Itinerary

 

Our hiking adventure will start from approximately 2 km from Spili village, at a location at the foothill of Kedros and at an altitude of 450m.

There is a fountain there where travelers can have a sip of water before they begin their walk up and along the hill. We follow a path that is full of wild olive trees, holm oak trees, hollies, and a wide selection of bushes, herbs and wildlife. We pass along some beehives where you can see how the locals breed their bees and collect honey and at the end of this path we will reach the dirt road towards Kissos village.

We continue along this path, where we can admire more wildlife before entering Vatolakus woods, and area of approx. 600 acres that was created in 1985 by the Forest Department of Rethymno. It is a wonderful forest with a variety of flora with trees such as Pine, Cypress, Akakies and wildlife. The path here is quite uphill and ends on the road to the plateau. This dirt road crosses the gorge of Kissos and the imposing rock of “Red Detis”, where many wild birds gather, such falcon, hawks and vultures. There is a natural “clock” visible, where locals can tell the time by looking at it from above.

As we proceed, we follow the road across "Gious Kampos", which is located in the northwestern part of Mount Kentros between Spili, Kissos and Gerakari village, with good road access from all three villages. It is on an altitude of about 800m and is considered a paradise for botanists and it is visited by many countries to study the rich flora, especially the many orchid species that thrive.

We take the road back and as we head towards Kissos village, we go on a small detour and visit the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, an important religious pilgrimage of Rethymnon, which reopened recently and became operational after approx. 200 years.

After our visit at the Monastery we turn around and end our adventure at the historic village of Kissos, at an altitude of approx. 630m, one of the highest villages of Rethymno prefecture. Below the central square of the village, between two ancient plane trees, lies the old aqueduct or old fountain, as it is characteristically called. It is a work of art with a number of decorative elements, which attracts many visitors. After our hiking adventure is over, it is only logical that you will have built up an appetite.

We will now head towards Vatos Village (10 minutes drive) and to Cretan Spiti where its owner will invite you into its premises and create a unique family atmosphere. Our hostess will share some stories about Cretan culture and history and make you feel just as if you are visiting close relatives or friends. Lunch will be served with all the dishes made of genuine pure Cretan products such as olive oil, vegetables, cheese, meat, wine, and of course all the ingredients are fresh and local. The experience will come to an end at approx. 16:00hrs.