Kolokitha Peninsula, circular path

We leave our vehicle at the parking lot next to the Venetian windmills and near the bridge that connects Elounda with the Kolokytha peninsula. In the first 2 kilometers we follow the passable dirt road to the chapel of Agios Loukas where the road ends.

From there, the main beaches of Kolokytha are just 5 to 6 minutes away on foot in a southeasterly direction and we can easily reach them on a clearly visible and passable path.

From Agios Loukas we continue on a clearly visible and wide path to the early Christian basilica of Kolokytha where from there the path becomes narrow but is still clearly visible and well signposted. We walk next to the coastline and in 20 minutes from the Early Christian Basilica of Kolokytha we have reached the chapel of Saint Fokas which was already visible some time earlier.

100 meters before Saint Fokas the path intersects and to the east it ends at Saint Fokas which we have just visited and the right fork, as we leave Saint Fokas behind us, leads us to the interior of the island (west direction) passing through abandoned and old sheepfolds and farmhouses.

As we ascend the path, behind us there is a magnificent view of the entire Gulf of Mirabello. The path continues to be well signposted as we ascend and will take us to the large sheepfold in the centre of the northern part of the island (point A on the map included in the article).

From the large sheepfold the signposted path turns south to return to the starting point, from that point we head north without a clearly visible path and without any signposting, resuming near the old stone-built road that connected the northernmost part of the island with the rest of the body. From afar we can see stone structures on either side of the path and we understand that this was the main road that the inhabitants used at the time.

Initially we proceed on a gentle uphill slope until we reach the last level (here we are at the saddle of the hill where we can enjoy a panoramic view of Mirabello, Elounda and Agios Nikolaos) passing again by abandoned buildings and fields and through old and forgotten olive groves where suddenly through the vegetation the last chapel we visit is visible, which is that of Saint John.

We return in the same way trying to distinguish the path that sometimes we succeed and other times we lose it. At point B we turn right (west) to reach near Vathi beach (point C).

From there begins a fairly difficult path on rocks and right next to the sea without any signage or any path in sight but we always move close and around 2 to 4 m from the sea. We meander along the rocky coast, enjoying the magnificent view that this particular route offers.

However, from this point begins the most demanding passage of our route. After this point there is no path where, we walk on rocks next to the sea and it is a route that we do not recommend to beginners or inexperienced hikers. Anyone who decides to cross the coastline will need special attention, otherwise we recommend that from point B of the route, return to point A (large sheepfold) and from there follow the marked path to return (south).

This difficult part of the route lasts 40 to 50 minutes until we meet the coastal dirt road from the west side of the island, which will lead us to the starting point, where we have left our vehicle.