ISLAND OF CHRISSI (OR GAIDOURONISSI)

This small island, surrounded by the Libyan Sea, is sometimes called the Donkey Island or the Golden Island. Legend has it that when the Ottomans were driven out of the city, they looted everything they could before setting sail, but the Cretans chased them and they were forced to throw their booty into the sea in order to unload their ships in the vicinity of the island and finally escape. The island owes its name Chryssi (golden) to its golden and sandy beaches where, in some places, many shells are mixed, of which, unfortunately, everyone takes a handful home... With an average altitude of 10 m, it is practically flat (highest point 31 m in Kefala), with colorful volcanic rock formations, covered with sand and aquatic fossils. This line of land laid in the sea (that's how it is seen from the coast) is 5 km long, with an average width of 1 km. It shelters a natural forest of cedars, bicentennial for some of them, reaching a height of 7 m. Unique in their kind and very rare in Greece, they grow on the dunes occupying the central part of the island. Some of their tortuous roots have become aerial, the wind having swept away the sand. There is also a late Minoan site proving that Chrissi was inhabited at that time (at the place called Spilio in the northwest of the island), near the Agios Nikolaos chapel. You can go a little further to Cape Mouri where there is a lighthouse. The water here is naturally crystal clear. Many organized groups pass by in the summer, but there is a quieter beach on the north coast with a small tavern and, once the last ferry leaves at 5 pm, the island is quiet again.

It is possible to sleep in the shade of the cedars, provided that you respect the environment: the natural site is protected by European decree (some endemic animal and plant species inhabit the island). When you arrive, continue towards the east or the north of the island to find less frequented beaches. Bring water and food, as well as protection against the sun, as there is no shade on the island of Chrissi. To eat, you will find two taverns: one at the arrival of the ferry, and the other, very small, on the north coast of Chrissi, slightly east. On the main beach, invaded by tourists, expensive umbrellas and deckchairs are available for rent (15 € all the same).