Karoumes Beach

At the village Chohlakies begins a magnificent accessible Karoumes gorge that ends after 1,5 hour walking to the pure and scenic bay of Karoumes. You can approach this completely lonely beach only through this gorge! Karoumes is the most remote beach in Eastern Crete !! Chohlakies is located 8 km south from Palekastro, on the way to Zakros.

The beach is not at all organized and you will find no infrastructure: when you visit, take care to have food and drink with you.

Limestone outcrops shut in the beach on two sides: at the north are a few tall tamarisks, whilst in the rocks behind some caves have formed.

Facilities-Additional Info

Distance: Heraklion 157km – Sitia 28km – Palekastro 10km

Beach type: Pebbles

Facilities: None – Absolutely isolation

Accessibility: Path/Gorge – 4km walking from Chochlakies village

Food-Hotels: Restaurant – Accommodation in Palekastro (10km) or Zakros/Kato Zakros (16km)

Karoumes Beach gallery

Kato Zakros to Karoumes trail

From the northest point of Kato Zakros beach, you follow the path that leads to a rocky plateau almost at the same level with the sea, after which you cross a stream. Then, continue parallel to the coast, in a very clear path, which climbs lightly up towards the entrance of the Pelekita cave (120m elevation), with a characteristic fig tree at the entrance.

From the cave, the path which becomes hard to discern, descends for about 500 m, to the ancient quarry .

From the quarry and on, where the indistinct path continues along the coast at a higher level, it passes by the mouth of the Adiavato cave and then climbs up to the top of a steep slope.

From this point, you follow the same contour for about 600 m; the entire bay of Karoumes, with the beach at the end of the gorge of Chochlakies lies before you, to the north. You arrive there, passing by a smaller beach and having bypassed the rocky southern slope of the Karoumes main beach.

Karoumes to Palekastro trail

The walk continues from the north side of Karoumes beach by a coastal path that is easy distinguishable to the beach Mavromouri, 1km far. After 50min walking you reach two other small and beautiful beaches:Skinias. From this point you leave the coast and start the uphill course by a bad road that brings us to the plateau of Plativola. Here you see the church of St. Spyridon and an abandoned small village. The road in a better condition now continues to north and you reach Agathias after another 40 min.