Τα 17 κορυφαία αξιοθέατα στην Αστερούσια

Wonderful hiking.Just need good weather. I came to the top and fog appeared. I will definitely go there again.

One of the best places to see griffon vultures.

The walls of the gorge behind the village (Abba Canyon) are home to the largest colony of vultures in Greece and Southern Europe, including the bearded vulture, which is the rarest species of vulture in Europe.

Near Paranymfi, you should visit the spectacular Ambas waterfall, at the beginning of the gorge of the same name. This gorge is home to the largest colony of birds of prey in Europe.

The average altitude of Asteroussia is not really impressive (<1250m), but access is quite difficult because the terrain is very rugged, with many ravines. Asterousia's main features are the warm temperatures, rare rainfall and very low vegetation, but this is deceptive. The few trees that struggle to grow are eaten by the hungry goats that destroy everything. Rugged mountains, sharp rocks and steep cliffs that fall into the sea give the whole region an eerie character that makes these landscapes unique in Europe. Our absolute favorite destination in Crete, on the numerous hikes there we hardly met any other living creatures apart from goats and vultures (an endless number of vultures). The hiker's heart is happy.

There is a summit book in the small chapel, so not many people seem to get lost on the Kofinas.

Tris Eklesias is still completely untouched by mass tourism. An adventurous journey along a good asphalt road, but countless hairpin bends. Several almost empty beaches. The one in the west is particularly beautiful, empty in May. It is best to walk from the village or drive there in a four-wheel drive car. There are 5 (!) tavernas here - all empty but open when we visited in May - paradise.

The summit itself is more of a plateau. Above is the Holy Cross Church, compared to older pictures it looks freshly renovated. Inside there is a kind of summit book. The clouds are moving over the mountain and it is a unique atmosphere up here. There was once a Minoan sanctuary on Kofinas and as early as the early 7th century BC. a temple complex. From the 1st century AD until today it has again been a holy place. In the 1960s to '90s, numerous cult objects were discovered during excavations up here. Every year on September 14th a big celebration takes place here, during which the fruits of a “holy tree” are collected and blessed, then distributed to the locals as a kind of “holy bread”.