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What to do, see and visit around Kamilari
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The location of Kamilari, both central and away from the overcrowded north coast of the island, makes it an ideal point,
not only to rest and enjoy the sea and the quietness, but also to discover the natural and cultural richness of Crete. Just choose your program below...
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| Matala |
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Within a few kilometers, you will reach Matala, this small fishing harbour which, in the 60ies, suddenly became a meeting point of hippies,
before becoming a touristic place. The most remarkable thing here, except the little covered market, is probably the beautiful natural location
of the village, with its beach caught between white cliffs, where one can visit the old caverns dug at roman times. At night, Matala is also a
good place to have a drink or to dance on cretan or occidental music.
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| Red Beach |
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From Matala, you can reach the so-called Red Beach, within 45 minutes walk. The path climbs somehow, and it�s better to wear closed shoes.
No shade on the road, and no water source on the beach, so take yours. But the road itself really deserves the (reasonable) effort: before
descending down to the beach, from the top of the hill, on one side, the view of the Psiloritis mountain range over the bay of Matala; and,
on the other side, towards the south, the succession of the last cliffs of Crete, in one of the wildest areas of the island. Besides, the Red
Beach itself is a jewel: orange sand, deep grey stones, and white and ochre cliffs. Also one of the best place to swim in the area.
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| Komos Beach |
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The beach of Komos, between Matala and Kalamaki, is one of the largest in Crete. It is thus never crowded. It is quite a green place, and you
will find there, a few meters from the sea, the shade of trees to rest from the summer heat (and also a couple of small beach bars). In the
middle of this nature, the archeological site of the old minoan port (not opened to the public) perfectly integrates itself. The large curve
of the beach, dominated by the Psiloritis and Kedros mountains, extends itself up to Kalamaki. And, if you�re lucky, you might see one of
these protected sea turtles that come to nest in the sand during summer.
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| Katalyki Beach |
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The northern section of the Messara bay is occupied by the Katalyki beach, which is probably one of the most pleasant beaches of the area,
with its several fish tavernas, greek bars and sunbeds. It is an authentic, greek place, where you can spend hours, just swimming and drinking
cold coffees...
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| Odigitria Monastery |
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From Kamilari, if you follow the road towards the south, after the villages of Sivas and Listaros, you will soon arrive at the monastery of
Odiyitria, which is still in activity, and can be visited freely. If you like quietness and edge-of-the-world atmospheres, this place will
leave you great memories. From the tower of the monastery (which has been the witness of dramatic events related to cretan resistance against
turkish occupation), the nature all around will appear to you both poor and strong. The silence might be broken just by the sound of the sheep
bells running down the hills... Inside the monastery, you will also see an olive mill, an old oven, and other objects of monks� former daily life.
The church itself hides frescoes and remarkable icons.
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| Agiofarango |
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After the monastery, the roads are not asphalted anymore. If you are ready to walk a little bit, you will discover in this area some highlights
of cretan nature and panoramas. All these walks are not particularly difficult, since there are no important denivelations. But it is important
to know that, in summer, you won�t find water (nor much shade) in this area. So don�t forget your bottles and hat! The easiest place to reach,
from Odiyitria monastery, is the gorge of Agiofarango.
From Odiyitria to the beginning of the gorge, it is about 4 km of quite good, not asphalted road.
There are signs. Then, it takes about one hour walk to get down the gorge and reach the sea. Agiofarango is really a gorgeous place: after the cliffs
get higher and nearer around you, you will soon walk in a forest of rose laurels, along with the goats. Just before reaching the beach, you will
discover the old church, surrounded by rocks (Agiofarango means "Holy Gorge"; it used to be a place where hermits were living in the caves, and is
still considered as a holy place). At the end of the road, you will find a nice beach caught between high cliffs, and bathed by the pure waters of
the Lybian Sea.
