Elafonisi

The island of Elafonisi is located in the southwest end of Crete about 75km from the city of Chania and it takes about 1,5 hours to get there.  Elafonissi (some people also call it Elafonissos) is something like an island and a peninsula, because to reach the island you have to walk through the sea. It is a place of an exceptional natural beauty with its  shallow turquoise waters of the sea, which at a point looks like a lagoon, and certainly the fine white sand, pinkish at several spots because of the crushed shell powder. Elafonisi has been included in the Natura 2000 Protection Program.

The place is of historical and cultural importance too as the island’s history goes back in the ancient times, when the ancient Greeks built a temple dedicated to Apollo. At the highest point on the island there is a plaque that commemorates a tragic event of modern history. On Easter Sunday, 1824, Turks, leaded by Ibrahem Pasha, massacred 850 women and children who had taken refuge on the island. A large wooden cross also commemorates the shipwreck of Imperatrix ship in 1907. The 38 people who died in the shipwreck were all buried on the island.

Although the place is quite isolated, access is quite easy because it is a popular destination. There is a reliable public bus service from both Chania and Kissamos. You can also get to Elafonissi by boat from Paleohora.