A truly fabulous island with a wonderful climate, rich history and wonderful conditions for relaxation is Crete. And the very first "tourist" who visited this island was Zeus. He turned into a bull and kidnapped Europe, which he brought to Crete. And here Zeus calculated everything exactly. Europe was so struck by the beauty of this island that, in spite of all circumstances, it fell in love with the formidable ruler of the Greek gods and gave it his hand and heart. But in our time, the beauty of Crete did not fade, and this island captivates modern tourists. Here you can make tours to amazing places with the most beautiful natural attractions, which include Lake Kournas.
This is the only freshwater reservoir on this island. The lake is located in the region of Chania, in the depths of Crete, south of the city of Georgioupolis. And next to the pond is a village of the same name. Kournas Lake has a depth of 22.5 meters, which varies slightly depending on the season. For example, in winter, the water level drops. The entire bowl of this lake is located above sea level, and only its deepest part is 3 meters below it. Kournas Lake on the map looks like a small oval. And in reality its dimensions are small. The perimeter of this lake is 3.5 kilometers, and its area is 57.9 hectares. The width of the reservoir is 880 meters, and the length is 1080 meters. And from this lake only one small rivulet, Delfinas, flows into the sea.
In ancient times, this reservoir had a different name - Coresia. And Kournas began to be called him, most likely, by the Arabs, since in their language this word means "lake". And one legend is connected with it, which says that earlier there was a village at the place where Lake Kournas is located. And not far from her, a father and daughter sat down in a field to rest. The girl undertook to comb her hair the color of gold, and her father looked at her admiringly and unexpectedly desired her daughter. The girl was frightened and desperately shouted: "May my spirit create the lake." And at that very moment they and the village collapsed down, and a bottomless lake formed in that place. And in our time there are rumors that some people see the ghost of goldilocks, which sits in the middle of a pond on a stone and combes its hair.
And now Lake Kournas is a very popular holiday destination. It is located 5 kilometers from the town of Georgioupolis, and there is a convenient access to the reservoir from the New National Road. And along its eastern shore, a narrow asphalt road was laid, near which several taverns and a couple of catamaran rental points were built. Souvenir shops selling Cretan ceramics are also located just above. And even higher is one road along which there are also several taverns and there also offers a beautiful view of Lake Kournas. Crete in general, and this lake in particular, has recently been chosen by Russian tourists. And in taverns specifically for them there is a menu printed in Russian.
There are also many animals on the lake. Here you can always see geese that beg for food from tourists, small ducks and turtles basking in reeds and on stones. In general, there are 176 species of birds in the area of this lake. In its waters you can see various fish, including goldfish, as well as freshwater crabs. And the water in this lake is clear and fairly clean, although it is not suitable for drinking.