Chrissi island

Gaidouronis

One of the 81 uninhabited islands of Crete is the Chrissi island or Gaidouronisi (donkey) island. An Islet of the Libyan sea which lies 13,8km south of ierapetra. About 700 hundred meters to the east from it you will find the Islet Μικρό νησί(Small island) , that has a maximum length of 5 km and width 1 km, its highest point is the kefala hill which reaches up to 31 meters high. One of the main attributes of Chrissi island are its golden beaches which is also from where it acquired its modern name. Needless to say Ierapetra’s locals are used to be calling it “The Island” since they feel a deep love and a special bond with it. The island is surrounded by beaches with light blue-green colored waters, the most famous of them being the northern beach of Belegrina or the golden coast(Chrissi coast). It is a paradise for fossil lovers, distinguished by the Large number of “dead” shells that are concentrated there! In the western part of the island, the visitor can find the small chapel of Agios Nikolaos (most likely built during the 13th century), the lighthouse, the jetty and the old salt pan. The latter was used in a former age to produce salt and today serves as a pole of a attraction mainly for migratory birds. Furthermore, an important settlement of buildings and carved tombs that dates back to the Minoan and roman periods has been identified on the island. A haven of exceptional natural beauty, chrissi has the has the largest naturally formed forest consisted of large junipers and cypress trees called the Cedar forest! The forest covers an area of 350 acres with trees over 200 years old that reach up to 7 meters high! For that rich of an ecosystem to be preserved, the island has been included in the European program for the protection of landscapes of natural beauty (NATURA 2000) and is a popular destination for the wonderful wild beauty of nature that can be witnessed all around it.