First time in Southern Crete and I must say, WOW. This island’s like no other and cannot wait to discover more of it. This fascinating place is a must-see in Southern Crete. The diversity in the landscape is mind-blowing.
Preveli Palm Forest
We started the day by driving from Moires where we are staying to Preveli Palm Forest. The drive takes around 1h and 15 minutes through the mountains and olive fields. You will not even feel the time as you will constantly be amazed by the beauty and magnificence of the massive mountains. The road is in great condition and the drive is smooth. We came across many villages at the foot of the mountains and it looks so pretty.
You must have a car to get to Preveli since there is no public transportation. At least there wasn’t anything available when we went in mid-November. Also, during the summer many travel agencies organize day trips to Preveli, and then it’s not a must to have a car. To get to the right location put in your GPS Preveli Beach Parking. You can leave the car there and walk for 5 min to an open area which is the viewpoint of the Palm forest and the beach. This is the perfect spot for pictures and after you can walk down to the beach. The way down is easy but the way back up is steep and you’ll have to stop a few times for a breather. The following day I had pain in my calves.
As I came to learn, Crete has so many gorges. The one that passes through Preveli and meets the South Cretan Sea is called Kourtaliotiko Gorge. Once you reach the beach there is a gate to enter the palm tree forest. As you go in you will start to feel that you left Crete and you are in a tropical paradise. The only difference is that there are no exotic birds or monkeys, goats are roaming around.
What’s more, is that it only takes 15 to 20 min to walk to the end of the palm tree forest, and then you can go for a swim. The water is colder in the gorge than in the sea but you will feel so refreshed. Let’s not forget about the beautiful sandy beach which completes the perfect landscape.
After all the fun we got super hungry. Came across on Google Maps a nice place called Taverna – Kafenion Geroplatanos in Dhrimiskos village. It had excellent reviews so we decided to try it out. During the winter months, not all restaurants are open and sometimes the info online says that a place is open when it isn’t. Anyway, we tried our luck with this place and it was open. We came on Sunday and it’s only open on the weekends during the winter and from April it’s open throughout the week. The food was tasty and fresh and the host was friendly and funny. Overall, this was a perfect day and I was super happy that I finally got to experience this incredible location.
Thanks for tuning in and I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s exploration of this one fascinating place that you must see in Southern Crete. You can check next my complete guide on Rhodes Island. It’s a detailed one with everything that there is to see on the island.