Lefka Ori (, meaning 'White Mountains') or Madares ( from the

Cretan Greek Cretan Greek, or the Cretan dialect (, ), is a variety of Modern Greek spoken in Crete and by the Cretan diaspora. Geographic distribution The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greeks on the island of Crete, as well as by ...

meaning 'without coverage, bald, bare of any vegetation for high mountain areas') is a mountain range located in Western

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, in the

Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...

prefecture. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a large part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region. They consist mainly of limestone, from light grey to bluish or black color. The White Mountains have taken their name from the perpetual white or off-white color of their peaks as the off white of limestone during the summer and fall interchanges with the snow that covers the peaks until late in spring. The highest summit is Pachnes at and there are over 30 summits that are over high. The Lefka Ori also have about 50 gorges, the most famous being the

Samaria Gorge The Samariá Gorge ( or just ''Φάραγγας'') is a National Park of Greece since 1962 on the island of Crete – a major tourist attraction of the island – and a World's Biosphere Reserve. The gorge is in southwest Crete in the reg ...

. Another characteristic of the mountain range is that there are a number of plateaus that exist at heights of , such at those of Askifou, Impros,

Kallikratis Kallikratis () is a small village belonging to the municipality of Sfakia, in southwest Crete, Greece. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce th ...

, Anopolis, and

Omalos Omalos () is a small village in western Crete, in the Mousouroi unit of the Chania region. The Greek word Ομαλός means even, plain, regular, or smooth, referring to the plateau. Description Omalos is situated at the northeastern corner ...

, which are all surrounded by mountains. Pachnes (from Greek which means 'morning dew' but also in Cretan it can mean 'fog') is the second tallest peak in Crete, after

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida' ...

, which is also known as (from the Greek Ψηλός which means 'high, tall' and from the Greek for 'mountain', i.e. 'tall mountain') and the 10th in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. There are only a few main roads leading into the White Mountains. From the north the roads to Omalos and the entrance of the

and the road to

Chora Sfakion Image:Chora Sfakion 1941 evacuation monument.jpg, 200px, Monument commemorating the evacuation during WW2 of British and ANZAC forces from Hora Sfakion in May 1941. ''Click on the left plaque for a closer view'' rect 198 536 320 1082 rect 0 0 900 ...

through the plateau of Askifou further to the east. There are other approaches from the west from Sougia and Paleochora leading to Omalos as well as approaches from northeast from Argyroupoli – Asi Ghonia and from Plakias-Frangokastello along the southern coast in the east. There are also a few other minor roads leading to higher elevations. The central and southern parts of the Lefka Ori lie at an elevation of and above resembles a moon landscape. This is technically called a high desert. It is unique in the northern hemisphere. The prominence of the Lefka Ori range can be seen in the aerial footage below of the Hania province from space There are four refuges in Lefka Ori. The Volikas Refuge was built in 1958. It is located above the village Kampi Keramion, at an elevation of . It can accommodate up to 30 persons. The Kallergi Refuge was built in 1970. Its elevation is and it can accommodate 45 persons. It is located from Omalos. The Tavris Refuge was built in 1992 and it is located near Ammoudari, from Askyfou, at . It can accommodate up to 45 persons. The Svourichti Refuge was built in 1994. It is located seven hours from Anopolis at and it can accommodate 20 persons. The Lefka Ori has a rich history as a hiding place for rebels during Cretan uprisings against the Venetian and Ottoman rulers, as well as during German Occupation (1941–1945). The Lefka Ori are home to both of Greece's

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

s with depths greater than one kilometer,

Gourgouthakas Gourgouthakas (; from "small cutting on rocks, in which rain water is collected and from which animals drink water") is a cave located in the Lefka Ori mountains on the Greek island of Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek ...

and the Cave of the Lion.

References

External links

Greek Mountaineering Club of Chania

Greek mountain Flora
{{Ultras of Europe Mountain ranges of Greece Mountains of Crete Landforms of Chania (regional unit)