The third book in the series Discover...on Foot has 11 easy country walks in the area of Almyrida, Kalyves and Stylos, the western part of the Apokoronas area. The walks will take you through typical old Cretan villages often superb views over the Bay of Souda and the spectacular coastline and at the same time an open view to the majestic White Mountains. A big part of the area is agricultural, with many olive-,orange- and avocado groves. There are famous water springs, a surprisingly green area with forest and in a fertile valley a river floating all year round. Ruins of ancient buildings, Byzantine churches, Venetian well, a Turkish fortress and even a Minoan settlement and a Minoan grave are among the sights you will discover with the walks from this guidebook. Also this book has again a lot of extra information about the villages, history and the area. Many beautiful pictures and detailed walking maps make this book complete. 

About Almyrida and Kalyves

Almyrida is a small fishing village that lies along the east of the Souda Bay, opposite the cape of Akrotiri, within 25 kilometers from the city of Chania.  Almyrida was first established by the ancient Phoenicians who were active traders with good relations with the Minoans. Up to the mid 1990s it was only a small fishing village with no more than 50 – 100 residents. Due to its scenic location and fresh fish, people from Chania and further came to Almyrida to eat in one of the family run taverns. It gradually started to decline, as the younger people decided to move to the cities for work, however midway through the 1990s more and more Europeans came to this area to buy properties and to settle permanently. Nowadays Almyrida is a popular beach resort with a "Blue Flag” beach. It is the perfect place to combine a beach holiday and to explore the countryside behind the village on foot.

Kalyves is located 3 km west of Almyrida and is now a popular tourist resort but, in contrast to Almyrida, it is also a working, ‘‘all year round’ village. There are two theories of how Kalyves got its name (Kalyves means huts in Greek). One theory is that the name originates from the Arabs who invaded the region in 828AD and arrived at the village, at a place called ‘Sarakinos’. There they built their houses; the "huts". Another theory is that the name refers to the huts the farmers built in order to live there during the summer, instead of going back and forth to their villages.

The village of Kalyves is built upon the ruins and foundations of the ancient city "Amfimatrion" or "Amfimatron" , which means that in this area or the neighbouring village of Kalami, was the city of Kissamos, the port of the ancient city of Aptera, where a shipyard existed. The fact that the area of Kalyves is connected to the ancient city of Aptera leads to the conclusion that shipbuilding was a common activity here. 

Three rivers cross Kalyves, the rivers Xydas, Mesopotamos and Koiliaris. The Koiliaris River is one of the few rivers of Crete that continue to flow during the summer. There are also three beaches; West of Kalyves at the Koiliaris River is the beach of Kyani Akti, in the village the beach of Xidas and between the small harbour and the east side of the Xidas River is the Maistrali Beach.

Example pages and pictures