Kalamaki beach (Mesara)

Kalamaki is a small seaside village located 65km southwest of Heraklion, between Matala and Kokkinos Pirgos. The beach in front of the village is only a small part (2,5 km) of the vast seafront that stretches along the long Bay of Messara.

The beach has blond sand and the sea has a large smooth rock, quite slippery. Large waves that are usually lifted by the northwest winds, combined with the rocky bottom, make it difficult to access the beach. In front of the village, the beach is well organized with umbrellas, sunbeds, taverns, rooms, lifeguard, playground, water sports, etc, but if you want to stay remote you could walk to the east, till Kommos beach, which is mainly preferred by nudists. 

Afratias beachMoreover, you can walk to the west until Afratias position where the beach of Pahia Ammos. The beach has some places with rocks. If you are lucky, in Afratias you can meet a beach party, organized by locals on August. The beach is completely unorganised and far from facilities.

West of Afratias, you will meet the military Airport of Timbaki, which now functions as a resort for officers. Access to the beachfront of the airport is not difficult, as the fence ends at the beach. However, do not even try to pass on the other side because you will be arrested. You might also see some people parachuting and skydiving from some small aircrafts, used by a parachuting club in the airport. In the summer of 2008, a small aircraft feel in the sea and its lucky pilot survived. The airport of Tymbaki has a great ecological importance for the plain of Mesara, because it is crossed by the River of Geropotamos, which exits on the beach. Geropotamos is the greatest river of the area and hosts hundreds of rare birds at its several ponds.

In the vast beachfront of Messara Bay, the seaturtle Caretta caretta lays its eggs. Thus, it is prohibited to walk on the dark parts of the beach at night during the summer months, in order to avoid destroying the nests and not to frighten the bearing turtles.

Kalamaki has not a remarkable history, as it is a quite new settlement. It is the seaside resort of the residents of Kamilari, a traditional village worth visiting. It is believed that in ancient times Kalamaki was a small harbour of Phaestus or Gortys, but there is no strong evidence.

Photos

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