Beaches and gorges of Chania
Chania: an island, beaches, mountains, gorges, a rich history, a place that combines everything! Chania is a famous destination for summer and winter holidays due to the variety of natural landscapes and activities offered.
Its alternating sea and mountain landscapes, its plains and gorges make Chania even more special. The peace and quiet of the blue sea is so successfully combined with the green of the wild nature that altogether make up a heaven on earth!
In summer Chania becomes even more exciting as its shores are among the most beautiful ones in the world! Golden beaches with sand or pebbles, turquoise waters, idyllic seafronts, secluded or bustling strands, are all extremely unique – choose the ones to your liking and relax!
Indeed, it is very difficult to choose some of the numerous beaches of Chania! If only you had enough time to visit most of them!
Let’s start from Elafonissi, one of the most beautiful places in the world! The fine white sand with pink hues from the crushed shells, and the turquoise waters give an exotic note to the landscape.
Elafonissi is an organized beach, ideal for families with children. We move on to Balos, an enchanting beach, with a beauty similar to Elafonissi. Wild rocks and deep blue waters compose this exotic paradise.
Falasarna, also one of the most famous beaches on Crete, is ideal for surfers as large waves are caused at the beach, which turns out to be very attractive for keen windsurfers. Although the name means the “Ports of Satan” (Seitan means Satan in Turkish), Seitan Limania is a blessed place! In Seitan Limania a deep blue strip of sea gets into the land making the landscape magical!
The beach in Loutro Sfakion, with its large white pebbles and its crystal clear waters, manages to entice you from the first moment! The same goes for the secluded beach in Kedrodasos, with its crystal clear blue waters, white dunes and a forest of everlasting cedar trees.
Although the beautiful beaches of Chania cannot be detailed in just one article, another choice would be the beach of Stavros. These are two beaches, the central sandy one and a more secluded one, where Anthony Quinn filmed scenes for the Oscar winning movie “Zorba the Greek”. In fact, you have direct hassle-free and safe access with our boats in most of them.
Apart from the beaches, what makes Chania a place with such special beauty are the gorges of the area, which in summer and spring are ideal for hiking and exploring. We can only start with Samaria Gorge, which is the most famous gorge for hiking in Europe!
The gorge is about 15 km long and its descent from Omalos to Agia Roumeli lasts about 5 to 7 hours, with frequent stops to rest and drink some cool water from the springs of the gorge. A permanent inhabitant of the gorge is the protected species of the Cretan wild goat (kri-kri).
Endemic to the gorge and the surrounding area are also other protected species of flora and fauna. The secret is to start your walk early in the morning so as to avoid the intense heat. Surely the unique natural beauty of the route will reward you!
Another well-known and impressive gorge is the gorge of Aradena, which apart from hiking is also suitable for bunjee jumping. The exit of the Gorge leads to the enchanting beach of Marmaras and is really an experience worth living!
There is also the Gorge of Agia Irini, 7.50km long, the crossing of which takes almost three hours. The gorge ends up in the seaside village of Sougia with its clean and beautiful beach, where you can enjoy memorable swimming in the azure waters! The last one of our suggestions -but surely not the end of your available options- is the gorge of Imbros, which lies near the town of Sfakia.
The scenery is breathtaking and the descent is quite easy, even for families with children. It is 11 km long and it takes about 2-3 hours to walk through it.
The natural beauty of Chania is undoubtedly not confined to the above suggestions! There are plenty of caves to explore, mountains with breathtaking views, lakes and so much more! Happy shall be the ones visiting Chania!