Travel Guide Mont Psiloritis

The road that climbs to the Nida plateau at the foot of Psiloritis for 20 km offers superb views. Sheep are still omnipresent and, if you leave early enough, you can watch the milking, especially at Tsounia, a place with a fountain located almost halfway up the road. Along the road, stone-walled and roofed huts(mitata) resembling Mongolian tents were used by shepherds to prepare yogurt and cheese. Most of them are in ruins, but some are still in use. Halfway along the road, on the right, is the Skinakas observatory where Halley's comet was first spotted on April 12, 1986. About twenty minutes walk from there is the cave of Zeus, Ideon Andron. The god of gods would have been raised there after his stay at the cave of Dikti. The Ideon Andron has served as a temple to the cult of Zeus since time immemorial and as a place of pilgrimage. Excavations have shown that it was already occupied 3,000 years before our era and that it was a sacred place for the Minoans. It is possible to go down there. It has nothing impressive, but the walk is pleasant. At the end of the road, the Analipsis tavern, which is also a guesthouse (2 rooms), is open sporadically and can be a good option if you try to climb to the top of Psiloritis (ask in Anogia, at the top of the village, at the office of Psiloritis mountain, if it is open...).