Kapsas beach
Kapsas Monastery is located 37km southwest of Sitia and 32km east of Ierapetra, between Makrigialos and Goudouras. It is a very old monastery built on the cliffs near the exit of the imposing Pervolakia Gorge. To get here you can follow the paved road that links Makrigialos to Goudouras, but there are also (rare) bus services from Ierapetra.
Just in front of the exit of the canyon a small beach is formed with crystal blue water and big round pebbles. It is totally isolated, although it is next to the road, and there are several tamarisk trees. If you think that the place is ideal for nudism, forget it unless you want to be chased the monks. This place is great because you swim amid the Cretan wild landscape with bare rocks and caves.
The monastery was built in the 13th century by hermits, was destroyed in 1471 by pirates and was later reoccupied by locals, among whom was someone Giovanni Capsas. Today it is a dependency of Toplou Monastery and is dedicated to the “Beheading of John the Baptist”; celebrates on August 29. In a cave near the monastery lived the ascetic Iosif Georgoulakis (or Gerontogiannis), who was said that worked wonders.
