Balos Lagoon

Balos is the lagoon that looks Photoshopped from the clifftop path: a sweep of shallow, bath-warm turquoise pooling behind sandbars tinged faintly pink with crushed shell, pinched between the wild Gramvousa peninsula and the tied islet of Cape Tigani. The setting stays raw because getting there is a commitment - either the day boat from Kissamos, which also calls at Imeri Gramvousa island so you can climb to its 16th-century Venetian fortress, or a jolting dirt track up the peninsula followed by a 20-30 minute path down the hillside with the lagoon filling the view. The whole cape falls within a protected natural area, home to seabirds and rare plants, and beyond the sandbars the open water drops into serious Cretan blue. It is one of Greece's genuinely spectacular coastal set pieces, and it knows it by high summer.

The landscape

• The lagoon from the path - the full turquoise-and-pink composition on the descent.
• The sandbars - warm shallows braiding between beach and islet.
• Imeri Gramvousa - the fortress island stop on the boat route.
• Cape Tigani - the bare 'frying pan' islet anchoring the scene.

When to go

Late May to June and September give the colours without the armada - July and August bring full boats and full sandbars. Wind matters: a strong meltemi chops the shallows and dulls the postcard.

Practical notes

The dirt road is genuinely rough - many rental agreements exclude it, so check before driving, and expect a small toll. Facilities are minimal and shade is scarce; carry water, cash and an umbrella. Midday in August, the boats deliver crowds that the lagoon absorbs less gracefully than photographs suggest.

Nearby

Falassarna's long sands, Kissamos town and the Elafonissi lagoon down the west coast.

Key facts