Treis Ekklisies, meaning Three Churches, is a small seaside settlement on the south coast of Crete. It sits below the Asterousia mountains in the Heraklion district and faces the Libyan Sea. A long pebble beach, clear deep water and a small fishing anchorage rest at the foot of a mountain road that winds down from … Read more
Maridaki is a tiny seaside hamlet on the south coast of Crete, tucked at the mouth of a gorge below the Asterousia mountains in the Heraklion district. A small beach of pebbles and grey sand faces the Libyan Sea, and cold spring water runs down the ravine to the shore. A scatter of houses and … Read more
Kapetaniana is a remote mountain village high on the southern side of the Asterousia range, in the Heraklion district of Crete. Old stone houses and small Byzantine churches cluster beneath the rocky peak of Kofinas, the highest summit of the Asterousia at around eleven hundred metres. The village faces the Libyan Sea far below and … Read more
Tsoutsouros sits at the end of a winding mountain road on the remote south coast of Crete, far from the crowds and resorts that line the northern shore. This quiet fishing village rests below the Asterousia mountains at the mouth of a gorge, where a long curve of pebble and grey sand beach meets clear … Read more
Kali Limenes sits on the far southern coast of Crete, in the Heraklion region. It lies below the barren Asterousia mountains and faces the open Libyan Sea. The name translates as Fair Havens, and the settlement earns it. A string of pebbly coves, very clear water and a sheltered harbour define the shore. A long, … Read more
The Asterousia Mountains rise as a low, sun-scorched barrier between the Messara plain and the Libyan Sea, forming one of Crete’s most remote and least-visited landscapes. This arid range in the Heraklion region drops in sheer cliffs to isolated coves, where Byzantine hermits once carved monasteries into the rock face. Treeless ridges, hidden beaches accessible … Read more
Lentas rests on the far south coast of Crete, tucked below the Asterousia mountains in the Heraklion region. The drive down from the Messara plain climbs slowly over the ridge, and that long, twisting road keeps the village far from the mass-tourism track. Travellers reach a place where pebble beaches, clear water and simple tavernas … Read more
Agiofarango Gorge cuts through the Asterousia mountains on the far south coast of Crete, deep inside the Heraklion region near the Odigitria monastery. The name means ‘gorge of the saints’, drawn from the hermit caves and rock chapels that monks once used inside its walls. A gentle two-kilometre walk between tall limestone cliffs delivers you … Read more