Lake Kournas is actually the only large natural lake in Crete and is located in an enchanting landscape, surrounded by high mountains and olive groves. It is located near the village Kournas, 2.5km southeast of the beach of Georgioupolis, 43km east of Chania and 20km west of Rethymnon. Lake Kournas and its surroundings constitute a very important ecosystem for Greece. Kournas is one of the very few areas of Crete where plenty of fresh water is stored throughout the year. For this reason, it is protected under the Natura 2000 program.
The artificial lake of Agia (Ayia) is located near the village of Agia, 9 km west of Chania. It is a small lake of 450 acres, which is close to the valley of Fasas. This valley is considered as the most humid of Crete. Agia lake receives water from underground springs originating from Lefka Ori and the river Xekolomenos. The lake was a swamp before the Power Public Corp turned it to artificial, for producing hydroelectric power. Today, the power station is abandoned, but visitors still can see the old mechanisms and a relevant museum.
The white mountains are the biggest in extent mountain chain of the island with its peak “Pahnes” (2453m).In the heart of the mountain chain the mountain dessert is created with a moonlike landscape with more than 50 naked tops higher than 2000m. These are called “soroi” because they look like cones.On its base there are reverse cone pits.It is the most mysterious landscape that one can meet in Greece and is unique for the north hemisphere Climbing the white mountains requires great physical condition , experience and good sense of orientation. There are refuges in many places where someone can rest and continue their climbing. Snow covers the higher slopes until June. On the white mountains there are many caves and gorges.
The Samaria Gorge is the longest trekking gorge in Europe and also the most famous of all. Thousands of tourists flock here daily in the summer season to walk from the top to the bottom. For many visitors, it?is the sole purpose of their visit to Crete. The length of the gorge, which belongs to the European E4 path, reaches 18km and takes almost 4-7 hours to hike from Omalos to Agia Roumeli, depending on trekking speed.
Imbros Gorge is located in province Sfakia and is the third most visited gorge in Crete, following Samaria Gorge and Agia Irini by Sougia. The scenery is beautiful and the low difficulty make the descent of Imbros ideal for families with children. The length of the gorge is 11 km and the course lasts 2-3 hours.
The gorge of Agia Irini is on the west side of the White Mountains, with many vertical passes. It gets its name from the homonym village located near the entrance, 46 km from Chania. Its length is 7.5 km and its crossing takes three hours. The gorge ends up in the seaside village of Sougia, where there is a clean and beautiful beach where you can enjoy a memorable swimming in the waters of the Libyan Sea. Once a day, the ferry runs from the port of Sougia, to connect the village with Chora Sfakion in the east and Paleochora in the west. The gorge is part of the European path E4.
Aradena is one of the most interesting gorges and one of the longest ones (15km long). The old Sfakians called it Faragas (Huge gorge) due to its size, to discern it from the rest gorges of Sfakia. This characterization was later falsely used for Samaria Gorge. The gorge actually starts from the root of the peak Thodoris of White Mounts, and specifically from the underground stream of cave Drakolakki. However, most people think that it is only 7km long, because the easiest way is to reach it from Aradena village, at the middle of the gorge length.
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