Chochlakies is a small settlement in the hinterland of the Municipality of Hersonissos close to the village of Episkopi. It is built at an altitude of 320 meters on one of the many hills of the area.
Chochlakies were always a region of Lasithi inhabitants. Because of the harsh winter in Lasithi, the Lasithi stockbreeders took the animals from the mountains to the lowlands. Stockbreeders kept their animals all winter at this place tilling their olive groves and gathering their fruit when they went down during the autumn. In spring, approximately in April, they returned to Lasithi, to Dikti Mountains where the sheep sheds and dairies were located.
In Chochlakies, the Toupaki Hill is worth visiting. It is 2 km east of the village and is a recreation area full of pine, cypress and carob trees and many wildflowers. The Byzantine church of Agios Georgios is located at Toupaki. The temple, from the beginning of the 16th century, was part of the Monastery of Agarathos. The temple is small, one-storied and arched with stunning frescoes inside it dating back to the first half of the 15th century. The southern wall of the temple has got names of the travelers of the time on it and chronologies and Italian names written in Latin characters are displayed. The outdoor area has been landscaped with stone benches and wooden and stone tables where every year a traditional Cretan feast is held on the day when Agios Georgios celebrates gathering many people to the temple.
