Lake Kournas, Crete’s only freshwater lake.  It is near the village of Kournas in the Apokoronas municipality of Chania regional unit, 47 km from the town of Chania. Kournas is a fairly large village perched on a hill overlooking the lake.

The lake circumference is about 3.5 km, the area is more than 1.2 km², the greatest depth is 25 m. The lake bottom is 3 m below sea level. From the lake flows the river Armiros.

In the Middle Ages, the lake was called Koresia lake (Greek: Λιμνη Κορησσία), as there was a temple built in honor of Athena of Koresia. The current name is translated from Arabic as “lake”.

Lake Kournas is an important part of the ecosystem, as it is one of the few areas in Crete where there is abundant fresh water throughout the year. This is one of the reasons that the Lake Kournas is a protected area by the Natura 2000 Network. The dark color of the lake is caused from the seaweeds coming from the depth of the lake.

The lake reportedly used to be full of eels but now is better known for its terrapins and tourism. Tavernas and pedalo rental shops line part of the shore. Overall, however, the lake retains its beauty, the White Mountains reflected in the mirror-like waters. If you stand, barefoot, in the water on the sandy beach, tiny fish will (painlessly) nibble dead skin from your feet for free! This is a realy treatment, which some tourist shops currently offer at a price.

Lake Kournas is an ideal place for a day trip or an evening picnic.