Asterousia Range is the southernmost massif in Europe that stretches from Matala to Anapodaris River. The wild beauty and the remoteness of most places are the basic reasons to attract many visitors that believe that this is the place with the best beaches in Crete.
Dyskos is located 75km southwest of Heraklion, just 1-2km west of Lendas. It is a small settlement, known also as Dytikos, which is separated from the village of Lendas by the famous Cape Lion. Lion is said that was one of the lions carrying the chariot of the goddess Rhea and was petrified here.
West of Lendas you'll meet the small village of Tsigounas with the small beach of Limanaki (harbor) used as a local harbour, due to its protected orientation. Tsigounas name derives from the word tsigounis (stingy) referring to a local spring with a small quantity of water.
East of the village Platia Peramata you will firstly meet the longest beach of Platia Peramata, called Psili Ammos, which is totally isolated and very beautiful. The beach is not very suitable for camping, as there is no shade from trees. However, at the eastern end there are large white rocks, called Asproharaki, which offer shade to their lucky “occupiers”.
It is located at the exit of a small valley, a rare phenomenon in the wild Asterousia Mountains, which starts from the village Antiskari and ends in settlement. The fertile valley is used for growing early vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc., since the temperature here is always high. Characteristic of the warm climate is that the swallows do not leave the area in winter.
West of Platia Peramata village, there is another smaller settlement called Krigioi. In front of Krigi, there is a small cove with fine pebble and crystal clear water. Krigi beach is ideal for seclusion, snorkeling and fishing. West of Krigi, you'll reach another pebbly remote beach. Some more meters on the west you'll find the three consecutive beaches of Kokkines Plakes (i.e. Red Rocks), named after the reddish rocks around and accessed mainly through sea.
About 1km east of Chrysostomos settlement we meet the amazing beaches of Maha. The first beach is rocky and is mainly used as harbor. It is unorganized but there are some rooms and a tavern nearby, from where a dirt road leads to the beach.
The beach of Lassea in front of the village Chrysostomos is very beautiful, with coarse sand and well protected from the west winds. It is unorganised, but still it's close to the settlement. On the west end of the beach there is a "line" of rocks, that heads towards the small islet of Trafos. This is the old dock of the ancient city Lassea.
If you exclude the repelling landscape of tanks, you will certainly be enchanted by the beautiful beaches of Kali Limenes, which are suitable for swimming all year round. As its name name suggests, sea in Kali Limenes (i.e. Fair Harbors) is almost always calm, except in winter. This was one of the reasons for the construction of the tanks here. If you visit the place on weekend, all its beaches are crowded by thousands of people, despite the tiring route in Asterousia.