WEATHER
Anogeia
Light Showers
11°C
Wind: 15 Southwest
Rethymno
16°C
Wind: 27 West
Spili
14°C
Wind: 06 West
Fragma Potamon
17°C
Wind: 13 West
courtesy of: www.meteo.gr
Nida - Rouvas - Rouvas - Zaros
Length: 19.5 km
Estimated time: 7.5 hours
Suggested period: March - October
Difficulty: Relatively easy
Summary of route
The E4 crosses Nida tableland and at its foot it turns towards the east. It passes Ammoudara region and sidesteps the peak of Mavros Koumos (1610 m). There, the route turns towards the southeast and arrives at the region of Dio Prinoi and the two-aisled church of Archaggelos-Agia Efrosini. Further down, it crosses the oak forest and Rouvas (or Agios Nikolaos) gorge, following the stream of Gafaris. Near the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos, it turns towards the artificial lake of Votomos and ends up at Zaros. Under 1000 m of altitude, the route comes into a verdurous landscape with abundant water, compared to the rest of Crete.
Psiloritis Mountain was included in the founding members of the European Network of Geoparks due to its exceptional geological phenomena, which are obvious in this route as well. In the gorge and forest of Rouvas, there are hollies, cypresses, a special kind of hollies, called Phillyrea latifolia, maples and the Zelcova (Zelcova abelicea, protected within a special fence). Orchids and small plants are not rare.
