The grove is 24km east of Sitia and is one of the most emblematic landscapes of Crete, with the largest natural colony of date palm trees (Phoenix theophrasti) in Europe, covering an area of 250 acres.

The hot and dry climate of the area, and the geographical proximity to the Middle East, facilitated the exchange of species. This contributed significantly to the biodiversity of eastern Crete. The date palm grove of Vai is one such example that thrives here, due to the consistently high temperatures and the abundance of water.

The forest belongs to the protected habitats of the Geopark to preserve its flora and fauna. On the protected zone of the beach, species that grow include pink rockroses and heather, while within the forest you can find oleander and lentisks. In total the flora of the area includes 550 species, of which more than 50 are endemic to Crete, Kasos-Karpathos and the Aegean. Worth noting are the species of asperula crassula, bellevalia sitiaca, Carlina sitiensis, fleshy asperula, belevalia Sitia, Karlina Sitia and cord grass (Lygeum spartum).

The hiking trails designed by the Geopark of Sitia include two interesting ones that start or end in the forest of Vai. One starts from Erimoupoli and ends in Vai; the other starts from Vai, reaches the top of Skopeli and returns to Vai.