VAMOS Is the capital of the district, a preserved village with marvelous traditional houses, some of which have been restored and already operate as high standard tourist lodgings. The village offers a wide variety of services such as a district court, post office, bank, OTE (Greek Telecommunications Organization), police station and health centre. Unverified historical sources say that Saracen pirates must have first inhabited it in the 8th century A.D. A traditional stone road (kalderimi) still remains, and a walk in the old part of the village is of great interest. Vamos used to be the capital of the Sfakia prefecture during the second half of the 19th century. This is the reason why a number of state buildings such as barracks, headquarters and a school, built by the famous Sava Pasha (the governor of the prefecture), were found there. They were subsequently burnt down by the rebels in the War of Independence against the Turks in 1896. Vamos is an ideal starting point for hikes in the surrounding hills where one can enjoy their rich flora and fauna. Vamos hosts the only pine tree grove to be found in the surrounding area. It is adorned by the restored girls' school, which is now a communal guesthouse. Today, because of its year round activities it has become a village known for its rich heritage. To the southeast of the village in the Karydi area one can see the monastery of Agios Georgios. It belongs to Aghia Triada of Tzagarolon situated in Akrotiri. The ruins of the church's cells and the old oil-press with its wonderful domes remain standing to the present day.



GAVALOHORI Is a traditional village with lovely stone built houses. It was named after the royal family of Gavalades, who acquired it by casting lot (klnpos) when Crete was divided between the 12 Byzantine princes in 1182. Five hundred meters from the village one can see several of the renowned wells built during the time of Gavalades on a landscape of rare beauty. It is a must! In Gavalohori there is a lovely folklore museum and a women's co-op which has developed the fine art of handicrafts such as knitting, embroidery and lace-making.



KAINA is situated on the ancient Kaino, Kainos or Kanos where Vritomartis Dictynna is believed to have been born. It is a lovely village with several traditional stone built houses and a rare view of the Lephka Ori (the White Mountains).

EMPROSNEROS On the way to Sfakia, past Vrysses, one can see this picturesque village surrounded by a forest of oak trees and offering a panoramic view. At the edge of the village lies the tower of Alidakis. He is said to have been a fearsome janissary, killed and burnt in his own tower by the rebels of Sfakia, under the leadership of the famous Manoussaka in 1774. There are other beautiful villages in the same area, like Kastelos, Patema, Philaki, where there is also an impressive grave of the Minoan period with a long passage way and a square chamber built of huge stones and a pyramid shaped ceiling.

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KEFALAS Situated to the northeast of Vamos, is a wonderful traditional village with a rich and obvious local architecture. It owes its name to the first residents there, called Kephalades, the leaders of the Byzantine settlers sent to Crete in 1182 by Alexios Komninos. It is worthwhile taking a swim in the deep waters next to the steep coast, northeast of the village.



VRISSES Is situated in the centre of the Vrisses valley on the way to Sfakia. It is a rather new village, developed after 1925 on two “hania” (inns) which were there to accommodate the merchants and travelers to and from Sfakia. Now it is an important traffic junction with beautiful natural surroundings, a lush green village due to the Vryssano River which flows through it. There is a bank, post office, OTE, municipal office, gas station and super market. On the way to Rethymnon, to the east of the village, there is an ancient bridge of the Greco-Roman times the so-called Elliniki Kamara (The Greek Arch).



ARMENI Is built on a verdant landscape, covered by huge plane trees whose roots provide springs that irrigate most of the district. It got its name from its first inhabitants, (961 A.D.) the Armenians, who served in Nikiforos Phokas army liberating Crete from the Arabs. The abundance of water irrigates the entire area that has been transformed into a huge orchard full of fruit bearing trees and flowers.



KOKKINO HORIO   was once a small stock-breeding village. It is located at the northernmost end of the province of Apokoronas in Hania, in the shade of Drapanokefalas, perched on the grey rocks and the red soil of the cape of Drapano (the village owes its name to that red soil, as is commonly believed).
Southwesterly, it faces towards the White Mountains, Malaxa and the harbour of Souda, whereas northeasterly, it overlooks Akrotiri, the Sea of Crete and the Archipelagos, up to the dim shadow of Milos, still visible when there are no clouds on the horizon. The village’s original location on a hill near the small bay of Koutala (where some ruins have been preserved) was subject to Saracen and other piratical invasions. That is the reason why the few inhabitants of the time, the Tzompanakis family, who were the founders of the village, moved to its current location, which was safer and whence the village expanded.
Its picturesque location combined with its dry climate constitute the reason why the densely populated traditional village of 100 houses has been “encircled” by luxury pool villas over the past decade, which are mainly occupied by north Europeans, many of whom are permanent residents. Despite the region’s residential “development,” its environment is still interesting in many aspects, and that is why it has been identified as an area of special natural beauty and a “NATURA 2000” listed site. The Cultural Youth Association of the village tries to preserve its rare endemic fauna and flora, some species of which are exhibited at the Association’s premises. The historical cave of Petsi is one of the approximately 30 caves located in the area and recorded by the speleological society. Among them, the underwater Elephant’s Cave, where the bones of the small elephant anticus anticus were found in 2001. About 30 venetians cisterns, where the village used to quench its thirst, and the wells that were found in Ligenia are being renovated towards becoming a sight to be visited, together with the old natural walking pathways.
In 1964, the village was chosen for the shooting of a great portion of Mihalis Kakogiannis’s film “Zorba the Greek” because of its wild natural environment and also because of its inhabitants’ authentic traditional way of life. The small Folklore Museum that the Association has set up tries to scrape together the photographs and items, the memories and feelings, and the ways and customs of another time. In the 1980s and in the early 1990s, the period of the repatriation that followed the great emigration movements of the former decades, some youngsters returned to their homeland.  A wave of renewal swept through the village, such as Andreas Tzompanakis’s blown glass factory.
The village’s strategic position was the reason why the conquerors chose it to set up their most important observation posts in Western Crete during WWII, as well as their machine gun nests whence they even hit the belfry of Saint Mary in Fre.
At the foot of mount Drapanokefalas near the small country church of Ai Giorgis [St George] lie their remains, together with the gallery that the villagers of the area had been forced to build for the conquerors’ ammunition. Some of the villagers took part in the National Resistance, among whom Giorgos Tzompanakis, the last of a group of antartes [communist rebels] that had been active in the Cretan mountains for 34 years.
During the Turkish Domination, the inhabitants participated in the hostilities against the Turks.  In retaliation, the Turks carried out a raid on the area on 6 August 1821, forced 116 men, women and children out of the aforementioned cave of Petsi and exterminated them, while they tortured the priest and three armed youngsters to death on the square of Kalyves (see the memoirs of Kallinikos Kritovoulidis).
Kokkino Horio is thus worth visiting as a holiday alternative. The area has sufficient accommodation and plenty of restaurants.
Vasiliki Velesiotou, Chairwoman of “Aghios Georgios”, Association of the Inhabitants of Kokkino Horio, cell phone 6972482980





GEORGIOUPOLIS A community by the sea built at the mouth of a lovely river. It has become an excellent resort, all green and quiet, with narrow, beautiful alleys, shops with jewelry and artifacts, small hotels, apartments, taverns and coffee shops. The towering eucalyptus trees along the riverbanks and the golden sandy beach that extends from the mouth of the river and 10 km to the east and just 35 km away from Hania form an ideal place to vacation. There is a bank, medical center, police station here.