Ano Nisi means the upper island and is the rigde between the Poros Gorge and the Moundros Gorge, in the western part of the Rethymno Prefecture.
On the ridge there is an ruined village. We thought it could have been Ano Poros (upper Poros) as it is situated opposite of the Kato Poros (lower Poros). But the people in Kato Poros said no. From the ruined village there is a good wiew north-west towards Kato Poros. We recommend to look around the ruined village – the houses built in another way many years ago, olive mill with its big stones, treshing rings. The area is still used by people in Kato Poros and Moundros for their sheeps.
How To find the the cache
Drive to Kato Poros or Moundros and walk up the agrotiki roads into the cache-area.
1. Driving to Kato Poros from Rethymno, take the New National Road westwards until the signpost for Episkopi. Follow the road and drive around Episkopi and against Argiroupoli. 1. km. before Argiroupoli, the signposted road to Kato Poros is forking to the left (N35 17.574 E24 20.284). Follow the road and park just before entering the village (N35 17.339 E24 20.912). Here you can walk the little road heading to the left and a little later to the right down to a small brigde crossing the river from the Poros Gorge. (This part it is also possible to drive). The farmers road up to the Ano Nisi is very steep, narrow and rather bad many places, so walking is recommended.
2. Driving to Moundros from Rethymno, take the Old National Road westwards through Atsipopoulo until the signpost for Ag. Konstantinos, Roustika and Plakias (N35 19.212 E24 22.120) bending south and drive through Ag. Konstantinos, Roustika. Park just before entering the small village Moundros. Chose between the "agrotiki" road down to the valley signposted Nisi just before entering the village or the old donkey trail going down from the church until reaching the agrotiki road near a bridge. Follow the road north-west and reach the road from Kato Poros and bending south.
The cache is situated near the chapel of Panagia, on a little plain with a good wiew.
Panagia:
Both the Poros Gorge and Moundros Gorge as well as the rigde is E4-marked. Especially the Poros Gorge is wonderful to walk through.
We can recommend following routes from the cache:
1. Small route north of the Poros Gorge
Walk south the small road uphills. Here is a wonderful landscape og good wiews over the sea and the area around. Take the little road to the right near a little building, zig-zagging down to the northern end of the Poros gorge. Follow the road to the north, take to the left on a smaller road a few metres, turn to the right on a (donkey)trail back to Kato Poros.
2. The Poros Gorge.
Walk south the small road uphills until it ends and follow red dots and E4 sign until a three with a E4 sign after the first ridge. From here follow the red dots to the right all the way over a second rigde, through 2 (or 3) fences and down to two sheep stalls. Follow the road against west and the southern end of the Poros Gorge. Leaving the road near a small brigde down to the right and follow the path and the gorge entrance. From the northern end of the gorge, follos route 1 back to Kato Poros.
3. The Moundros Gorge
From the cache walk south as route 2 until the three with the E4 sign after the first ridge. Follow the E4 south over another ridge and out against the small village of Velonado. It is badly marked but some places there are red markings or E4 markings. Head for a newly built up area and a rough road down to the river alongside som sheep stalls. Take to the left down the Moundros Gorge until the donkey trail down from the Moundros village, that ends on a small road going to the left. Follow this up to Ano Nisi again – north of the cache and the chapel, and then down to Kato Poros.
Visit also Argiroupoli who is built on the remains of the ancient town of Lappas. In the lower part you will find a relaxing area with springs.
This cache can be combined with others caches in the area: Kato Poros kalderimi, Poros Gorge, Ano Nisi, Five Virgins and Hanging out.