Kokkinos Pyrgos (i.e. Red Tower, in Greek: Κόκκινος Πύργος) is a small port village (and recently a blooming beach resort) in the south of the Greek island of Crete. It belongs to the municipality of Festos. It is located about 67km west of Heraklion, close to the town of Tymbaki,* between Matala (15 kilometers distance) and Agia Galini (10 kilometers distance). Its name suggests a red clay(?) tower, of which nothing is known. The climate of the region is generally warm (and many times windy!) and many locals grow fresh vegetables in greenhouses.
The harbor of Kokkinos Pyrgos offers docking facilities for sailing and fishing boats. In front of the village, there is a very long sandy beach, which starts here and extends for several kilometers to the southeast, till Kommos. This long beach hosts several loggerhead sea turtles (Carretta carretta) that lay their eggs in the sand during summer. The sea turtles and the nests are protected by several organizations. The beach of Kokkinos Pirg…
