Karoumes beach
Karoumes beach is located 110km east of Agios Nikolaos and 29km southeast of Sitia. It is formed at the exit of the beautiful gorge of Chochlakies which is part of the E4 trail. Access to the beach can be done only by walking in the gorge, since the rugged terrain of the area has kept off the roads. Thus, in order to come here you should leave your car in the picturesque village Chochlakies and follow the trail that starts 1km east of the village. The gorge is 3.5km long and has water till spring. The walk usually takes 1.5 hours (in very low tempo), but the canyon is inaccessible after rainfalls. The path along the river is breathtaking, as the gorge with its towering cliffs maneuvers through the bare mountains. In the route you meet several ponds (in spring) and a huge variety of plants. Near the exit, the high surrounding walls turn to a little valley.
At the edge of the valley you will find the beautiful beach of Karoumes. The beach has small pebbles and the water is always calm, since it has eastern orientation. Also, there are many trees offering shade and some rocks on the north side of the beach. The beach is ideal for seclusion because of its distance from the urban centers and the difficult access. If you want to stay more isolated (more?), there are two tiny secret beaches with a length of only 3-5m located 300m and 400m south of the main beach.
Mavromouri Cape
Approximately 700m north of the main Karoumes beach, on the trail from Karoumes to Agathias (close to Palekastro), we meet an amazing sandy beach, very well protected by waves and wind, surrounded by rough rocky hills and with several rocks in the sea. Some rock recesses offer shade to their rare visitors, that usually arrive here by boat. The real name of the beach is Mavromouri after the homonym local Cape.
If you come to Karoumes, you can visit the cave Pelekita located 3km south of the beach. Nearby there is an ancient quarry that was used for the construction of the Minoan palace in Kato Zakros. If you visit the cave, in order to admire the interior decoration of the cave, make sure that you have a couple of torches with you. From there you can continue south to Kato Zakros via the E4 trail. Another scenic route you can follow is walking from Agathias to the three beaches of Skinias and then walk along the coastline south until you meet Karoumes.