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| Martsalo |
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In the same area, another walk leads you to the gorge of Martsalo. This gorge is remarkable because of its old troglodytic church (a mass is
celebrated every 15th of August). Thanks to the montains all around (which protect the place from the north), and to its south orientation,
Martsalo also shelters a thicket of palm trees of the same species than those of Preveli and Vaï. This makes it a quite exceptional place which,
from the top of the cliff, somehow looks like an oasis.
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| Vathy |
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In the same area, you can also go to Vathy, a small beach caught between white cliffs, in the bottom of a spectacular fiord deeply entering into
the land; one sheppard, one or two fishermen, and maybe a small snack during summertime... That�s it!
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| Kefali |
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Finally, the very end of Crete (and for sure the southern point of the island) is a mountain called Kefali. A non-asphalted road leads to the top.
From there, at your feet, more than 300 meters lower, the sea. And in front of view, too far away to be seen, Africa. A very, very impressive place...
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| Faistos and Agia Triada minoan sites |
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The archeological sites of Faistos and Agia Triada are only a few kilometers from Kamilari. This allows to go and visit these places
(especially Faistos) in the morning or in the evening, before or after the crowded hours. For Faistos, we recommand the evening, since the panorama,
from the Faistos hill over the Messara plain, is at it�s best under the warm light of descending sun.
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| The villages of the area |
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Around Kamilari, the villages of Sivas, Vori, Faneromeni are also picturesque. In Vori, the cretan museum of ethnology gives a very interesting
view on the cretan culture.
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| Kalli Limenes and Lendas |
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The south coast of Crete, where the Asteroussia mountains suddlendly dive into the water, is a quite wild area. There are two small ports accessible
by road: Kalli Limenes and Lendas. Both roads are very spectacular because they start from the plain of Messara and then climb up the Asteroussia;
after a series of curves, and before descending on the other side of the mountains towards the small harbours, the panoramas on the plain and the
Psiloritis are great.
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| Kalli Limenes |
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Kalli Limenes has two beaches. The smallest one is sandy, and the sea is not deep there, so it�s ideal for children. You can also eat and have a
drink both on the beach and in the small village. This place is mainly known by Greek people. From Kalli Limenes, a non asphalted road reaches
Ayofrarango and Odiyitria monastery.
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| Lendas |
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Probably due to its remote location, Lendas remained a very typical village. It is full of beautiful, flowered, white-painted houses. In the
greek classical times, the village was a place for curing deseases, since the water there was supposed to have curative properties (there is an
archeological site). Around Lendas, you will also find beaches which are never crowded.
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| The mountain villages |
On the other side of the Messara plain, on the first heights of the Psiloritis, you will find a series of mountain villages, linked together
by a unique road. These villages are: Gergeri, Zaros, Vorizia, Kamares, Lohria, Platanos, Nithavri, Kouroutes, Fourfouras...
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| Zaros |
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Zaros is located on the "exit" path of the waters coming down from Psiloritis winter snows. It is thus a very green place, with a lake, water
running along the roads all year long, etc. Most of the drinking water commercialized in the area is coming from here. When you arrive from the
plain or from dry areas such as the Asteroussia, it is really another world. From the lake, there is a walk (4 hours, several hundred meters
denivelation) which leads to beautiful gorges, then to a forest of oaks, in a place called Rouvas. Rouvas is by itself an interesting place:
it is a kind of valley located at about 1000m altitude, surrounded by mountains tops reaching 1700 � 1800 m altitude. No olive trees nor cicadas
anymore here; but remarkable birds species can be observed (eagles). Rouvas can also be reached by road (4x4 required) from Gergeri.
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| Vrondissi monastery |
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A few kilometers from Zaros, in the direction of Kamares, you will find on your right the road for the monastery of Vrondissi. This monastery
is remarkable because of the fountain and the two huge, hollow platanes at the entrance. The entrance is free, and allows visiting the beautiful
church and enjoying the view from the monastery�s terrace.
