Starting from Ano Asites, a village in the heart of Heraklion's countryside, this route begins. West of the village, there is a river that initially passes through the gorge of Agios Charalambos and then transforms into the deep, impressive gorge of Agios Antonios. Next is the village of Prinia, which features a unique geosite consisting of large, ellipsoid, flattened rocks with a diameter of 20 meters and a surrounding indentation that locals say resemble giant pies ("pites of the old woman"). Then, we reach Panasos, home to the monumental olive tree estimated to be 3,000 years old.
The next stop is Gergeri, 1 km outside of which lies the seasonal natural lake "Stou Digeni to Mnima," also known as "Vromolimni," fed by the village springs.
After Gergeri comes Zaros, a village with a rich history built at the base of Psiloritis, famous for its lake (or Votomos) and fish farm. Near Zaros is the oak forest and the Rouvas Gorge, along with various old monasteries. Following Zaros are the villages of Vorizia and Kamares, where you can find the Voriziano Gorge – east of the village at the foothills of Psiloritis – and the Kamaraiko Gorge to the south, respectively. South of Lochria, which follows Kamares, across from a chapel, are the pillow lavas of Lochria, remarkable rocks with impressive reddish and greenish colors formed by lavas 65-70 million years ago on the ocean floor.
For more informations, check the: Psiloritis Geopark official site
The geotrail is a result of the research project Joint Innovative Activities for Outdoor Tourism-JoinOut. The project entitled "Partnership of Innovative Rural Tourism Actions" and distinctive title: "JoInOuT", is implemented within the framework of the Action "Cooperative Innovation Formations/SCC" - 2nd Call: Businesses" and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by National Resources in the context of the Operational Program "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EPANEK)" of the NSRF 2014-2020" (Project code: ΓΓ2CL-0359457).
