Cretan Wild Goat, Kri-kri
The kri-kri (Capra aegagrus cretica), sometimes called the Cretan goat, Agrimi, or Cretan Ibex, is a feral goat inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean, previously considered a subspecies of wild goat. The kri-kri is now found only on the island of Crete, Greece and three small islands just offshore (Dia, Thodorou and Agii Pantes).
The kri-kri has a light brownish coat with a darker band around its neck. It has two horns that sweep back from the head. In the wild they are shy and avoid humans, resting during the day. The animal can leap some distance or climb seemingly sheer cliffs.
The kri-kri is not thought to be indigenous to Crete, most likely having been imported to the island during the time of the Minoan civilization. Nevertheless, it is found nowhere else and is therefore endemic to Crete. It was once common throughout the Aegean but the peaks of the 2,400 m (8,000 ft) White Mountains of Western Crete are their last strongholds--particularly a series of almost vertical 900 m (3,000 ft) cliffs called 'the Untrodden'—at the head of the Samaria Gorge. This mountain range, which hosts another 14 endemic animal species, is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In total, their range extends to the White Mountains, the Samaria National Forest and the islets of Dia, Thodorou, and Agii Pandes. Recently some were introduced onto two more islands.
By 1960, the kri-kri was under threat, with a population below 200. It had been the only meat available to mountain guerillas during the German occupation in World War II. Its status was one reasons why the Samaria Gorge became a national park in 1962. There are still only about 2,000 animals on the island and they are considered vulnerable: hunters still seek them for their tender meat, grazing grounds have become scarcer and disease has affected them. Hybridization is also a threat, as the population has interbred with ordinary goats. Hunting them is strictly prohibited.<br/><br/>Author: <a href="https://www.routeyou.com/user/view/52648.en">Thierry!</a><br/><a href="https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/49287429.en?toptext=3009386">More information</a>
Natural phenomena
Samaria gorge: geological formations
<p>The Samaria gorge is impressive because of its enormous geological formations</p><br/><br/>Author: <a href="https://www.routeyou.com/user/view/52648.en">Thierry!</a><br/><a href="https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/49310408.en?toptext=3033975">More information</a>
Canyon
Samariá Gorge
The Samariá Gorge is a<br/>National Park of Greece since 1962 on the island of Crete – a major tourist attraction of the island – and a World's Biosphere Reserve.<br/><br/>The gorge is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but one has to walk another two kilometers to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 15 km long. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Gates , where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of almost 300 meters .<br/>The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare kri-kri , which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of Agia Marina. There are several other endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.<br/><br/><br/>Author: <a href="https://www.routeyou.com/user/view/165089.en">Wikipedia</a><br/><a href="https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/50612652.en?toptext=5761432">More information</a>
Canyon
Tarrha
Tarrha or Tarra , also Tarrhus or Tarros , was a polis in the southwestern part of ancient Crete, near the Samaria Gorge, at the village of Agia Roumeli. It is situated near the sea, on the hill.<br/><br/>Tarrha was probably established in the Classical period and was a very important religious centre; it was one of the earliest sites of worship of Apollo. Anciently, it was known on the southern coast between Phoenix and Poecilassus. The city flourished in the Greco-Roman period. The city was home to the cult of Apollo Tarrhaios, where parts of his temple have been found. Tarrha is frequently cited in the ancient sources such as Pausanias, Stephanus of Byzantium, and the Stadiasmus Maris Magni. Tarrha is one of the cities that signed an agreement with Eumenes II in 170 BCE.<br/><br/><br/>Author: <a href="https://www.routeyou.com/user/view/165089.en">Wikipedia</a><br/><a href="https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/50612658.en?toptext=5761438">More information</a>
Historical city
Agia Roumeli
Located a few kilometers above the town is the southern entrance to the Samaria Gorge. For most walkers, this is the exit, as the usual route through the gorge is to descend from the north. The gorge is a popular tourist destination in Crete, the longest gorge in Greece, and one of the longest in Europe, measuring 18 km. The village has several hotels and a few rooms for rent and also some tavernas. Agia Roumeli has a large beach and a ferry slipway where the ferry to and from Hora Sfakion via Loutro, arrives, mainly used by walkers who have completed the Samaria walk. The village is not accessible by road.<br/><br/><br/>Author: <a href="https://www.routeyou.com/user/view/165089.en">Wikipedia</a><br/><a href="https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/51442671.en?toptext=7807717">More information</a>
Municipality
Samaria Gorge Trail
More information on <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9634834" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Openstreetmap</a>.<br/>Inspired by OSM.
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