Boufos Beach, Sissi, Crete: The Beach Named After the Sound Waves Make in a Cave, 700m East of the Harbour, Open to the North Wind

Greece | Sissi | Lasithi Prefecture, Crete

The name “Boufos” comes from the characteristic “bouf” sound that the waves make as they rush into a nearby cave in the area. This sound became so characteristic that it gave the beach its name.

The cave is still there. The sound is still there. Boufos Beach is very much affected by the winds which create large waves and on those days extra caution is required. It has repeatedly been awarded for its clear waters. The beach features sand and round pebbles whereas the sea bed has rocks at places, making it difficult to enter and exit, especially on windy days.

Boufos Beach in Lasithi north east Crete is a small and windy beach, 700 metres away from the village of Sissi and 9 kilometres east of Malia.

The beach is the #1 thing to do in Sissi on TripAdvisor — not because it is exceptional among Cretan beaches, but because the village has limited competing attractions and Boufos is the best swim near the harbour. On calm days, the water clarity that the rocky pebble bottom produces is genuinely beautiful. On windy days, the red flag goes up and the surf and umbrellas and beach recliners attendant had his work cut out dissuading parents with small children to keep out of the water: sharp rocks either side and steep pebbly shelving into water making it hard for people to get back out and the surf very powerful. Why do people ignore red flags?

Getting There: 700m East of Sissi Harbour, 15-20 Minutes on Foot, or Drive the Coastal Road

Boufos Beach, 500 metres east, is small, but sandy, and has umbrellas available during the season. There’s one taverna for food and drink.

From Sissi harbour, follow the coastal path east for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The path runs along the rocky coastline — flat but rocky underfoot, and hot in the midday sun. A 15-minute walk from Sisi port area along rocky coastline road which in the heat of the day would be a bit gruelling.

By car from Sissi village, take the road east toward Avlaki and Kalimera — the beach is signed. Parking is in an unpaved area directly behind the beach bar. The approach road from Heraklion uses the E75 National Road east, exit for Sissi: approximately 40 minutes, 45 kilometres.

From Malia — 9 kilometres west — Boufos is a 15-minute drive. Sissi is located 26km west of Agios Nikolaos and 41km east of Heraklion, in close proximity to Malia.

The Beach: Sandy and Pebble, Rocky Entry, Water Shoes Essential, Red Flag Days Mean Stay Out

Boufos Beach, lying in the small bay of Harkoma, is a beach organised with umbrellas and sunbeds and a lounge bar overlooking the sea. The beach is a mix of rocks and sand, therefore wearing sea shoes is recommended.

Water shoes are a must. The rocks as you enter the water are slippery. There are a bit of waves and the water is very clear.

The sunbed pricing: For €8 you can rent two chairs and an umbrella. There is a cafe/bar on the beach and a WC. Alternatively, 2 sunbeds with parasol and table for €10 — it’s a rocky beach so you need rock hoppers to enter the sea, good for snorkelling, lots of fish.

The snorkelling on the rocky edges of the bay is productive — the rocky habitat sustaining the fish population that the sandy sections do not. On calm days, the water clarity that the rocky pebble seabed produces makes Boufos one of the clearer-water beaches in the Malia–Sissi area. The contrast with the nearby resort beaches at Malia (which has water quality challenges from the urban resort development) is significant on a calm day.

On red flag days: stay out. The north-facing orientation means the full Cretan Sea swell enters the bay with nothing to reduce it. The combination of the steep pebbly shelving, the sharp rocks on either side, and the powerful surf makes the water genuinely dangerous on high-wind days.

The Boufos Minoan Settlement: The Archaeological Site Adjacent to the Beach

Between Boufos and the neighbouring beach of Avlaki is the church of Agios Antonios, as well as the archaeological site of Boufos. The archaeological site includes a pre-palatial settlement that has developed in the form of a complex, covering an area of approximately one hectare.

The Boufos Minoan settlement is one of the lesser-known archaeological sites in the Malia area — the same coastal zone that contains the Palace of Malia (9 kilometres west). The pre-palatial settlement dates the occupation of this specific bay to the period before the main Minoan palatial complexes were built — 2600 to 1900 BC. The combination of a beach day at Boufos and an afternoon visit to the Malia Palace 9 kilometres west is the specific cultural-and-beach programme.

The Sellinari Gorge View: Ancient Passage from North to South Crete

From this point, one can enjoy an excellent view of the Sellinari Gorge, a natural passage that connected central Crete with Lasithi since ancient times.

The Sellinari Gorge — the narrow ravine in the mountains visible from Boufos Beach — was the historically important passage between the northern coast and the Lasithi Plateau. The gorge road is the one the traveller takes today to reach the Lassithi Plateau and the Diktaean Cave (the cave of Zeus) — the specific mountain programme accessible from the Sissi base.

The Sissi Beach Sequence: Harbour, Boufos, Avlaki, Kalimera, Spiliada

The coastline around Sissi is mainly rocky, except for a few small beaches. The sea is usually wavy. The sequence east from the harbour: the harbour beach (protected, small, calm), then Boufos (500 to 700 metres east, north-facing, organised, wind-affected), then Avlaki (small rocky cove), then Kalimera Kriti hotel beach (artificial bay, protected, very calm, families), then Spiliada (tamarisk shade, cave nearby, quiet).

Sissi Village: The Harbour, the Tavernas, the Evening Walk

Sisi is a nice tourist village on the northeast coast of Crete. It was built around an old fishing port nestled discreetly in a small bay. The traditional fish tavernas at the resort have made it a popular gastronomic attraction for tourists and locals.

The Sissi harbour is the specific evening destination after the Boufos beach day — the waterfront restaurants with fresh fish and the view of the narrow natural harbour that has been the village’s identity since the Cretan Revolution (1866–1869), when it was used for unloading arms for the Lassithi rebels.

Boufos Beach at Sissi in Lasithi, Crete is the beach named after the sound waves make in a cave — 700 metres east of the harbour, north-facing and wind-exposed, rocky entry needs water shoes, €8–10 for two sunbeds and umbrella, good snorkelling on the rocky edges, red flags mean stay out (the rocks and the surge are genuinely dangerous), the Boufos Minoan settlement adjacent, the Sellinari Gorge visible in the mountains, and the Malia Palace 9 kilometres west.

Walk east from the harbour for 15 minutes. Check the flag before entering.