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| Valsamonero monastery |
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A few kilometers further, in the village of Vorizia, you will find on your left, at the exit of the village, a sign ("Agios Fanourios") for the monastery of
Valsamonero, which can be visited until midday. You will soon find a non asphalted road (which leads only to the monastery), that you will follow
for a couple of kilometers. From the original monastery, there only remains the church, but it still really deserves the visit, because it is just
one of the most beautiful of Crete. Furthermore, it is located in a very nice place, with mountains tops in the background and sheep bells ringing
all around. The frescoes inside the monastery are also exceptional. It is not allowed to make photos.
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From Vorizia, you can follow the road towards Kamares. From this village, you can get down the mountain with a road leading to Vori. Otherwise,
you can go ahead towards Lohria, Platanos, etc. Both roads provide gorgeous points of views on the Messara bay, the Paximadia Islands and the
Asteroussia mountains.
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| The valley of Amari |
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If you follow the mountain road, you will get away from the sea and slowly enter inside the Amari valley. This area, receiving water from the
mountains surrounding, not easily accessible from the north (and thus somehow protected both from invadors and bad wheather), used to be a rich
area. This is the reason why you will find there, nearly in each village, a wonderful church. Besides, the area remains one of the most authentic
of all Crete.
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| Rethymno |
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The town of Rethymno is a good destination for a one-day trip. From Kamilari, it will take you about one hour and a half (from the road passing
by Spili). Spili by itself is worth a stop, both for shopping, seeing the fountains and making a break.
Rethymno is a very beautiful town, resulting
in the superposition of all its past, being it greek, byzantine, venetian and turkish. Don�t miss the old harbour and the old town; but there are
also many other things to see, visit and enjoy here.
From Rethymno, you might wish to go to the monastery of Arkadi, which is interesting, not only because of its architecture, but also because it
is one of the strongest symbols of cretan resistance against turkish occupation (there is a permanent exhibition about the subject in the monastery).
From Arkadi, you might decide to get back to Kamilari by the mountain road (reaching Fourfouras). It is a nice trip, but you must know it is a long
road (around 1h30 drive).
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| Iraklio |
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Iraklio is of course another destination for a one-day trip. Except walking, shopping and having a drink in the very "in" area of Dedalus street
or on the Venizelos (lions' fountain) place, the main things to see in Iraklio are the archeological museum and, a few kilometers ouside the town,
Knossos.
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| Preveli |
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If you prefer to enjoy the sea, you can go for one day to Preveli, the famous beach surrounded by a palm tree forest and bathed both by the
sea and by the sweet water of a small river. Preveli really deserves a visit, since it is both a very pleasant place to enjoy bathing and an
exceptional natural site.
To get to Preveli, two possibilities: by car or by boat. By car, it will take you around 1h30. After Spili, you will
turn left, direction Plakias. The road soon crosses one of the most impressive gorges of Crete, Kourtaliotiko. After the gorge, you will follow
the road for the Preveli monasteries. Before the monasteries, on your left, you will see an old venitian bridge. If you turn left here, you will get to a non
asphalted road which, after a few kilometers, will lead you to a beach, from which you will reach Preveli after some 20 minutes walk along the coast
(and some 50-70 m climbing).
If you don't turn at the venitian bridge, you will easily find, after several kilometers, the parking for Preveli
(you have to pay). From this point, stairs gets down to the beach (the denivelation might be the double than with preceding solution).
The other solution to get to Preveli is to take the boat from Agia Galini. Informations are available on the port. This solution is very convenient
with children, since no walk is necessary. Besides, it allows very nice points of view on the coast, its caves and turquoise waters. The cruise is
about one hour and a half.
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| Daily Cruises |
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From Agia Galini and Matala, other daily ship cruises are available (Paximadia islands, Agiofarango, Agios Pavlos, marine caves, etc.)
