Eastern Crete has dozens of enchanting and unknown destinations that "capture" every visitor, making him…
Schinokapsala
Combining the beauties of the mountain with those of the sea, the local community of Schinokapsala stands out for its impressive mountainous relief and its beautiful beaches in the communities of Achlia, Mavros Kolympos and Galini.
Ascending the slopes of Thrypti and through a unique and full of pine trees route, we find Schinokapsala at an altitude of 432 meters. It is an amphitheatrically built village with an endless view of the Libyan Sea. The waters of the area offer Schinokapsala a very dense vegetation with “Leivadakia” pine tree forest being predominant on the north of the village and ideal for hiking trips.
The history of the village goes deep in time. The Venetian census of 1583 registered 162 inhabitants and according to the legend its name derives from the adventures of the first settler who used to live in a cave that was protected by kermes oaks (“schinoi” in Greek), but at some time after a wildfire that occurred the kermes oaks were burnt and the charred (“kapsalismeno” in Greek) landscape finally gave the area its name. Then the village was abandoned but that was not the case for its very fertile fields that were being exploited mostly by the residents of Oreino. Those people leavened the village and since 1928 (when the next census registered 165 residents) the population started increasing dramatically. The new community, which no longer depended on Oreino, was established in 1955 (1949???) and reached its peak in the 60’s and the 70’s , when more than 100 children studied in the primary school of the area and the village as well as its coffeehouses were crowded with people.
Now, the number of the residents has dramatically fallen, but the beauties of the village and its exceptional climate have attracted the interest of many people and many are the foreigners who, either permanently or occasionally, chose to live in Schinokapsala by buying houses and land plots.
The legendary coffeehouse that has been open for more than 50 years offers traditional local dainties and there are also apartments to let in the village. It is worth visiting the bottling plant where wine of excellent quality is bottled.
In Schinokapsala there are many remarkable churches, the most outstanding of which is of Saint Georgios with the exceptional wall paintings on the south of the village.
Beach area: Achlia, Galini and Mavros Kolimbos
At the time being many are the people from Schinokapsala that have moved to the coast and have established the communities Achlia, Galini and Mavros Kolympos that are known for their touristic infrastructures and, of course, the beautiful beaches. The beach of Achlia is the place that attracts crowds of people in the summer and that the cultural association holds the beach volley tournament every year in the beginning of July. The wild and rocky landscape with the dark-colored pebbles and the peaceful and black, at some points, waters characterize the beach of Mavros Kolympos. Galini, as it is obvious by its name (peacefulness in Greek) is characterized by the peaceful environment and there are also some beautiful but rutty beaches that are worthwhile considering.
Additional Info
Location: Makrigialos Region – 21 km far from Ierapetra
Access: Aphalt road
Residents: 89 (2017)
Αltitude: 428m
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