Walking on one of the most beautiful paths of eastern Crete, through black pine forests.…
Neraidogoula Cave, Selakano
At a distance of 3.5 km southwest of the Selakano settlement and in the ravine-river of Linaras that descends from the massif of Psari Madara and on a relatively steep slope is the cave of Neraidogoula.
The entrance of the cave is not easy to locate although there is a distinct path and small signs directing the visitor very close to the entrance.
After you manage to find the very small entrance, you only go face down inside and crawl in the dark for a few meters and come out into a high-ceilinged hall with gray-green arms full of stalactites.
As soon as you move forward, your feet begin to sink into fine sand to find yourself in a deep swimming pool with crystal clear waters.
The width of the cave is 30m and many interesting stories accompany this inaccessible cave. The locals say that as if a strong southerly wind blows, this cave fills with sea water and then it is thrown with force from its small exit, rushing through the forest of Selakanos towards the southern coast, in the area of Myrtos, which is about 15 kilometers away.
It is one of the mysteries of nature, impressive and difficult to explain, that one only has to think about how the sea water rises to an altitude of about 1200 meters (since that is the altitude of the cave) from the sea into the earth and then comes out with enormous force.
Many residents of the village of Christos, on the eastern edge of the Selakano valley, recounted how they saw with their own eyes in June thousands of cubic meters descending through the Selakano valley and from the Zonari stream rushing toward the sea.
These stories belong to the past and were told by people who saw the event and we have no reason not to believe it. However, this phenomenon has stopped for many years.
We will focus our attention on the hiking route that starts from Selakano and that offers strong emotions since the images you will see in the pine forest and the aromas of the herbs you will meet along the way are worth the effort you would make to reach there.
Linaras riverbed and the point with the entrance of the Neraidogoula cave
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