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Prefecture: Chania
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Vryssi Gorge
Hiking and nature close to Zourva village: From Lakki Village - Vrisi gorge and Vrissi water source - Zourva village.
We started from Lakki, a village on the way to Omalos plateau, 460m asl.
The path is marvelous and we enjoyed every step. Our direction was eastward. We were walking discovering gradually all the surprises of this gorge.At the end of the gorge there is a cave with an underground river, from which the gorge took its name (Vrissi=Fount).
Facing the gorge from above we stayed surprised: rugged yet beautiful places, cypresses, oaks and their amazing flowers dominating the view. Unfortunately in the midst of this beauty the signs of the destructive presence of man with the recent fires is obvious.
We are on the way to the cave - fountain and now the path began to be uphill. This old trail becomes more and more difficult.It has been already 3 hours and we approach our destination, the fountain which supplies water the villages Zourva and Lakki, an impressive mountain location with an altidude of 790m.
Places near Vryssi Gorge
In the picturesque village of Zourva by an region with genuine Cretan hospitality and beautiful walks, the visitor can experience intense emotions. Opposite the village hidden within the cliffs and pines is located the water source and the gorge of Tromarissa that starts from there.
The track we follow starts at an altitude of 600m in the village of Zourva, and leads, by a regular but easy ascent through a pine trees forest, to a waterfall situated at 1000m high in the mountain landscape. Soon you are dominated by the view of the Madares, the White Mountains. The name of the gorge and region is linked to popular myths about fairies and elves , as well as significant moments of our modern Cretan history .
Access to the canyon by about two hours walking througt a well signed path Zourva Village - Tromarissa, which belongs to the network of Green trails, which recently (2008) completed the Mountaineering Club of Chania.
This is a technical canyon and the descent requires knowledge with rope. It has 20 technical descents with the highest at 30 meters height, and other smaller which does not require ropes, but rock rappelling. The Tromarissa essentially is a stream and has water only after a downpour in the sorrounding mountains and that makes a visit possible almost all the time for lovers of canyoning (technical canyoning). In the riverbed, one encounters rich flora of herbs, such as the notorious diktamos, cypresses, wild fig trees etc. Rich is also the fauna, where in the walls of the gorge many species of birds can find shelter. Goats in the region tend to be a part of the ecosystem.
Lakkoi (Greek: Λάκκοι), commonly spelled Lakki on road signs and maps, is a village on the Greek island of Crete in the foothills of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains). The village is situated on the road between Chania and the plateau of Omalos which leads to the Samaria Gorge.
Lakkoi is 450 meters high, below the White Mountains which rise another 1,000 meters to the south. Most of the houses cling to steep slopes covered in olive and chestnut trees, reached through narrow roads or tracks that run down from the main square.The climate is cool in winter, with occasional snow, wet in spring, hot and dry in the summer. In the unusually dry summer of 2007, major brush fires broke out twice, burning about 2,000 acres and threatening the village itself.Traditionally the villagers have cultivated olives and raised goats, sheep and chickens. With limited work opportunities, the population has declined from a peak of around 2,000 to about 400 today. There are signs of growth as houses are being purchased and renovated by citizens of other European Union countries seeking low-cost retirement or vacation homes.The first historical mention of the village dates from 1263, when the Lakkoi chieftain Pentachtenis took part in a revolt against the Venetians. In a later revolt in 1570 the chieftain George Mousouris became Secretary General of the rebel forces, based in the nearby village of Meskla.After the Ottoman conquest of the island, the people of Lakkoi were involved in periodic revolts, notably the revolt of 1821-1828 during the Greek War of Independence, where an Ottoman army of 5,000 men led by Latif Pasha of Chania was routed in a pitched battle at Lakki. In the great rebellion of 1866-1869 Katerina Stamataki of Lakkoi was a distinguished woman revolutionary.During the Battle of Crete in May 1941 and the days that followed, four hundred and eighty five men and women resisted the German occupiers, and sixty eight Lakkoiotes lost their lives in the fight for the freedom of Greece.
The village Zourva consists one of the most beautiful pristine mountainous destination of Hania. Administratively it belongs to one of the historic municipalities of Crete, the municipality of Mousouron. The distance of 25 kilometres from the city of Hania, south torwards the inland of the island and at an altitude of 570 metres.
In the depth of the Keriti basin, at the edges of the Lefka Ori mountains and at the foot of Mount Kaloros. The villagers maintain the pristine features of the region. The guest house is located within the built-up area. In winter the entire place is dressed in white, giving you the opportunity to enjoy yourself and even play with snow.
The residential part of Zourva is referred to for the first time in Egyptian census of 1834 consisting of 15 Christian families. The participation of the villagers was significant in the liberation battles of Crete. In 1866-69 Zourva and Meskla were the headquarters of rebellion meetings under the commands of Zimvrakaki, while at the same time the participation of the villagers in battles continued until and during the German occupation.
You can find tavernas in Zourva which offer you Cretan specialties. Relish the cretan cuisine, dishes cooked in local extra virgin olive oil.
The canyon Sarakina (there is also a second Sarakina gorge in East Crete) starts north of the village of Zourva and ends after 2 km, at Meskla village, where 200m before the village, are the "doors" of the gorge with a height of about 15 meters and a width of about 1.5 m.
The vegetation is rich and the walker can see formations and caves of exceptional natural beauty. The river is dry only for 1-2 months a year (July-September). The gorge is quite rough, because there is no path and the dense vegetation makes it difficult to cross. During the summer and until the first autumn rains, it is easy to walk the distance of 200 meters up from Meskla to the "doors".
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