Chrissi or Gaidouronisi Island
.jpg "Island of Chrissi")
The island of Chrysi (Gaidouronisi) is located about 9 nautical miles south of Ierapetra. Due to the infinite natural beauty and the preserved ecosystem, it has joined the European program of natural landscape protection NATURA 2000.
It has an area of 4,743 sq.m. and higher altitude 27m. It is an islet famous for its tropical waters, which exhaust the entire color palette of blue and green and also, for the golden beaches, because of which it got the name Chrysi, but as well from the protected forest, with the big cedars over 200 years old.
It is an earthly tropical paradise, which is the southernmost natural park in Europe and that is why it is rightly called "the diamond of the Mediterranean".
The western tip of the island has some remains of past settlement: a few Minoan ruins and a 13th century chapel dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas).
It was inhabited into Byzantine times. The main sources of wealth were fishing, salt export, and the export of porfira (Tyrian purple) After the Byzantine period the island was abandoned, although later it was used as a hideout.
Chrissi Island General Information
Cruises are daily from May to October, with various departures from 10.00 am. until 13.00 pm and the journey duration varies depending on the ship, from 20 to 60 minutes. However, itineraries and ships might change depending on the time period and the weather. In the port of Ierapetra there is also free parking for your car.
The disembarkation takes place on the south side of the island, where is the only port, in the place "Vougiou Mati" and very close is located the south beach, where you can swim and relax.
There are no roads on the island, nor shops (restaurants, canteens, etc., but you should know, that the ship's self-service restaurant-bar is open throughout the cruise, so you can enjoy a delicious meal, salad, wine, snacks, coffee, soft drinks, ice cream, ice cream, etc. on board or stock your meal in a package for the duration of your stay on the island. Hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes are essential for high temperatures, especially in the summer months. 
The cedar forest, which extends in the center of the island, has an area of 350 acres, with an average of 14 trees per acre and an average age of trees 200-300 years, covers about ¼ of the island. These trees are a rare variety of Lebanese cedars, reaching a height of up to 10m, while their trunk has a diameter of up to 1 meter.
Cedars have a root system that grows to a radius of at least twice their height. In addition to their large roots, a very large amount of very fine roots form a dense grid, which holds the sand. The route through the cedar forest and the dunes, is magical.
At the point of disembarkation there is a path, which after a short walk through the cedar forest, will lead you to an exotic beach with thousands of shells in Belegrina or otherwise, the Golden Sand.
While walking on the island, you will be impressed by the colors of the rocks, which are mainly gray-green, brown, red, black, etc., while most of the island is covered by fine golden sand. The basic rocks of Chrysi were created by the solidification of lava, which was poured from an underwater volcano, millions of years ago.
The 49 species of fossils (corals, shells, horseshoes, sea urchins) that have been found on the island, are of marine origin. They were imprinted on volcanic rocks 350,000-70,000 years ago, when Chrysi was still submerged in water. The north coast is full of shells and mainly on the east side of the north beach, the crowd is so large that it is one of the characteristics of the island.
Snorkelling & Fishing on Chrissi
The waters around Chrissi island are quite shallow and perfect for snorkeling, you will see many different species of fish within its cool waters, there are many different types of shellfish to see, but its recommended not to take any from the island.
If you want to go fishing on the island, then it’s certainly worthwhile but don’t expect to catch anything big, there are shoals of sea bream and mullet that swim these waters and the best way to catch them is with bread flake. If you can return the fish to the sea after catching rather than taking home to cook it’s much appreciated.
