More About Balos Lagoon Kissamos, Greece
Why not a trip to:
Balos Lagoon
Kissamos, Greece
The bay of Balos with the lagoon of Gramvousa, along with the island of Elafonisi and the Samaria Gorge, are considered one of the main attractions of the nature of Western Crete. The bays were created by the gradual tectonic elevation of the island in the west and the resulting land connection of Crete to the former offshore island of today's Cape Tigani. Under the protection of this land bridge to the open sea, the lagoon could form to the east of it due to flooding.
View of Imeri Gramvousa
The lagoon beach consists of fine white shell and coral sand. The shallow water on large parts of the lagoon with depths of less than 50 centimeters has no plant growth. Even the coastal areas characterized by dunes are sparsely covered with vegetation. On the shores of the bay there are many small lumps of tar in the sand, which are washed up by westerly winds and are said to come from tankers that illegally clean their tanks on the open sea. [1]
The flat land connection to Cape Tigani consists of natural cement (cemented sand layers), in which waterholes have formed. On the southern edge of the lagoon there is a tavern open in summer, which closes during October. For some years now, a canteen of the city of Kissamos has been located in the direction of the Tigani peninsula, which offers small meals. In addition, sunbeds and umbrellas are rented from there. The Kantina is usually open until the end of October. Otherwise, the area is undeveloped, there is no further infrastructure. Only on the peninsula of Cape Tigani there is a small chapel and on the offshore island of Imeri Gramvousa (Ήμερη Γραμβούσα) are the ruins of a Venetian castle from the 16th century.
Balos Lagoon
Kissamos, Greece
The bay of Balos with the lagoon of Gramvousa, along with the island of Elafonisi and the Samaria Gorge, are considered one of the main attractions of the nature of Western Crete. The bays were created by the gradual tectonic elevation of the island in the west and the resulting land connection of Crete to the former offshore island of today's Cape Tigani. Under the protection of this land bridge to the open sea, the lagoon could form to the east of it due to flooding.
View of Imeri Gramvousa
The lagoon beach consists of fine white shell and coral sand. The shallow water on large parts of the lagoon with depths of less than 50 centimeters has no plant growth. Even the coastal areas characterized by dunes are sparsely covered with vegetation. On the shores of the bay there are many small lumps of tar in the sand, which are washed up by westerly winds and are said to come from tankers that illegally clean their tanks on the open sea. [1]
The flat land connection to Cape Tigani consists of natural cement (cemented sand layers), in which waterholes have formed. On the southern edge of the lagoon there is a tavern open in summer, which closes during October. For some years now, a canteen of the city of Kissamos has been located in the direction of the Tigani peninsula, which offers small meals. In addition, sunbeds and umbrellas are rented from there. The Kantina is usually open until the end of October. Otherwise, the area is undeveloped, there is no further infrastructure. Only on the peninsula of Cape Tigani there is a small chapel and on the offshore island of Imeri Gramvousa (Ήμερη Γραμβούσα) are the ruins of a Venetian castle from the 16th century.
Did you know you can follow any of our 175 Special Interest calendars and stay informed better than ever before? See them here. You can also create your own public or private calendar here. Post events to your calendar and ours at the same time! Terms and conditions may vary based on the policies of your local Town Planner publisher.
To learn more, watch our intro video!