Walking in the Mirabello Bay on Crete: The Mirabello Bay in East Crete is the largest bay on Crete. The Venetians gave the bay this name, which literally means ‘beautiful bay’. The location of the bay played an important role in the prehistoric colonization of Crete. Cities were already built here since the Minoan time, because of the sea view. From here they could spot quickly enemy ships. Walking in the Mirabello Bay on Crete means enjoying the amazing views and a beautiful nature.
Walking near Elounda
The walk starts near Elounda, the most famous village in the Mirabello Bay on Crete. From this village there is a road to the peninsula of Spinalonga. The walk is on this peninsula, away from the crowd in Elounda. The locals sometimes call the peninsula Kolokytha, to the much smaller island which is next to it. It is an uninhabited nature reserve. In the past, shepherds have built small houses here, but now you can only see some remains. There are a few small churches, but these have no power supplies.
The road from Elounda to the peninsula used to be a donkey path. The road cuts through the salt pans that were built by the Venetians in the 12th century and runs over a canal with windmills along the sunken city of Olous. Olous was during the Minoan period an important city with about 40,000 inhabitants. The city probably disappeared under water due to the enormous volcano eruption of Santorini. There is not much left of the city, because the Venetians used its stones to build the salt pans. Until around 1970 the area was still used for salt extraction.
Kolokitha Peninsula
We walk around part of the peninsula, about 7 kilometres in total. The beginning and end of the walk is at the windmills. These were formerly used to thresh the grain from the peninsula and from the Elounda area. The route is not very difficult, but goes on stones and rocks, so sturdy shoes are required. We come along two byzantine churches on the peninsula, Agios Loukas and Agios Fokas. Furthermore, we also walk to the highest point to enjoy the view of the Mirabello Bay on Crete. There will be time available for swimming and snorkelling.
Walking at Elounda: Elounda is in the Mirabello Bay on Crete and is a tourist attraction, thanks to the film “Who pays the ferryman”. But many people do not know that the area has much more to offer and that is exactly what we like to show. With all our walks and hikes we go to places that are not crowded with tourists. Take a look at this page about walks and hikes to get an idea of what we all offer.
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Excursions on Crete: Here you find a lot of information about excursions during your holiday on Crete like: car and bike rental, car and accommodation, diving, cycling, hiking, hiking combinations on Crete, Greek cooking lesson, playing golf, boat trips, horseback riding, outdoor activities, sailing, jeep safari, fishing, group excursions, active holiday on Crete, weekly excursion programs or fly-drive.
Holiday information Crete Zorbas Island: For renting apartments and holiday homes, all your excursions and cheap flights to Crete. If you are looking for apartment rental and accommodation on Crete, you have come to the right place. We have a variety of apartments, suitable for families, singles, couples or more people travelling together. We can help you to organize your holiday on Crete Greece to your wishes. An active outdoor vacation, active holidays, a beach holiday, or a combination of both we can all realize for you.
To give you an impression of your vacation in Zorbas Island on Crete, we have created a “Zorbas Island” movie for you: Zorbas Island Vacation movie in 5 Minutes.
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