Trygiodo Forest – Vroulidia – Anogeia

The forest of Trigiodo – Vroulidia is an important ecosystem centred on an oak forest. It occupies the inner valley of a mountain massif near Anogia, one of the most well known touristy villages in Crete island, which borders the Zominthos region. Anogia rests on the slopes of Mount Psiloritis at an altitude of 700 m and is the birthplace of the famous Greek singer Nikos Xylouris.

The forest is primarily made up of older oak trees, as well as species such as holm oak, mock-privet, maple, cypress, pine, plane, pear and others that are common for such an environment. It is likely that as common adverse factors (people, goats etc) were removed, the oak bush managed to develop in the manner we see today. In the slopes around the area abandoned “mitata” or shepherd mountain huts can be seen.

Trigiodo forest makes up one of the main forested areas in the slopes of Mount Psiloritis nowadays. The others are the forests of Rouvas and Vorizia Gorge. Most of the mountainsides are particularly rich in maple, oak and cypress trees as well. Mount Psiloritis (also known as Ida) is the highest mountain in Crete ( 2,456 m) and one of the highest in Crete. A plethora of hiking trails are found in the area, and the E4 European long-distance path also crosses through the region. One of the reasons for the dense vegetation on the mountain is the presence of springs. This has been mentioned by Homer and was known since ancient times.

The scenery around this region of the island is one of the most diverse, with stunning plateaus, extensive gorges, lush forests and traditional villages. To the south, the Ideon Andron Cave, one of the proposed locations where Zeus was born, can be found. You can reach the cave following the path through the forest of Rouvas, crossing the plateau of Nida. Nida was the ancient name for the Psiloritis mountain range and was a place of spiritual importance, closely associated with the worship of Zeus.

The village of Anogia near the forest, as a starting location, is only 55 km from Rethymno and 40 km from Heraklion to the north.