Lasithi Plateau

A rewarding day trip by car from Malia. Hotels in the area are overpriced.
Lasithi Plateau, a mountainous municipality, is the westernmost of the 4 municipalities in Lasithi Prefecture. In the south of Lasithi Plateau is the . This small plateau is used for shepherding. It lacks permanent residents but does have a Byzantine church dedicated to the Holy Spirit.
The residents of Lasithi Plateau are still influenced by conservative concepts and by the precepts of the Orthodox Church. Their attitude toward foreign visitors can vary greatly but is never disrespectful.

The spoken language is the Cretan idiom of Greek, with additional languages spoken by young people, owners and staff of hotels, tavernas and museums.

• is the capital of the municipality of Lasithi plateau, and the largest also.
• is the second largest.

The plateau is accessible through a two paved and some unpaved roads climbing in the slopes of Dikti mountain, so you get'n by car, bus, motocycle, bicycle. The most well-known paved road climbs up to 900m, and enters from "seli ampelou" at NNW side of plateau. The other paved road, passes from the villages of Mesa and Exo Potamoi, the unpaved roads are known only to the locals

There's a paved ring-road that runs the circumference, and serves the 15 villages, the Mesa Lasithaki served by a junction from Mesa Lasithi, other junctions serving the Diktaio Andron, some facilities, and connecting it with the rest of the island's road network. Because the plateau's economy runs primary on agriculture, an agricultural road network developed for access in the fields, and transporting the loads, recently some of these roads widened & paved making those roads ideal shortcut

• Diktaio AndronThe place where Amalthea is said to have nurtured the infant Zeus with her goat's milk. The cave itself is in a lovely location with breath taking views at the top, but small and unexciting. It takes you 15 minutes climbing to get the entrance. However you can hire a donkey at 15€. Don't forget to bring bottled drinking water with you.

#The post-minoic settlement Karphi

Depending on the time, there are lots of things to do in Lasithi plateau. But first of all, forget bathing on the beach! Instead, you can participate:
#in the preparations for the potato planting (late April-early June),
#in potato harvesting (mid-to-late August-mid September),
#in the sheep shearing
#in the sheep's milking,
#in festivals,
Also you can do:
#hiking,
#mountain biking,
#ball sports (football and basketball)
#cultural immersion, and especially winter...
#snow activities

Markets (small, medium, and big) do exist in (almost) every village. Except from souvenirs there's nearly nothing else to buy, however because of first sector economy you can buy potatoes (Lasithi Plateau produces around 200,000 tonnes of potatoes), carrots, cucumbers, etc, directly from the producer, and various types of diary products (feta, graviera, kefalotyri, athotyros, tirozouli, the Dikti yogurt) made by the diary (and from the shepherds too) from the milk of sheep and goats.

There are many tavernas and restaurants serving Greek cuisine.

Τhirstiness strikes hard in this area on hot summer days. Fortunately, there are coffee shops and cafes locally. The coffee shops are mostly gathering sites for elderly people and the cafes, for younger ones, because they have billiards tables, betting and coin operated PC's. More English is spoken in the cafes.
Nightlife on the Lasithi Plateau is rare, with only one nightclub open.

• Argoulias Guest house

  phone: +30 28440 22754, +30 697 223 4275 (Mobile phone)
  2 studios and 9 stone-built apartments equipped with kitchenette and central heating

• Lasinthos Apartments

  phone: +30 28440 89101, +30 6932-736626 (Mobile phone)
  address: "Agios Georgios" Village
  4 star hotel . Overrated

• Dias Rooms

  phone: +30 28440 31207
  Rooms to Let

• Kourites Hotel

  phone: +30 28310 55828
  2-star hotel. Overpriced rooms and food

• Zeus HouseA stone made house 240m² for six persons

• Dictaeon Andron Rooms

  phone: +30 28440 31504
  Rooms to let near the Dikti cave

Some villages have a free WiFi Hotspot. Some tavernas and cafes also, ask for the code.
2G, 3G, and 4G are also available if you have data plan

You will generally be safe if you take normal health and safety precautions for rural areas, with one exception: The greatest danger in this area is falling into open wells. For irrigation, wells are opened, with their depth reaching the 16m, so keep children away and approach with caution.

• The villages of Minoa Pediados
• The villages of Merampelo
• The Saint George of Selinari
• The villages of Viannos