Despite its size, the tiny island of Chrysi has a lot to offer to those who wish to explore it.
Also known as Chrissi, but dubbed by Greeks Chrysi, meaning Donkey Island, is uninhabited and can only be reached by sea, from Ierapetra or Mirtos.
The lack of residents and infrastructure for tourists, meaning that visitors can only walk around Chrysi and are not dependent on roads and vehicles, has helped the island become a untouched paradise.
This almost flat island lies in the Libyan Sea and has small beaches, including Belegrina Beach. Here visitors can admire the pink color of the sand, which is created by thousands of years old fossil shells.
Chrysi is not only the perfect place for a day at the beach. You will find the small church of Agios Nikolaos, dating back to the 13th century, Roman tombs, Minoan ruins and an old lighthouse.
While the coastline is dotted with small beaches, the interior of Chrysi is covered by a beautiful forest of juniper trees.
Due to the island's unique and fragile ecosystem, it has been included in the NATURA 2000 programme, a European initiative to protect natural areas and ecologically interesting areas.
Although tourists can only spend a few hours on the island, many visitors highly recommend a trip to Chrysi.
On the travel advice board Tripadvisor someone wrote: “This is by far the best place to visit in Crete. It combines Elafonissi, Balos, Falassarna, all the beauty you can find in this place. HIGHLY recommended.
“Some people complain about this or that, but these people complain easily about almost everything. I've been there three times and it was totally worth it.”
Another said: “Definitely worth taking the ferry to this island! The water was crystal clear and warm. The views all around were breathtaking! One of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to!”