Balos lagoon is formed between the Cape Gramvousa and the small Cape Tigani (that means frying pan in greek) and below the range of Platiskinos. This is for sure a must to visit in Chania, west area of Crete. This amazing deep turquoise shallow waters are mostly the most photograpied in Crete. So dont miss this. This exotic beach reachable by car, by boat and of course by feet. This pinky sandy lagoon takes its special color from millions of micro organisms and shells crushed due to time. What comes back the most often in tourists feed back after a trip there is “Like paradise”. So, what else?
Access
Balos can be accessed in three ways.
1: The easiest way is for sure to take the morning ferry from Kissamos (around 30 Euros). Allows you to enjoy the fantastic the wild shores of Gramvousa.
2: Trekking of about 3 hours from Kalivani. This is a unique experience but you have to pass rough arid landscapes so do not forget to get correctly protected from the sun (hat, sun protection cream, sun glasses and enough water!!!) . This path provides astunishing views of the area.
3: By car or motorbike
Its about 10 kilometers of dirt road, from Kaliviani, to reach the beach. A large parking is located at about 1 km from the beaches. On the way, there is a fee to pay for Gramvoussa natural reserve protection.
We recommend to avoid windy days to do your trip in Balos, as it can highly make your day very uncomfortable. What is the best time to visit the lagoon? If you have choice when planing your holidays, May is usually a very good period for this often crowdy place. Less tourists as weather is still not so hot but spring flowers are still present can make your visit in Balos so relax…