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Putting out spikes of pink flowers in spring, the Cretan ebony clings to steep, rocky cliffs and mountainsides.

The Cretan spiny mouse is unique to the island. Like most small rodents, it is nocturnal and is therefore not the easiest of the island’s mammals to see. Look out for its endearingly large ears and blunt spines against rocky slopes at twilight.

Cretan shepherds have long claimed that the wilder parts of the island are home to a large wild cat called the fourokattos . The first live specimen of this elusive beast was caught in the mid-1990s by Italian zoologists. Weighing 5.5 kg (12 lbs), with a tawny pelt and a formidable snarl, the Cretan wild cat is unique in Europe.

Its golden sands have been somewhat marred by insensitive hotel building, but east of the main beach are smaller sandy coves, Ammoudi and Skinaria.

A group of endangered Cretan wild goats have made their home on Dia. They can be visited on a day trip from Irakleio.

The flat, dish-shaped Lasithi Plateau offers easy walking on dirt tracks and paths through fields, olive groves and orchards. Starting from Tzermiadou, the 7-km (4-mile) stroll to the Diktian Cave takes about two hours.

With its foul-smelling red flower and spike, the dragon arum is a motif in several Minoan frescoes and a reality in shady spots beneath trees.

One of the longest beaches on the south central coast, Dytikos is popular with nudist sunbathers.

Only for very fit and experienced walkers, this is the longest and most arduous trek in Crete, a circuit of the island that takes at least 30 days to complete.

The superb beach opposite the island of Elafonisi on the west coast is one of Crete’s best, with a long crescent of white sand and shallow turquoise water that warms up quickly in summer. Very busy.