Trail Kroussonas - Livadi - Zominthos

3500 years ago the Minoans ascended to the sacred cave of Ideon Andron in plateau Nida to submit their offerings to their gods. To climb Psiloritis , they walked through the canyon of Krousonas , reached Zominthos and from there they walked to Nida.

We can walk in the same trail even today and feel like modern Minoans. Our route starts from village Krousonas (altitude 735m) and we head to the entrance of Kroussonas gorge , through which runs the Minoan path connecting the planes of Heraklion to Zominthos .

From there we ascend to Livadi , a small plateau at an altitude of 1000m, which is famous for its delicious apples and pears. Then through a network of dirt roads and paths through the rocky landscape of Psiloritis , we reach the ancient Zominthos (alt. 1190m) near Anogia , where the archaeologist Ioannis Sakellarakis excavated the most important Minoan palace of the Cretan mountains.

The palace was probably the coordinating centre for the agricultural, logging and livestock production at Ida Range (Psiloritis) , but it also functioned as a stopover for the visitors of the cave Ideon Andron .