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Chrissi island or Gaidouronisi is located 8 miles south of Ierapetra city, in the open South Cretan Sea. It is a flat islet very famous for its tropical blue water that cover all possible palette hues of blue and green, the protected forest with large juniper trees and the thousands of broken shells that make the sand pinkish. The residents of Ierapetra love this island and call it simply "the Island". It is said that years ago by Gianni Agnelli, the chairman of Ferrari, wanted to buy the island to make it a tourist attraction.

Chrissi takes its name (golden in Greek) after the white sand that covers the entire island and comes mainly from shell debris. The tropical beaches are crowded by many visitors who come by the excursion boats that leave Ierapetra in the morning and return in the afternoon. Chrissi has been declared as an area of natural beauty and it is strictly prohibited to camp and spend your night here. You must keep away from the fragile juniper trees and avoid not collecting sand or shells.

Map of the isle

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Chrissi Lighthouse

At the west part of Chrissi islet you will meet the small lighthouse, powered by photovoltaic panel. The lighthouse is located close to the small chapel of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) and the dried lake of the island.

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Golden beach (Belegrina) at Chrissi

The thousands of visitors arriving daily by boat from Ierapetra to Chrissi island mainly swim on the beach of Belegrina or Golden Beach. Bright blue waters, white sand with pink shades from the thousands of broken shells, and the junipers that hold the sand with their huge roots are the backdrop that makes anyone fall in love with this place.

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Juniper Wood of Chrissi

The dunes of the central narrowest part of the island of Chryssi, we meet one of the most important juniper wood (sp. Juniperus macrocarpa) in Greece, which has prevailed (erroneously) with the name cedarwood. In other parts of the island, such as west and east, we encounter vegetation with Juniperus phoenicea being the main plant.

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Shell Fossils of Chrissi

Chrissi can be considered a paradise for geology enthusiasts. One of the most spectacular geological sights of the island can be seen east of Belerinina beach, where you will meet thousands of fossils, mainly bivalves. The fossils form a so-called thanatocoenosis, that is, dead shells that have been gathered there by the streams and have fossilized over time.

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Saltpan of Chrissi

Next to the only house of Chrissi island, at position Spilios, we meet the old saltpan where salt was produced in the past. In winter the spot turns into a small pond with brackish water and it attracts many migratory birds. This is not the only pond on the island, as a smaller one is formed in the location of Kaki Alyki.

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Agios Nikolaos church at Chrissi island

The church of Agios Nikolaos is located on the northern side of the island Chrissi, at the site where Tyrian purple was produced and graves are located. It dates back to the 13th century, although it has undergone more recent interventions. The temple is built on the site of an ancient building.

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Chrissi island antiquities

An important settlement of the Minoan and Roman period has been found in the island Chrysea of ancient Greeks, the present island of Chrissi or Gaidouronisi. Buildings and at least three carved tombs have been identified near the church of Agios Nikolaos and the lighthouse on the island. The settlement was probably used for the production of Tyrian purple from the shells of Murex brandaris, exactly like the neighboring isle of Koufonissi.

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Kendra Beach

At the western end of the island of Chrissi, the small Cape Kendra is formed and right next to we meet the southernmost beach of the island. There is no high vegetation for shade, while the bottom, as in the whole island, is mainly rocky. You can combine your visit to the lighthouse and Agios Nikolaos with a walk to Kendra.

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Vougiou Mati beach

The position on the southern side of the island of Chryssi where the the boats carrying visitors from Ierapetra stop is called Vougiou Mati. To the west of the quay a small rocky bay is formed with small caves. On the east side of the quay, a long rocky beach is formed, which visitors prefer when the most popular beach of the island, Belegrina or Golden Beach in the north, is wavy.

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Fragou Mnima Beach

At the eastern end of the juniper wood of Chrisi we meet the small beach at Fragou Mnima. The area hosts a small saltpan, which the locals call Kaki Alyki and in winter it turns into a small swamp.

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Vages beach

At the eastern part of the island of Chryssi and on the south side of the island the large beach of Vages is formed. Vages generally has a rocky bottom, except for the eastern edge where there is sand.

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Kataprosopo beach

At the eastern end of the island of Chrissi lies the beautiful beach of Kataprosopo (=face to face), which faces the island of Mikronissi. Mikronissi is a great refuge for marine avifauna. In fact, the beach is divided into two by a thin strip of rocky land, while the vegetation in juniper is clearly more limited than the other beaches of the eastern part of the island. The waters are shallow and do not exceed 5m to Micronissi, making it ideal for snorkelling.

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Vlychadia beach, Chrissi

Approximately 500m west of the main harbor Chrissi island, approximately in the middle of the southern side of the island, a dirt road leads us to the beautiful Vlychadia beach. The beach has black and red chalk that comes from red lava, while the bottom is mainly rocky.

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Hadzivolakas beach

The longest beach on the island of Chrissi is Hadzivolakas, which extends west of the central beach of Belerinna. The beach has mainly rocky seabed and is ideal for isolation as most of the island's visitors are limited to Belegrina.

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Avlaki  beach, Chrissi

At the western end of the long beach of Chatzivolakas on the island of Chrissi, we find the beach Avlaki. Avlaki has rocky seabed, like almost the whole island. At the end of the beach there is the second harbour of the island at position Spilios and the only house in Chrissi built in the middle of the 20th century. The name Spilios (cave) is taken after an old house built in the rock.

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