Elafonisi Pink Sand Beach, Greece

Elafonisi Island was our favorite beach that we visited while on the island on Crete! This beach is famous for its pink sand. Since pink is my favorite color, I knew we had to visit one of the only pink sand beaches in the world. Here is some info about visiting and the tour we took.

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Elafonisi Full Day Tour from Chania
I booked our tour on the Viator Travel App. It basically just provides transportation to and from Elafonisi Beach. Elafonisi is located on the South-Western side of the island and is a few hours drive from the main areas on Crete. We did not have a rental car so this was a great option for us and was reasonably priced. My only complaint was that in the description it said we were going to stop at a Sea Cave and we did not. The bus picked us up from our hotel in Platanias (near Chania) and was a nice air conditioned charter bus. We did the first tour listed below (click on the photo for more info).

When you arrive at Elafonisi you will be dropped off at the edge of town. There are a few restaurants and convenience stores here if you forgot sunscreen or need some water or snacks.

You will actually have a ways to walk down to the beach, around fifteen minutes over some sandy/rocky terrain. All downhill on the way there but prepare for an uphill hike in the hot weather on the way back.

Okay, so you were probably expecting an entire pink sand beach, but obviously, it is not. There is a gorgeous layer of pink sand on the beach right where the water breaks on shore. Our guide told us that the beach had way more pink sand years ago, but there is less and less every year. The majority of the pink sand is on the island itself which is a knees depth wade to from the main beach.

There are signs to tell you but the locals ask to please not take the sand or seashells from the beach. This is one of the reasons why the beach does not have as much pink sand anymore.

This beach is also great for swimming. One side of the island is crystal clear thigh high water and perfect for small kids. There are virtually no waves on that side. The other side has waves and spots for snorkeling.

Elafonisi is a great spot for snorkeling! Travis and Aurora were able to spot several cool fish. I always get asked what camera I use to take underwater photos and videos, it is actually my iPhone! I have this great diving phone case that we have used on many trips. Click on the photo to shop.

Elafonisi Beach has beach chairs and umbrellas, paddle board and kayak rentals, etc if you want some more options for activities while you’re on the beach.

Also, just a note, the restrooms we came across at Elafonisi were £1 to use. There could have been free restrooms somewhere else down the beach but we did not see any. So make sure to have some cash on hand for your trip.

You may get hungry or thirsty while on Elafonisi and there are about three options for you including a beach bar and two food spots. They do take card (thankfully) but cash is quicker as service for their credit card machines is spotty. The food spots have plenty of options for food, drinks, snacks, and ice cream. They offer grab and go options and some of them offer seating (but not all). I will say they are a bit pricey since the options are few and far between.