Propatoumenos beaches
At the coast between Panagia Charakiani and the hill Kefali, with the archeological findings, a bit west of Holy 317 Fathers church, we meet the area of Propatoumenos. Propatoumenos means the area that can be walked, as there was a trail to the nearby ancient town of Astali, by Bali. The area, indeed, was ideal for walking, as the surrounding Talean mountains are very steep and hard to walk. The wider area is full of Minoan settlements, most of them not excavated and left to the jaws of goats. Here we meet three successive remote pebbly beaches with crystal clear water, just a few meters away from the highway. The seabed is ideal for snorkeling with rocks, conglomerate rocks and natural arches around. Opposite the beaches we see the small islet Prassonissi with seagulls that can be accessed by swimming.
Kefala beach
A secluded area and completely unknown with crystal clear waters in winter and summer is the beach in Kefala east of Panagia Charakiani by Bali. Kefala shore is generally unapproachable but when the weather is calm it reveals a beautiful coastline with stunning colors dominated by red soil, green vegetation of shrubs and wild carob trees. Kefala has a nice pebble beach with rich seabed. A hundred meters on the east there are the beaches Kalo Horafi and Vrahi. Kefala is named after the low peak of about 40 meters just above the sea that hosted an unknown Minoan settlement. The whole area over the beach hosts remnants of ancient walls and buildings.
