian Gorge

    The Arkadian gorge is one of many gorges of Rethymno prefecture . It starts north of Arkadi monastery and ends at the village of Pikris .

  • Kariniotiko Gorge

    Kariniotiko gorge in the prefecture of Rethymno lies approximately 2 kilometers northwest of the Karines village and 30 kilometers far from Rethymno .

  • Honos

    The Honos cave in Rethymno prefecture is located northwest of the village Kali Sikia at an altitude of 550 meters, 30 km approximately southwest of Rethymno

  • Tafkos of Mavri

    The Tafkos of Mavri in Rethymno prefecture is a cavern-chasm that is located above the Vistagi village, at the southwestern foothills of Psiloritis ,

  • Tafkos of Petradolakia

    Tafkos of Petradolakia in Rethymno prefecture lies south of Anogia, at the site of Petradolakia and is the second deepest cave in the area of Psiloritis.

  • Sfentoni cave

    Sfentoni cave in Rethymno prefecture is located 1 km to the northeast of Zoniana , at site Myronos, on the southern slopes of Chalepa

  • Simonelli Cave

    The Simonelli Cave of Rethymno prefecture is located at the site called Atsipopoulo, a seaside rocky area west of the city of Rethymno

  • Paul Faure Cave

    The Paul Faure cave of Rethymno prefecture is located at an altitude of 700 meters northeast of the village Nithavris in the Kalikas region.

  • Mougkri cave

    The Mougkri cave in Rethymno prefecture is the longest cave of Mount Kouloukonas, on Koufoto hill near the village Sises.

  • Marathokefala cave

    The Marathokefala cave in Rethymno prefecture is located near the village of Kinigiana , 29 km southeast of Rethymno .

  • Geraniou Cave

    The Geraniou cave of the Rethymno prefecture is one of the most beautiful caves on Crete, located in the Kamari region, 6 km west of Rethymno

  • Cave of Agios Antonios

    The cave of Agios Antonios is located north of the Patsos village in the verdant Patsou gorge and it was a religious center of Kranaios Hermes.

  • Ideon Andron

    Ideon Andron is a cave in Rethymno prefecture on the eastern slope of Mount Psiloritis at an altitude of 1.530 meters, 74 km far from the city of Rethymno.

  • Paksimadia islands

    The Paksimadia islands are 2 small uninhabited islets near the south coastline of Rethymno prefecture 7.5 nautical miles from Agia Galini .

  • Psiloritis

    The Psiloritis is a mountain range stretching in the center of Crete, covering a large part of the prefectures of Rethymno and Heraklio.

  • River Dam

    The river dam is located in the province of Amari in Rethymno prefecture, approximately 25 km far from the city of Rethymno.

  • Nida Plateau

    The Nida Plateau in Rethymno prefecture is a verdant valley in the center of Psiloritis, 22 km approximately far from Anogia and 78 km from Rethymno

  • Lake Preveli

    Lake Preveli lies on the south coastline of Rethymno prefecture, approximately 40 km from the city of Rethymno.

  • Lake Orne

    The small lake Orne is located in Rethymno prefecture, only 500 m northwest of Orne village and 50 km far from Rethymno.

  • Amari valley

    The Amari valley is located in Rethymno prefecture, spanning from the northern part of Crete to the southern, between Mt Kedros and Mt Psiloritis.

  • Kedros

    Kedros is the second highest mountain of Rethymno prefecture situated southwest of Psiloritis, both mountains enclosing the Amari valley.

Most Popular