An excellent place to survey the great diversity of plants on Crete is the Botanical Park & Gardens of Crete, situated in a mountain valley at the foot of the White Mountains. The park was created in 2003 after a fire destroyed much of the village of Skordalou (Σκορδαλού) and the surrounding area, burning 100,000 olive trees, some of which were over 400 years old. The park is 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Gavalochori, and to get there, take the National Road west and then the Omalos exit heading south.
Any time of year that you visit the park, you will be greeted with splendid displays of trees and plants in bloom or in fruit, and most of them are well labeled. Don’t think of this as a place to stroll leisurely, though, as many botanical gardens are. This garden presents more of a challenge and is more like a hike, with a dirt trail of 2½ kilometers (1½ miles) that winds through the park with very steep uphill and downhill grades. Sometimes, there are handrails and steps built into the grade, but more often than not, there aren’t. If you’ve seen enough or don’t want to continue the hike, there is a shortcut off of the main trail that allows you to shorten the route.
Spectacular additions to the trees and plants in the park are the numerous peacocks that stroll wild through the grounds. Some other augmentations are less attractive. Interspersed with the trees and plants in the park are objects such as old farm equipment, bicycles, and kitschy animals made from wood, and many visitors wish the flora were left in their natural state.
A restaurant with excellent food prepared from the vegetable garden, herbs, and fruits in the park (and where local Cretan products are also sold) makes a lovely reward after completing the trail. More information is available here.
If you want to continue enjoying the landscape of Crete following your visit to the park, consider taking a scenic drive through the Theriso Gorge (Φαράγγι Θερίσου), a steep gorge whose sides are densely covered with plane, olive, and carob trees. The drive will bring you to the Dounias Taverna in Drakona (Δρακόνα), a taverna that specializes in slow food and offers an array of simple Greek dishes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to enjoy live music while you are there. Vasiliou Poulaka Street, which follows the gorge at a point south of Chania near the General Hospital Saint George (Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Άγιος Γεώργιος), is a starting point for accessing the gorge. This website will give you more information about it.
An excellent place to survey the great diversity of plants on Crete is the Botanical Park & Gardens of Crete, situated in a mountain valley at the foot of the White Mountains. The park was created in 2003 after a fire destroyed much of the village of Skordalou (Σκορδαλού) and the surrounding area, burning 100,000 olive trees, some of which were over 400 years old. The park is 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Gavalochori, and to get there, take the National Road west and then the Omalos exit heading south.
Any time of year that you visit the park, you will be greeted with splendid displays of trees and plants in bloom or in fruit, and most of them are well labeled. Don’t think of this as a place to stroll leisurely, though, as many botanical gardens are. This garden presents more of a challenge and is more like a hike, with a dirt trail of 2½ kilometers (1½ miles) that winds through the park with very steep uphill and downhill grades. Sometimes, there are handrails and steps built into the grade, but more often than not, there aren’t. If you’ve seen enough or don’t want to continue the hike, there is a shortcut off of the main trail that allows you to shorten the route.
Spectacular additions to the trees and plants in the park are the numerous peacocks that stroll wild through the grounds. Some other augmentations are less attractive. Interspersed with the trees and plants in the park are objects such as old farm equipment, bicycles, and kitschy animals made from wood, and many visitors wish the flora were left in their natural state.
A restaurant with excellent food prepared from the vegetable garden, herbs, and fruits in the park (and where local Cretan products are also sold) makes a lovely reward after completing the trail. More information is available here.
If you want to continue enjoying the landscape of Crete following your visit to the park, consider taking a scenic drive through the Theriso Gorge (Φαράγγι Θερίσου), a steep gorge whose sides are densely covered with plane, olive, and carob trees. The drive will bring you to the Dounias Taverna in Drakona (Δρακόνα), a taverna that specializes in slow food and offers an array of simple Greek dishes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to enjoy live music while you are there. Vasiliou Poulaka Street, which follows the gorge at a point south of Chania near the General Hospital Saint George (Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Άγιος Γεώργιος), is a starting point for accessing the gorge. This website will give you more information about it.
