ROUVAS FOREST

The holly forest of Rouvas is located about 55 km south of Heraklion and 16 km north of the village of Gergeri, in one of the most rugged and remote areas of Crete. Its isolation has been key to its preservation, as it has largely escaped the destruction that affected many other forests on the island.

Rouvas Forest is developed on a small plateau-like depression in the southern part of Mount Psiloritis. It can be accessed either from Gergeri village via a forest road, or from the Nida Plateau, also by forest road. Another impressive option is hiking along the European long-distance trail E4, starting from Lake Zaros, passing through the stunning Agios Nikolaos Gorge, and reaching the forest after approximately 2 hours of walking.