Pera Galini beach

The secluded bay of Pera Galini is located 48km east of Rethymno and 39km west of Heraklion, near the village Sises. The name “Pera Galini” is known to all Cretans because of the local disposal centre, which accepts the garbage of the city of Heraklion. Amost nobody knows that there is a shore nearby, however severely degraded by pollution..

The two adjacent beaches of the area are accessible by car via a bad dirt road that starts from the village Sises. They are secluded and open to norther winds. Here, you will find mostly a few swimmers from the region. Both beaches is sandy and have rocks in most places. The sea was very severelly infected several years earlier from the nearby disposal centre, but with the new configuration of the landfill it is now cleaner and somehow safe for swimming.

On the eastern edge of the longest beach, the small cape of Kefali is formed. The ruins of a Minoan settlement, which is thought to have been an important port in the region, have been discovered there. On Kefali, you will see the excavations with plastic covers reminding of greenhouses, which are still in progress and have brought a sanctuary to light. It is considered that the settlement was destroyed by an earthquake.

Moreover, close to the beach there are the ruins of a former monastery, dedicated to Saint Anthony, from which only the chapel survives. This monastery was probably abandoned and deserted due to the constant pirate raids in the Venetian Era. The monastery is built next to a very interesting river with huge platans, which concludes at the beach, however water is contaminated due to the landfill.

Photos

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