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| Gorge of Saint Antony |
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For a hot day, the valleys inside the land hide some cool, shady places. The gorge of Agios Antonios is one of these places. It is not at all
famous, though it is very beautiful: between high ochre cliffs, a small river runs between the rocks, under a cool forest of platanes. The access
is very easy (stairs, tables and chairs, so you can you bring your food and eat there). Following the path in the gorge, you will soon see the
small church of Agios Antonios, with its ex-voto (in spring, a small source pours water just before the church). Then, if you go ahead in the gorge,
you can reach a view-point. Then, the path becomes wilder. From Kamilari, to get to Agios Antonios gorge, just reach the village of Patmos (south
from Rethymno). The quickest way is to pass Spili and turn right in Myxorouma. Have a stop in Lambini, to see the beautiful church. The road is also
very nice, as it climbs above the valley of Spili. You pass the village of Karines. Just before arriving in the gorge, there is a small section of
non asphalted road, but you can go with a normal can with no problems.
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| High mountain |
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If you have a 4x4 drive, you can go and explore the high mountain. There is a road starting from Gergeri, and reaching the Nida plateau.
At these altitudes, the nature is totally different than what you can see in the plain, and the panoramas are both impressive and unexpected.
Another road starts from Lohria and climbs on the Psiloritis, up to 1800 m. There, you reach exceptional points of view on the Messara plain
and bay, the Asteroussia moutains and of course the Psiloritis itself, which highest part belongs to a natural world with no equivalent (eagles,
plants growing on the snowed zones, circular stone-built shepards refuge, etc.).
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| Sportive walks |
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Crete is a kind of paradise for people enjoying long walks in wild nature. Kamilari being about 20 km from the Psiloritis top, one-day walks
can be organized easily from here. The two main goals of these walks are the Psiloritis top and the Kamares Cave. Both walks require water,
protection against the sun, and some experience of such walks. For the Kamares cave, the starting point is Kamares. For the Psiloritis, one
starting point is a refuge above the village of Kouroutes.
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Walking in the village of Kamilari will already let you discover a lot of things. From the central square of the village,
left to the church, you will see the baptistry, with its circular dome. If you follow this road, after the two kafenios
on your left, you will meet a crossroads; there, you can either go straight to climb to the top of Ovgora (the main hill of the village),
or go right to get down the hill, towards the small village of Metohi, and see its fountain. From Metohi, you might then decide to have
a walk among the olive and orange trees, for example to go to the minoan tomb of Kamilari, or to reach the old village of Agios Ioannis
(with it�s XIVth century Agios Pavlos church, hiding byzantine frescoes), from which you might then go ahead to Faistos.
It you decide to climb the Ovgora hill, you will discover on its top, after 5 minutes walk, a small chapel, and one of the most beautiful
points of view of the area: on the north and the east, the Messara plain and, further, all the Psiloritis range; on the west, the Kedros
mount and, if the weather is clear, the White Mountains. Then, all the Messara bay; and, on the south, Kamilari and, on the background,
the Asteroussia mountain range.
From Ovgora, you can follow the road, which goes down to the center of the village. Progressing along a series of typical houses, with
their courtyards shaded by bougainvilleas, you will finally reach the second square of the village. You can then get back to the church�s
square (turn left), or turn right, in order to reach the other fountain of the village, Xopigi. To reach it, you just get down the village
towards the sea. When you reach the crossroads towards Kalamaki or Tymbaki, keep on the right towards Tymbaki. Xopigi is about 50 m away,
on the right, after a small chapel. It is a very cool and pleasant place, with water running all year long. You might observe sweet-water
crabs (and frogs) in the basins. It is also the place where all the village gathers every year to celebrate 1st May.
On the other side of the village, the top of the third hill of Kamilari, Goulas (take the road that goes up just behind the graveyard),
is also worth a visit. From its top, you can see all the Messara plain, the Asteroussia mountains and, if the weather is clear, the Dikti
Mountains. Below the top are the current archeological excavations (minoan settlement).
