Location
Vorénia Horizon stands high on the southern slopes above Kastri Viannou, in the Heraklion region of Crete, with the Cretan Sea below and the mountains rising behind. The land here is olive terraces, open hillside and bare rock,
cut through by gorges and river beds that fill again after the winter rains. The coast at Keratokambos and Kastri lies 3.5 kilometres below the property, and the whole area sits roughly 60km from the resorts of the north.
Above the Cretan Sea, in the mountains of Kastri Viannou.
The Landscape Around the Villa
The Portela Gorge
The Portela gorge begins near the village of Chondros, a few kilometres inland, and comes out at Keratokambos on the coast below, carrying the water of the whole Ano Viannos basin down to the sea. It runs about three kilometres, with a drop of some 350 metres.
The canyon itself is a serious undertaking a technical route with rappels, for experienced canyoners with proper equipment, and never after heavy rain. For everyone else there is a walking trail and a track alongside it, which is how most people see it.
The Richtra Waterfall
Richtra forms on the same river, at the lower end of the gorge and about a kilometre before the water reaches the small plain of Keratokambos. It is the easiest of the falls on this stretch to get to: you walk up the river bed from the beach.
It runs in the wetter months of the year and drops in two stages when there is enough water behind it. Higher falls lie further upstream, and are harder to reach.
Around Vorénia Horizon
Most of a stay here happens on the property itself the pool, the covered BBQ, the long table under the shade, the play area and the volleyball court. When you do go out, it is into villages rather than resorts: Agios Ioannis and Faskomilia just below, Chondros and Kato Viannos inland, and Ano Viannos, the main town of the area, with its shops and tavernas. Further east, Kato Symi sits beneath the Omalos plateau of Viannos.
Tell us what interests you before you arrive and we will point you in the right direction.
Water Sports at Tsoutsouros
Beaches – Listis & Skouros
Nearby Villages – Arvi, Tsoutsouros, Psari Forada with Great Beaches
Gorges and River Walks – Portela, Richtra and the Anapodaris
Tavernas, Cafés and Beach Bars
