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Falassarna in Crete
Hotels and apartments
The winding mountain road leading down to this beach,
offers a panoramic view of the whole vast bay. Huge fine white sandy
stretches of wide beaches lie at the bottom of a steep rock faced
bay. .
In the rock structure lies the evidence of how much
the sea level has dropped in this area since ancient times, witnessed
by the remains of an old Roman harbour now inland. Adjacent to the
bay, lies the old village of Falassarna (or Falasarna), where even
today life is relatively untouched by tourism. There are 2 tavernas,
one of which has a small shop. The village of Platanos, 5 km away,
offers a larger selection of shops.
This area is ideal for those visitors looking for a
quiet holiday, who love open spaces, crystal clean water and silky
sand beaches.
This is a wonderful place to experience the simple pleasures
of Cretan life.
Hotels & apartments in Falassarna
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| Tel/fax: +33(0)4 92 15 14 62 --- Mobile: +33 (0)6 08 10 00 85 |
| Address in France: 20, Boulevard Joseph Garnier
F-06000 Nice |
| Address in Greece: Astrikas - Chania - Crete |
Samaria gorge. Crete, Greece
Having a total length of sixteen kilometres, this gorge is the largest in Europe and certainly the most famous and visited among the many gorges of Crete.
Until about the middle of the century it was a wild landscape with a totally undisturbed ecosystem and home to a great number of wild birds and mammals as well as to a small population of woodcutters and shepherds who lived in Agia Roumeli or in the village of Samaria inside the gorge.
Today this village has been abandoned, but the steep slopes of the gorge and the thick forests in the surrounding area are still populated with many rare species. These include over fifty species of wild birds - among them, the extremely rare harrier eagle (Gypaetus barbatus) and golden eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos), both threatened with extinction - and about ten species of mammals among which the famous Cretan wild goat otherwise known as kri kri and the Cretan polecat known as zourìdha. As for the flora of the area, it is abundantly rich and includes many wild flowers native to this land.
In 1962, the gorge, together with a small area to the west and east of it, was officially declared a National Park, so that its delicate ecosystem could be protected.
The park extends over an area of 5100 hectares and, unlikeits quiet days in the past, today it is visited by some 300,000 people a year, all of them determined to walk the gorge. Visits are allowed between May and October, but in July and August the tourists are so many that it is impossible to be alone even for a minute. On the other hand, if you can come between May and early June, or between the middle of September and the end of October, you will certainly enjoy it a lot more.
A good time to visit the gorge (in fact, a time before it is officially opened to the public) is the first weekend of April, when a two-day festival is held in Samaria in honour of Osia Maria. The liturgy in the small Byzantine church is chanted by father Giorgis Chiotakis of Sfakia, an amazing priest who likes a good feast as much as anyone else and yet is a truly holy man.
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