Avlaki beach at Katholiko

The beach Avlaki is located at the exit of the gorge Avlaki in Arkoudovounia area, Cape Meleha , about 16km east of Chania . The access (especially the return) is quite arduous, as it takes about an hour's walking on a steep downhill cobblestone path starting from the monastery Gouverneto , where there is a parking lot, to the ruined Katholiko Monastery .

The area has great religious importance, as it was a center of asceticism in the past. Today it belongs to the Gouverneto Monastery .

The path from the monastery initially passes through the sacred cave of Arkoudiotissa and ends at the deserted monastery Katholiko , right next to the cave of Saint John the Hermit . From there, the access to the beach is through the bed of the canyon , with a view of the caves where the monks lived.

Avlaki gorge disappears into the sea, forming a uniquely beautiful narrow rocky cove with deep blue-green water. The orientation of this small fjord is such that it is protected from the waves during the common summer wind.

On the shore, we meet a small well and a carved shipyard where the monks kept their boats. A little further we meet a quarry that was probably used for building materials for the monastery Katholiko .

Also, there is a ship-shaped rock, which is said to be a pirate ship turned to stone by the curses of the abbot of the monastery.