Gavdos

Gavdos lies about forty kilometres south of Crete and is the southernmost inhabited point of Europe, a low island of some thirty square kilometres with a permanent population in the dozens. Its beaches are the draw: Sarakiniko and Agios Ioannis, backed by junipers and cedars with campers under the trees, Potamos, and Tripiti in the south, where a rock arch and a large wooden chair mark the southern tip, with nothing but sea between there and Africa. Facilities are minimal, a handful of tavernas and rooms, intermittent electricity in places, and no bank; many visitors camp free under the trees, a tradition tolerated for decades. In myth this is Ogygia, where Calypso kept Odysseus for seven years.

What you actually see

• Tripiti - the rock arch and marker at Europe's southernmost point.
• Sarakiniko and Agios Ioannis - cedar-backed beaches with free camping.
• The junipers - old trees growing on the dunes behind the sand.
• The emptiness - an island with dozens of residents and almost no roads.

When to go

May, June and September; July and August bring a camping crowd and the ferries fill. Boats are cancelled in wind with little notice, so build in slack days at both ends.

Honest expectations

Getting stuck for a day or two is normal, so bring cash, medication and patience. Tracks are rough and a 4x4 or scooter is needed to move around. Water is scarce and facilities basic; this is closer to camping than to a holiday island.

Nearby

Paleochora and Chora Sfakion on Crete are the ferry ports; Africa is the next landfall south.