The Natural Beauty of Greece

Olympus National Park

This national park includes the highest mountain in Greece Mount Olympus. It’s located in the Olympus Range found on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia. Altogether Mount Olympus has 52 peaks with the highest being Mytikas which in Greek means “nose”. Olympus National Park is very rich in flora and is a World’s Biosphere Reserve.

You could say that it is also a place where you could step back in time. Back to the times in Greek mythology. Mount Olympus was the home of the Twelve Olympian gods. In mythology, it formed itself once the gods had defeated the Titans in the Titan War.

It is a great challenge for visitors to climb Mount Olympus. Every year around 10,000 people climb the mountain and a lot of them only get as far as the Skolio summit. The usual place to begin the climb is from the town of Litochoro known as the City of Gods. Climbers then take a road that leads them to Prionia and this is where the hike begins right at the foot of the mountain.

There is a great sense of adventure taking on Mount Olympus as it offers sheer rocky peaks, alpine fields, deep gorges and thick forest. You’ll find no lakes here except for small periodic lakes in Bara and Dristela formed by melting snow. At the mouth of Xerolakki Stream, you can find a small man-made lake at the village of Petra. The mountain itself is covered by snow about seven months of the year.

Mount Olympus has more than 1,700 plant species. There are four vegetation zones. The first one from 300 to 500m has short bushes and trees such as the holm oak, Greek strawberry tree and kermes oak among others. The second one from 600 to 1400m includes the European black pine, beech trees, and wild cherries to name a few. The third one from 1400 to 2500m has a cold-hardy conifers zone and the fourth at more than 2500m is the highest forest limit in the Balkans.

Mount Olympus is also home to 32 species of mammals including the chamois, deer, wolf, wild pig, fox, ferret, squirrel, jackal and wild cat as well as others. There are also 108 bird species among them the golden eagle and the rare woodpecker. Visitors can also find various amphibians and reptiles and a large number of butterflies.

Pindos National Park

Pindos is also known as Valia Calda National Park includes a section of the mountain range of Pindos. Valia Calda means “warm valley”. The park has dense forests and was established in 1966. There are many fascinating things to see like high peaks, rocky mountain ridges, lots of springs and mountain lakes and even rushing rivers. This is a natural reserve for lots of different species of animals and plants.

Visitors to this national park can experience the wild beauty of the forests and explore the villages of Greveniti, Flampourari and Vovousa.

You can see the beauty of the crystal clear waters of the rivers in the forest area called Aoos and the rapidly flowing waters of the Arkoudorema River. There are forests of black pine and beech pine. At the highest heights of the mountains, there are alpine meadows. There are lots of small lakes with the largest one being Lakkos at Avgo at 1600 m.

Pindos National Park is home to lots of different wild animals. Here lots of species are protected and the forest also includes 415 species of plants and 86 species of mushrooms. Here rare mammals can make their home without fear of man such as bears, wild cats, lynx, deer and wild goats and in the rivers otters. Nightlife in the forest includes lots of bats up to five different types. The national forest is made up of the center and circumference. Visitors are allowed to walk in the center, but cannot open up new paths. Absolutely no digging or destruction of any kind is allowed. If you wish to go kayaking or rafting on the rivers you need to have special clearance from the local forestry.

Among the bird population here you will find the imperial eagle, griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture and the rare lanner falcon. There are also eight woodpecker species. You will also discover amphibians here like salamanders and reptiles like vipers. Fish found in the Arcoudorema River is salmo trutta.

A tradition in this part of the country is sheep rearing and from May to September over 8,000 goats, sheep and cattle graze here. Lots of campers and hikers come from the nearby villages to fish at the Arcoudorema.