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Welcome to Chania
Apokoronas
The province of Apokoronas takes up the north-east part of the prefecture of Chania, from the foothills of the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) up to the north coastlines of Crete. The area consists mostly of a wide plain with rolling hills and fertile lands, due to the strong presence of water flowing downward from the mountains. Apokoronas has many interesting sights, beautiful picturesque villages, beach resorts as well as the only natural lake of Crete, lake Kourna. In Apokoronas, one can visit the archaeological site of Ancient Aptera, a powerful and important city during the Minoan civilization. On the site, a visitor can see the remnants of ancient temples and burial monuments, of houses, private and public baths, amongst other buildings, as well as the ancient theatre of the city, that are dated from the 8th century B.C. up until the Byzantine era. Finally, near the remains of the Ancient Aptera, one can visit the impressive Koules fort, that was built when Crete was under the Ottoman rule. The small scenic villages of Apokoronas are definitely worth a visit, as they are surrounded by nature, due to the climate and the whole area is covered in trees and herba-
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ceous plants. The village Armeni and the village Vrises are full of plain trees and the whole area is surrounded by olive, orange and lemon trees. Stilos and Vamos are just an example of villages dotted with small churches and monuments from past centuries, that intrigue the visitors and complete the alluring scenery. Some of those villages are by the coast, like the villages of Kalives, Almirida and Georgioupolis, and have fantastic white, sandy beaches with beautiful bluegreen transparent water. Finally, the village of Kournas has a sweet water lake of incredible beauty, that is the natural habitat of a large amount of the local fauna and flora. The visitors can see in the lake small fish, eels and water snakes – harmless to humans – as well as a rare twocoloured sea turtle. There are also ducks, cormorants and other birds, as well as endemic to the area plants. The visitors can stroll around the lake, cross it with a paddle boat, or even swim in its water. Apokoronas is certainly one of the most beautiful places in Crete. It combines thick vegetation and beautiful beaches and one can find around its villages samples of the fauna and flora of the whole island. A visit there is enough to enchant even the hardest-to-please visitor.