Anapodiaris River

The Anapodiaris River—also called Αναποδάρης Ποταμός in Greek—is the longest river in Crete. Originating in the Asterousia Mountains on the southern slopes of Crete's Dikti range, it flows north through the fertile Messara Valley, gathering numerous tributaries (e.g. Baritis, Livaditis, Kolokithas) before carving the scenic Anapodiaris Gorge and emptying into the Libyan Sea near Dermatos Beach, south of Tsoutsouras and Keratokambos.

Its name—derived from “αναποδαίος” (backwards)—comes from the common winter southerly winds that make the river’s mouth appear to “flow upstream” in reverse  The river drains a basin of roughly 600 km² and annually delivers about 40 million m³ of water to the sea .

The gorge, topped with dramatic boulder formations resembling mythical creatures, supports aquatic vegetation and wetlands at its delta—a hotspot for waterbirds. However, water quality has declined recently due to pollution from olive-mill wastewater