The mountain village of Astyraki is 27 km from Heraklion. It has about 278 permanent residents and is built at an altitude of 550 meters, at the foothills of Psiloritis, with amazing views. The village is suitable for mountaineering, cycling, as well as for amateur climbing. The natural life of its inhabitants makes them the longest living in the whole area. There, the sacred tree was an Astyrakas (hence the name of the village), a plant that had been used to produce incense since ancient times. The ancient Cretans worshipped Apollo as Styrakitis (tree deity), heir of the ancient god of vegetation. There was, in fact, a mountain called Styrakion. In the list of Kastrofylakas, in 1583, the village is mentioned as Astirachi, with 81 inhabitants.
In Astyraki, the visitor can see the church of Agios Konstantinos and Eleni, where on May 21st, a festival takes place.
In the area, there is the impressive cave called Spiliara, also known as Sales or Agranitas. In fact, during the Cretan revolutions, this cave was a refuge for the inhabitants. Also, near the settlement of Kamaraki, the visitor can see the cave Hainospilios (or Marmarospilios), with its impressive stalagmites. On many occasions, the inhabitants refer to it as the "Labyrinth". The famous "hainis" Palmetis (1790-1834) had his refuge there, so the cave was named after him.
