Elafonisi Beach is one of the most popular beaches, not only in Greece but in the world. Unlike many others in western Crete, Elafonisi Beach is fairly simple to drive to and is easy to reach on foot. The beach is predominantly sandy and displays a unique color you won’t find in many other places.
Here’s The Pink Sands of Elafonisi Beach:
Getting There
If you’re coming from the Kissamos area, the drive to Elafonisi will take about an hour, although it’s only about 25 miles. The roads wind through mountainous terrain and small villages, with many locals selling homemade moonshine and fresh honey on the side of the road.
Exploring the Beach
After arriving at the Elafonisi entrance, a boardwalk leads through the snack bar area and then to the beach. The backdrop against the sky consists of mountains slicing through the clouds and a sandy archipelago beach being hugged by transparent teal waters.
Before rushing to set our things down, we decide to explore the area a bit. To the west, large sand dunes suggest that there’s more beyond this side of the beach. Walking towards it, we see a rope-path leading over the mounds. Taking the sandy path through the narrow trail, it leads to another stunning beach.
Colorful Sand
Elafonisi Beach is widely renowned as one of the most unique beaches in the world because of those colorful bits of sand. Along the shoreline, small remnants of the color pink decorate the underbelly of the teal waters.
Back in this smaller, hidden peninsula of Elafonisi, the color of the sand is more vibrant. The pristine teal waters complemented by the rosy tint is such a radiant sight, like something straight out of a tropical fairytale.
Finding the Prime Beach Spot
While I wanted to stay in the “hidden” part of Elafonisi for the day, the beach itself is much narrower than the main part so it becomes more crowded. We walked back towards the main part of Elafonisi to claim a spot in the sand for the day. Stopping on the way to test the waters, the rock formations along the shoreline add a different element to this perfectly-colored beach.
Since we arrived at Elafonisi before 9 a.m., we had ample opportunity to pick the best spots at the beach. We rented chairs for the day at 3 Euros a piece and were about a 5 minute walk from the concessions. You can also rent umbrellas for 3 Euro, but we brought our own.
Although the beach and shoreline is all sandy, there are a slew of larger rocks in the water. Bring your snorkeling gear because this is the optimal area! Don’t worry if you forget your gear though. Near the boardwalk entrance of Elafonisi in the parking lot is a shop with all sorts of water toys.
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Lovely post, makes me want to head back over there straight away. I am looking forward to reading all of your Greece posts and your recommendations. xxxx
Thank you, Victoria! Greece was so amazing, loved everything about that vacation. Hope you enjoy reading the others and thanks for checking them out!