The Dikteon Cave (also known as the Dikteon Andron or Dictaean Cave) is one of the most notable and well-known of Crete’s 3,000 caverns and Greece’s 8,500 caves.
According to tradition, Zeus was born in the spectacular Dikteon Cave, which is rich in stalagmites and stalactites. As evidenced by the numerous tributes found there, the Dikteon Cave was already famous in antiquity, dedicated to the worship of the greatest of the gods.
Today, the Dikteon Cave continues to attract a large number of tourists, who are no longer worshipers but rather travelers from all over the world.
The Dikteon Cave’s location
The Dikteon Cave is located on the Lassithi Plateau in East Crete, in the Mount Dicte range.
The Lassithi Plateau has been inhabited since the Neolithic Period (6000 BC) and is one of the few places in the Mediterranean where civilizations have risen at such a high height (an average of 840 m. above sea level). The Lassithi Plateau has especially rich soil, and significant volumes of water from the snow that falls on the peaks of My Dicte gather in the water table, which is a key feature.
Drive up to the Lassithi Plateau, which is near Neapoli, Malia, Stalida, and Hersonissos, to see the Dikteon Cave. Although the distance between these points is only a few kilometers as the crow flies, the route is tortuous and hilly, so it will take 45 minutes to an hour to reach the Lassithi Plateau.
The Dikteon Cave is located on the northern slopes of Mount Dicte, which dominates the Lassithi Plateau and all of East Crete, at a height of 1025 meters. The cave is also known as Psychro Cave since it is located near the town of Psychro.
Follow the paved route with oak trees on each side from Psychro. For the most daring, there are donkeys waiting to transport you up to the Dikteon Cave at the start of the journey. It’s worth pausing near the cave entrance, at the end of the short trail, to regain your breath, take in the panoramic view of the entire plateau, and inhale the fresh mountain air perfumed with thyme, sage, and other local fragrant plants. It’s a lovely sensation that makes you believe it wasn’t by chance that the Dikteon Cave was chosen as the site of such a significant event as the birth of Zeus, Olympus’ Father of the Gods.
