Sitia Nature Park, Geopark in eastern Crete, Greece

Sitia Nature Park is a UNESCO Global Geopark covering 361.4 hectares of eastern Crete, nearly coterminous with the municipality of Sitia but excluding the naval base at Cape Sideros and the small islands. It takes in the Sitia Mountains with their gorges and the Coastal Hill Range, though much of the Thripti Mountains in the southwest was left out. The park is managed by DOKAS, the municipal socio-cultural organisation, through a committee drawn from 11 agencies including the Natural History Museum of Crete, the Ephorate of Antiquities and the Toplou Monastery.

Excavations from the late 19th and early 20th centuries revealed Neolithic finds in eastern Crete, including tools from a house at Magassa and the caves of Mikro Katofigi and Pelekita. In the Bronze Age the region served as Crete's gateway to eastern Mediterranean ports, and remains from the Geometric period lie above the ruins of Palaikastro, near the temple of Dictaean Zeus. Early Christian churches such as the one at Itanos point to wealth in Byzantine times.

The Toplou Monastery, one of Crete's most visited religious sites, sits within the park and has been home to monks for centuries. Visitors can walk through its courtyard and see a collection of Byzantine icons on display.

The park's two visitor centres are the starting points for its organised activities: guided group caving in the cave systems and group hikes over the peaks and gorges of eastern Crete. These outings are strenuous and meant for people who are physically fit. The Karidi–Chonos–Vrisidi route begins at Karidi, 600 m above sea level, and drops to 460 m in the Adravasti gorge.

The palm forest of Vai, found within the park, is one of the few naturally growing coastal palm forests in Europe. The palms there belong to an endemic species found only on Crete, making this grove unlike any other on the continent.