Preveli Beach

At Preveli the Megas Potamos river comes out of the Kourtaliotis gorge and crosses the beach to the Libyan Sea, and native palms line the last stretch of it. You can wade upstream in fresh water between the trees, then turn around and swim in the sea, which is the reason the place has a reputation. A fire in 2010 burned much of the palm grove; regrowth is well underway and visible, but the older, denser canopy is gone. Access is either a stone stairway down the cliff from a car park below the monastery, twenty minutes or so on the way down and considerably longer coming back, or a boat from Plakias or Agia Galini that lands you on the sand.

What you actually see

• The river mouth - fresh water running across the sand into the sea, shallow and wadeable.
• The palm-lined channel - native palms along the lower gorge, with visible regrowth after the fire.
• The stone stairway - the cliff route down, with the whole bay in view from the upper section.
• Preveli monastery - on the plateau above the beach, a separate short visit.

When to go

May, June and September give warm water without the August crowd on a beach with limited space. Come early: the descent is easier in cool air and the climb back is the hard part. Boats run only in season and only in calm weather on the south coast. The river runs strongest in spring and can be low by late summer.

Honest expectations

The return climb is genuinely tough in heat and catches people out every year. Facilities are a single kiosk, and shade depends on finding a spot among the palms. The river pool is shallow and sometimes murky rather than the clear lagoon in the photographs. Parking at the top fills, and boat schedules are limited and weather dependent.

Nearby

Preveli monastery, the Kourtaliotis gorge and the beaches around Plakias.