Stretching from the southern coast to the plain of the city of Sitia on the northern coast, they tend to isolate east Crete from the rest of Crete, creating a refugium for the rare plant and animal species and a refuge for the ancient people practising the Minoan culture.

[2] In this ancient refuge are now to be found the ruins of Minoan sites at Mochlos, Kato Zakro, Palaikastro, and Kavousi.

Endemic species, many rare or endangered, are to be found in the gorges that cut from upland to ocean or valley on all sides.

Some, such as Voila and Etia, have been completely abandoned, and give the appearance of an ancient ruined village.

The rest of the distance is completed by the distinct Ornon mountains, separated from the Thrypti by the Bebonas river valley,[ii] and the Western Siteia Foothills, of lower elevation, covering the space between the Ornon range and Siteia itself.