Balos and Gramvousa

Our trip to the Cretan Caribbean starts from your hotel, with a comfortable transfer to Kasteli port where we will embark on the daily boats.

This adventure boat ride takes us to the unique bay of Balos which is simply stunning and is one of the most iconic pictures of western Crete. During the trip we will have the chance to take our lunch on board in a buffet self-service style which is included in the price.

After 1.5 hour sailing we reach the fabled pirate island of Gramvousa. In reality there are two islands, the wild Gramvousa, exposed in the wild sea and the tamed Gramvousa with calm crystal clear waters, with the remains of a Venetian castle and Greek houses from the war of independence. There is a 3-hour stop over where you can either have an optional climb to the top of the Venetian castle or walk along the beautiful beach. 

Our next visit will be the lagoon of Balos Peninsula where we can stay 2h and 45 minutes. Reaching the area you will be astonished by the beautiful sandy beach, the turquoise crystal water and the stunning natural surroundings which have been awarded with the environmental prize NATURA 2000. The sea there is like a lagoon and the water usually is very shallow and warm. 

You can also visit the peninsula of Tigani. You can either wade through a little bit of water (sometimes there is no need to cross water, this changes from season to season and from year to year) or follow a line of rocks on the south-western side of the lagoon to reach the peninsula of Tigani. Apart from a small chapel there is not much on it but you can walk to the flat top (head for the chapel and carry on upwards along the north-eastern slope) where you will get excellent views of the area.

Finally our comfortable bus will return us back to the hotel, late in the afternoon.