Gramvousa Island and Balos Lagoon - Full-Day Tour

Discover the two small uninhabited islands off the coast of Gramvousa Peninsula as well as Balon Lagoon. Enjoy a magical boat trip through the westernmost point of Crete and admire the crystal clear waters of these places.

Join this 12-hour day tour of Gramvousa, an island that serves as a regional bird habitat. While there, take time to explore the local castle, then head over to Balos Lagoon. Swim and relax at the lagoon with your group before heading back to Rethimno.

The island of Gramvousa is associated with the struggle to liberate Crete from the Ottoman occupation. Three thousand revolutionaries used the island as their shelter for 3 years. To solve the problem of food scarcity, they took to piracy. Gramvousa nowadays is an important bird habitat in the Eastern Mediterranean region and is located along one of the bird migration ways in this part of the world. It is the habitat of over 100 bird species and 400 kinds of plants. Built 137m above sea level on this rocky island, it is one of the most impressive castles in Crete.

Balos is famous for its turquoise waters, the wild natural beauty and the beautiful exotic scenery. The lagoon of Balos has white sand and exotic white, vivid blue and turquoise waters. The sea is very shallow and warm, ideal for young children. In many places the sand has a lovely pinkish color, because of millions of crushed shells. Beyond the rocks at the boundaries of the lagoon, the water is deeper and colder.