Time to travel again with one of my blogs. Come with me to visit Elafonissos, a small, tiny paradise in south Greece.

Elafonissos lies just off the south eastern tip of Peloponnese - Lakonia Gulf across from Neapolis and just 350m at its northernmost tip from at Pounta. So... let's start our Odyssey...

The Odyssey begins with the Channel of Elafonisos. When Odysseas was returning to Ithaki from Troia he reached cape Maleas. There he was defeated by the elements of nature. He unsuccessfully tried to enter the channel of Elafonisos. After his navy was banished he arrived at the land of the Cyclops.
As local tradition has it, Kato-Nisi is known as the Land of the Cyclopes . The islands of Panagia are called " Cyclopetres " (Stones of Cyclops), while the front cave in called Polifimos' cave .

I travelled in Elafonissos to visit this island as I had heard about its beauty but I had never visited. I took the ferry from Vatica area, a small village at the South Peloponissos which is also famous for the onions that people cultivate there.

Before I left many friends of my page wrote me to tell me how wonderful place is this island and for sure I was going to enjoy it. I came bame back from Elafonissos full of amazing beauty images in my mind. I lived wonderful moments there and it is a place I am going to visit many times at the recent future.

Elafonissos is a small Greek island between the Peloponnese and Kythira. It lies off the coast of Cape Malea and is located in the municipality of the Vatika. The area of the island is 19 km². In modern times, Elafonisos was first inhabited before 1850.

In the antiquity, the current area where Elafonisos lies did not constitute island but a peninsula bearing the name "Onou Gnathos" (Donkey Jawbone) as it is reported by Pausanias (2nd century AD) who in his tour describes the city of Voia in the sunken region of island Petri where even today the ruins of houses and roads are still distinguishable. The region between the island and Peloponnese that sunk in the aftermath of an earthquake and other smaller pieces of ground around the island that today us rewards with splendid gold-greenblue colours in their waters.

During the 16th and 17th century A.D. the island used as a base for operations of Pirates and Corsairs, since the " Elafonisos Channel " constitutes even today the main passage of vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean where hundreds of ships pass each day and night.

The island was re-populated by its current residents in 1850, when the Hellenic Navy put an end to the Aegean Piracy. The initial inhabitants came from the surrounding villages of Vatika area. The Hellenic Kingdom exploited the omition of Elafonissos and another Island called Sapienza from the treaty of sovereignty of the "Ionian Republic" in which both islands where part of.

The island is also known as Elafonisi/Lafonisi just like Elafonisi in Northwestern Crete. The name of Elafonissos probably has a historical origin, and means the "island of deers".

The main church in the village is of Agios Spyridon, which is built on a tiny piece of land that is connected by a hand made bridge to the rest of the island.

The residents of Elafonissos posses one of the bigger fishing fleets in Greece with boats suitable for coastal fishing. Most of them are wooden "Trehandiri" but also "Paragadia" and various types. Elafonissiotes, are famous for exceptional woodwork shipbuilding as genuine descendants trireme from the Spetses, Hydra, Koilada but also Samos and elsewhere.

The population which is between 400 and 450 during the winter, however, increases in the summer months. This is because the island is a popular tourist destination during the summer. The tourist season is in the months of July and August reaching 5,000 with 1,600 cars every day. Many people visit the island for its light coloured, sandy beaches on the southern tip of the island.

The main village and the port of the island is also called Elafonissos . At the south-eastern part is Megalo Tigani , the new harbour, with a beach offering tourist facilities. Nearby is the chapel of Agios loannis, and the road to the magnificent beaches.

The first is on the bay of Lefki , on the eastern coast. The second is at the southernmost tip, at the bay of Frangos , on the south side of Elafonisos. The beach of Simos , is one of the best in Greece . Nearby is the large beach of the bay of Sarakiniko, along the southern part of the island. On the western side of the island is Nissia tis Panagia , another beautiful beach facing four small islaets. There is the second, small settlement on Elafonisos, Kato Nisi .

Today, Elafonissos is accessed by either the ferry/hydrofoil of the line linking Piraeus with the South Peloponnese, Kythira and Kasteli, or by the local ferry-boat service linking Neapolis and Kythira. Journey time from Neapolis is thirty minutes. One other way to approach the island is by ...land, taking a small boat from the coast of Peloponnese at Antinognatho to make the six-minute trip over the shallow channel. Before they cross over, they can see the cobblestone streets of the peninsula as they were before it became an island, they can enjoy the excellent beach at Pounta or admire the Mycenaean tombs opposite the islet of Pavlopetri -the cemetery of a city sunk in the bronze age.

This tiny paradise is still outside the main touristic packages. The islanders who live there feel happy and enjoy their paradise and they don't like to advertize it but... I discover it and I am happy to share it with you.

For those who are going to visit this area of Greece don't forget to visit it and feel this simplicity of the nature's beauty. Don't forget to live for a while at this tiny paradise. Maybe you will find me there too...